First impressions - Active VE-56 pressure washer

So....I decided to build a pressure washing cart out of my existing detailing cart. I picked up a 50ft KobraJet hose from Obsessed Garage, and for Christmas got a Cox hose reel....both very nice. I needed a small pressure washer to go on the cart, and the newer Active 2.0 was outside of my budget...so I got the Active VE-56.

It came with a bunch of stuff I'll never use,,,namely a cheesy little foam cannon and a pressure washer wand. I have an SGS-28 swivelling spray gun...so that attaches to the hose via quick connects. The stated specs on the pressure washer are 1800 psi/2.0 GPM. It actually comes close to the GPM, which is what you want for washing cars anyway. Tests I've seen on YouTube have it closer to 1000 psi.

I got it set up...not in it's final state...but workable...and tested it out this evening. Not a huge fan of the nozzles, but works outstanding with the foam cannon. Once I get it configured the way I want, I'll post pics. Time will tell how durable it is....but first impressions are very favorable.

 

I've had an active ve-56 in my garage for about a year now. SUPER convenient way to wash the vehicles and do smaller pressure washing jobs with relative ease and quickness. My gas rig now gets used about 3-4 times a year for the concrete twice a year, and refresh the fence for fresh stain/sealer at the house, and then loaded up for the lake to keep that place up too.

Been a great set up so far without issue.

 

very interested to hear how you like this.
i love my gas pressure washer, its a beast but 2 things: 1 its noisy (cant use it to wash the truck if the wife is working), and starting and stopping is a pain.

I've had my eye on the AR Blue Clean Pro with the Start/Stop, but its pricey and i think you can get away with a 15amp plug, but it really needs a dedicated 20amp.

This seems like it might fit the bill.
Edit: now i'm reading about the Active 2.0. Seems like a very good unit.

 

The Active 2.0 has some significant upgrades from the VE56. If you use one with a foam cannon, you need to make sure you have the 1.25mm orifice installed in the cannon, or it can trip a 15 amp circuit. Most people run the 1.1mm orifice in the cannon when using an electric pressure washer....produces much better foam. IMJOSHV on YouTube has a couple of good videos on both units

 

So....nearing it's final state....I've converted my detailing cart into a pressure washing cart, rather than wall mount everything. Here's the the (almost) final product:

 

Wow, what a set up. Looks great.

 

Thanks....took a long time saving my extra pennies to put it together

 

What blower are you using ? Looking at a Milwaukee but also other options.I only plan on using it to dry the engine bay before I detail it. When I first got into this detailing stuff, I had no idea how far down the rabbit hole one could go. Now it's almost a bonafide hobby and I don't see any end in sight for stuff to buy. But I am enjoying it.

 

It is indeed a very deep rabbit hole. I'd always kept my vehicles pretty clean, and that morphed into this. I'm using a Ryoobi blower, but only because I already had the batteries for other tools...and I found it at a great price at Home Depot. Honestly, it's really not that good, as the end is too wide and does not focus the airflow very well. They have a smaller, handheld blower that would be ideal for detailing....but I can't justify buying another one. If I were to do it all over again, I'd probably go with the Milwaukee line instead.

 

Very nice set up!

 

Thank you...in retrospect...I should have started with a larger cart