Home
>
Small Business
>
Pressure Washing Business Case Study, Tractor Cleaning

Pressure Washing Business Case Study, Tractor Cleaning

So often small service businesses fail to exploit niches, which have little if any competition. I know as I built my companies we always tried to identify all the market niches and go after them. We were not always able to succeed at everything, occasionally we would fail; it happened more than I would care to admit, but those are lessons learned. The best way to get to success is to learn from the challenges of the past and so in my office I have a huge trashcan, bigger than any executive you will ever meet. And it is always full. That's okay. Let me tell you about one of the more successful niches we discovered in the pressure washing business; tractor cleaning.

This is a great market; there is so much work with all the new environmental laws and the expanding population base and economy. www.tractorwashguys.com . One problem we had back when we got into the market was that Greenspan and the Fed had been raising the rates so new home starts started to decline and many new developments have been put on hold. This was 10-years ago in a different economy and a different market. It also affected the building Industry and the price of off road diesel fuel was up. Interesting we see the same things happening now today, but a slightly different result as home sales are still going even though the economy is showing a slow down in some sectors.

There is no need to wash tractors, which are sitting, idle or dormant and when we started into the business of heavy equipment cleaning this is where we were at, so we started by offering this franchise as a module to our franchisees of truck wash guys www.truckwashguy.com . Since it is similar in nature the type of cleaning done, plus all the companies who own tractors also own trucks to move them, water trucks, and other units, which the truck wash guys would normally wash. So it made sense to go after this niche even in a down economy at the time. Also it made sense to look at agricultural tractor cleaning because no matter what the economy does people have to eat, right? We decided to offer this franchise module with a separate franchise agreement for another $3,000.00 only. This covered our cost to train the franchisee for one week in Butte MT washing tractors at the mines, specifically Sunlight Gold Mine, kind of funny if you think about it; we will train you for one week at a gold mine?

In Heavy Equipment cleaning there is allot of important information they must know and safety issues are very unforgiving when working around heavy equipment. The only real qualifications in the tractor wash guys business are that the franchisee be a man type man or a tuff woman. A young executive college type student may not like this type of work. The money is very good. I remember times earning nearly $3,000 on a weekend cleaning tractors working 24 hours a day for two days and getting greasy to the point you could not tell what nationality I was. Well, if you have not guessed it I am a white guy, but if you saw me with a bunch of black guys you would swear I was one of the brothers. At night you are working with steam and in a giant cloudbank of sauna type fog. When you cool down you are soaked, greasy and tired. It is like the playing football in the mud with a bunch of brutes, which do not care about pain. So it takes a real tough person. But the money is great. Obviously this is not the same person type who comes to your parking lot to detail your BMW who wears varneys and Nike High Tops.

We do all kinds of equipment and also strip paint for refurbishing, and detailing cabs for equipment auctions. I started this business because the demand is high for quality companies who can provide this type of service. Generally the types of independents who do this type of steam cleaning are not understanding of how to go about the business aspect of it. Many of the new corporate farmers run them like HMOs and the large construction companies have procedures and insurance requirements. They can no longer hire the company who rolls up chewing tobacco and says, "Y'ALL need them things kleen or naut?" They have the OSHA to deal with and the NPDES Requirements and the EPA screaming down their neck. There is just no way to hire the independent guy who cannot follow the rules. We know the way to do it. Give me a hard worker and we will give him a great franchise cleaning equipment and tractors, I use to say. We have been perfecting this co-brand for two years and have brought several people onto our team who have helped. It needs to be its own franchise.

