First Time Washing Trucks

Hey, I was wondering if some of you all that's been washing trucks for several years can give me some advice? I washed my first trucks last week, had to brush the trailers in every spot, you could tell any spot that wasn't. I thought to myself there must be a better way, I know about 2 stepping but have never did it. I used Steven Rowlett's, Rowlett Pressure Cleaning Service RPC 121 ATLAS Truck Wash to Wash the trucks, diluted at around 50:1 with Hot Water set at about 145 degrees. It's more of an all purpose truck cleaner(supposed to clean I mean), that's safe on all metals. I might as well not of used any soap, you couldn't tell the difference. The cabs I ended up having to hand wash with Dawn diswashing detergent, they looked good, but man it was a work-out, so was the brushing on everything too. By the time I got done, I pretty much worked for about $10 an hour, lol, and worn't out too. I use Steve's products all the time, and he has some caustic truck washes and acid too, but he told me to use the ATLAS. He doesn't like to sell acid wash to someone starting out, and I can understand that. I also bought a Citric Acid based aluminum brightener which I haven't tryed out yet. With acid washes I'm concerned about what I read with messing up windshields and on polished aluminum and chrome. What chemicals, procedures, dilutions and anything else should I use. Any help you all can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Did you call the chemical maker to see why it didn't clean as said?
You may need a stronger mix for it to work as to say 20 to 1.

I wouldn't want to sale a new car to a first time driver,hogwash huh.

YVPW,
Some more info would help. You are washing tractor trailer rigs, but what is not coming off? Road grime? Soot ? Are the trailers painted? Polished aluminum?

How are you applying the soap? I am guessing that you are diluting 50-1 and then downstreaming. If that is the case, your soap is WAY to diluted.

I do not use RPC products so tell us what this soaps main active chemical is. It should be on the MSDS sheet.

And like Larry said, call the maker and see what he says.
Doug

I make a pretty darn good soap and there is no way it will clean by itself at 50:1. Use acid first and it is a different story.
Research 2 stepping further and you will see it isn't extremely difficlult. Use a quality that allows 50:1 dilution and you will lessen the chance of messing something up.

Also in time Dawn will take the shiny look out of the paint,it stripes wax off plus dries out the oils in the paint.

Prespray soap on the windsheilds,if any acid splashes on it the soap will stop it from hurting it.Never spray acid on top of the truck for it to run down the windsheild,it want hurt the side windows.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I put 3 gallons of Soap and 2 gallons of water in a bucket, then downstreamed it, my downstreamer does around 17:1. Steve told me I could 2 step with the Citric Acid based brightener, with the brightener diluted 80-100:1, which he said put 1/2 gallon acid with 4 1/2 gallons of water then downstream, then hit it with the alkalkine soap and it should work with no brushing, and still be safe on the windows. The MSDS on the ATLAS Truck Wash is Sodium Metasilicate, Sodium Ethylenediamina Tetraacetate, Sodium Nitrilotriacetate, Nonylphenol Poly (oxyethylene), all are said to be in the 5% range, PH Concentrate is 12.8. The Citric Aluminum Cleaner MSDS is Citric Acid 30% range, Nonylphenol ethoxylate 10% range, PH Concentrate 2.1-3.5. Does that help you all any?

The trailers are mostly painted, and some have some polished things on them, the main thing was just a road film on them.

If the trailers have not been washed in a while then you HAVE to 2 step them..... A brush will become your best friend..... Nothing beats a brush, however a good 2 step will make the brush very lonely..... I personally use a bit of HF in my 2 step... Nothing works quite as well....

Jason,
I assume that you have access to these trucks. Try this.. go to your local hardware store and buy 3 or 4 of the quart plastic spray bottles. Take your soap and put different dilution ratios in each bottle. #1 bottle 10 to 1, #2 bottle 20-1, #3 bottle 30-1, #4 bottle 5-1. Make sure you label the botle so you know what you have.

Go to the trucks and spray a small area (1 sq ft) frome each bottle, power wash of and see what you have. Obviously you want a clean truck/ trailer at the lowest chemical cost and lowest labor cost (no brushing).See if you can get that at 5-1 or XX-1. If not you will have to 1) change soap, 2) keep brushing, 3) go to two stepping.

Doug

what process are you using atlas?? first, don't dilute it before you down stream it, and apply from the bottom to the top, wash from the top down, if its the same atlas i sell, it is a good truck wash when you have polished aluminum to deal with. the instructions say it can be metered 70:1 with hot water and 35:1 with cold water.
I two step on trucks with polished aluminum, followed by sodium hydroxide truck wash, neither one is good for polished alum, but i've been doing it this way for years, i do get it on and off pretty quick. with my aluminum brightener you can cut it 50/50 and then downstream it for the first step, my truck wash soap is truck bright, which is the common brown truck wash. I also have BD6 which is a butyl/Sodium Metasilicate cleaner, works great on paint, polished aluminum and tires.

Jeff G

Hey, the Atlas Truck Wash I have came from Rowlett Pressure Cleaning Service, Steven Rowlett in TN. He told me it should be diluted around 50:1, my downstreamer does 17:1, so it has to be diluted before it is downstreamed to make it 50:1. I think I will try 2 stepping with the Citric Brightener and the Atlas and see how that works. By the way, what type of metal is that on the rear doors of trailers that is very shiny, almost chrome looking, and are the cleaners safe on it? I know the rear doors usually get the dirtiest. When you all brighten the unpainted aluminum around trailers and stuff, do you all use a pump up sprayer to keep strong mixes of acid off painted surfaces? Thanks for everyone's help.

It is usually a stainless steel. Most of the time it is so old you can't harm it. On very shiny stuff, watch your dwell times and you will be ok.

YVPW said:

Hey, the Atlas Truck Wash I have came from Rowlett Pressure Cleaning Service, Steven Rowlett in TN. He told me it should be diluted around 50:1, my downstreamer does 17:1, so it has to be diluted before it is downstreamed to make it 50:1. I think I will try 2 stepping with the Citric Brightener and the Atlas and see how that works. By the way, what type of metal is that on the rear doors of trailers that is very shiny, almost chrome looking, and are the cleaners safe on it? I know the rear doors usually get the dirtiest. When you all brighten the unpainted aluminum around trailers and stuff, do you all use a pump up sprayer to keep strong mixes of acid off painted surfaces? Thanks for everyone's help.

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i wouldn't dilute it before downstreaming it. I run all my detergent concentrates straight through the injector.

Jeff G

The Atlas that I have may be the same as what you sell, cause according to Steve's website it is to be metered 70:1 for hot, and 35:1 for cold. Is it made by IDT? I saw another old post on here that said it was made by IDT. How much is the 55 gallon drum you sell? I had the dry ingredients shipped and mixed it in my 55-gallon drum to reduce freight, which I'm sure you do too.

Over a short period of time, 2 stepping dulls the paint considerably, - and sometimes cause irreversible damage. In my opinion, not worth the risk.

MPW said:

Over a short period of time, 2 stepping dulls the paint considerably, - and sometimes cause irreversible damage. In my opinion, not worth the risk.

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That is not true. It depends entirely on the application strength and the quality of the product. Inexperience and overuse of chems dulls the paint.

Thats weird .........I have been 2 stepping the same trks. for years............ For me and my application it is the ONLY way to wash.

You must be using a very strong acid! or somebody told you a fib

I actually got an account because somebody was using acid at 10:1 and dulled the paint and aluminum on the first wash. I have washed one account for over 5 years and paint and aluminum still shine. MPW must speak from either lack of experience, knowledge or both.

aluminum brighter [bigboy] knowhow [fox] one out [winky]

Larry B said:

I actually got an account because somebody was using acid at 10:1 and dulled the paint and aluminum on the first wash. I have washed one account for over 5 years and paint and aluminum still shine. MPW must speak from either lack of experience, knowledge or both.

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Actually I never used the stuff, I know of a local comptiter who ruined 40 windshields 2 years ago using 2 step. I have also taken over several accounts that were 2 stepped by the previous co. and they looked like crap. Paint was dull, chalky and kinda yellowish instead of bright white. The fleet mgrs. were all amazed at how much better the trucks looked after my demo. This is the ONLY experience I have had with 2 step. Maybe some of these guys around here use low quality stuff, I don't know, but so far I'm not impressed.