It is a market sector overlooked but is necessary and anyone in the pressure washing business needs to look into this niche. A new Caterpillar engine cost in excess of $65,000.00 it cannot over heat, which is what happens if the radiator flanges are not kept free from dirt and grease. Also the blades on scrappers have to be replaced and welded on and cannot be welded when they are all greasy. Welders make $80.00 per hour so they do not want them cleaning equipment. Most heavy equipment pressure washing companies make well in excess of $100.00 per hour. There are so many reasons to clean equipment including the fact that operators are Union and do not have to work in unfair conditions around greasy walk ways which cause safety issues or in a dust ridden cab or be exposed to unnecessary fire hazards or unsafe conditions. Also is the railroad industry, major work available there. One of our franchisees worked for the railroad industry as a terminal rail master. We have the inside track to the purchasing process for the major railroads. Some of the contracts are intense. One we recently found out about was over 500,000 dollars on a two-year contract.

Pressure washing companies need to look into the heavy industry and equipment cleaning sector at plants, rail yards, ports, agricultural corporate farms, oil field services and heavy construction. I hope you have enjoyed today's pressure washing case study. Think on it.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.worldthinktank.net/wttbbs

custom home cleaning Wilmette ..

In The News:

Scammers create fake Evite invitations that mimic legitimate event emails, requiring users to verify senders and use antivirus software for protection.

The new Apple Watch hypertension feature passively monitors blood pressure patterns over 30 days using sensors to detect chronic high blood pressure signs.

Chrome extension spyware disguised as a free VPN service highlights security risks after it captured private browsing data from trusted sites.

New research shows how fatty acids in cooking oil can safely dissolve and recover silver from circuit boards without harmful chemicals or environmental damage.

The Fox News AI newsletter gives you information on the latest AI technology advancements, and about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Anthropic investigates alarming AI abuse case where hacker automated entire cybercrime campaign using Claude, stealing sensitive data from defense and healthcare firms.

TikTok, Meta and YouTube restrict Charlie Kirk shooting videos with age gates and warnings while X faces criticism for allowing continued circulation.

Cybercriminals use fake troubleshooting websites to trick Mac users into running terminal commands that install Shamos malware through ClickFix tactics.

San Francisco startup Fable launches Showrunner, an AI platform dubbed the 'Netflix of AI' that generates animated episodes from text descriptions with Amazon support.

Apple raised iPhone prices for some models despite receiving tariff relief from President Donald Trump, with the new lineup starting at $799 for the base model.

A two-story 3D concrete printed home in Western Australia demonstrates faster construction methods that could reshape American housing amid rising costs.

Credit scores remain important during retirement for insurance rates and housing applications, while seniors become prime targets for identity theft and financial scams.

Scammers now send unexpected packages with QR codes that redirect victims to fraudulent websites or download malicious software to steal sensitive information.

Meeting AI tools record private conversations alongside work discussions, creating privacy risks that can be managed with proper settings and awareness.

Hotel privacy concerns are valid but rare, with methods to detect hidden tech using smartphone flashlights, mirror tests and scanning apps.

Improve your Wi-Fi speed and reliability with 10 simple router optimization tips that don't require special apps or expensive subscriptions.

A Columbia University breach exposed names, Social Security numbers and academic records of nearly 869,000 people, with notifications beginning in August.

Rental car drivers use AI-powered apps like Proofr to protect themselves from unfair damage fees as major companies deploy automated inspection tools.

Fox News' AI newsletter brings you the latest on technology advancements around artificial intelligence.

OnTrac data breach between April 13-15, 2025, exposed personal information of over 40,000 people including Social Security numbers and medical records.

A woman named Wika announces her engagement to an AI chatbot sparking worldwide debate about virtual relationships and technology.

The notorious people search site National Public Data relaunches despite a previous breach affecting 3 billion individuals, raising fresh privacy concerns.

Revolutionary TRAUMAGEL gel controls life-threatening bleeding from gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries, helping first responders prevent prehospital deaths.

Protect your home network by enabling proper encryption, creating strong passwords, checking connected devices and using VPN and antivirus software.

The Navy's solar-powered Skydweller drone flew nonstop for 73 hours in Mississippi, proving renewable energy can power long-endurance military missions.

Pressure Washing Business Case Study, Tractor Cleaning

Small Business