Express Conveyor 55 ft lots of choice- whats the best Value and longevity

[Airguy]

We are looking to convert a high volume in bay location to an Express exterior with free vac, 55 ft long. So many choices but I have been in the industry for 12 years and know stainless steel last and powder coating does not last that long. Site will have 1 express tunnel - 1 touch free in bay and 3 self serve bays, will offer 14 free vacuums stations with arches and central vacuum.

Looking at Sonny's - AVW- Tommy Wash (AVW makes) and McNeil and Hannah. Chain conveyor or the new rubber conveyor? Our goal is to provide the best customer experience in the area- clean shiny dry and modern looking facility.

Electric or hydraulic driven equipment??

Would appreciate some feedback from industry veterans on equipment selection. Thank you!

 

[robert roman]

Unlike self-serve wash which is basically rental business, conveyor (mini or larger) is a contact sport.

Some aspects are similar to in-bay like self-pay, staying inside car, DIFM, etc. but requirements for speed, quality, safety and customer service are much greater.

Things can also happen a lot faster.

Gantry will slug along at 1’ per second washing one car at time in maybe 3 to 5 minutes or 12 to 20 CPH tops. With 55’ conveyor, time is about 3 minutes but with two cars in system, 60 CPH or so is mathematically possible.

However, I would have lower expectation like around 35 CPH. Reason is random arrival rate of customers.

Yes, you can staff a mini with two people and lock and load cars one after another. However, customers can arrive one at a time, in trickles, in small and large groups as well as streams.

Larger conveyor, say, 100’ can absorb this variation in customer arrivals as the arrival rate changes over the course of a day. A mini cannot simply because of its short length. It can only fit two cars in the system whereas the 100’ can fit about five.

So, for every gap in the queue of a 55’ conveyor, you lose one CPH.

35 CPH would need only 7 vacuums rather than 14. Central vacuum is also expensive to feed so it might not be the best choice of equipment.

Hydraulic is messy and electric allows for VFD. Electric conveyor is like driving car with automatic transmission compared to stick shift.

I like belt conveyors but problem is tire shiner because wheels don’t turn.

If you are within 30 miles of ocean, go stainless to help prevent corrosion. Otherwise, best paint finishes (gloss, color) last 7 to 8 years tops, mostly 5 years.

Lastly, 55’ mini tunnel (equipment) is usually about 50 percent more expensive than 100’ conveyor in terms of cost per lineal foot.

Since mini produces less than 1/2 the volume of 100’ conveyor, it has greater business operating risks than 100’ in terms of producing sufficient gross sales.

Another factor that some dealers overlook in benefit cost is to consider cannibalization of wand and in-bay customers which can be as high as 50 percent.

Sure, there is lot’s to consider. Take your time.

 

[Earl Weiss]

FWIW I would go with stainless. Clean it and it looks new for decades. (Unless you plan on selling in a few years and leaving cosmetic appearance headache to someone else.)

Look at how equipment is constructed. If a part breaks because cloth gets snagged or someone hits it can you unbolt and replace easily? Have issues with large welded aluminum parts breaking and welding aluminum is seemingly more difficult than regular metal. Stainless can be tough to so being able to swap out a component is nice.

 

[gearhead]

There is a tommy wash in town that has the flat belt conveyor and the tire shiner is after the end of the belt. Tires come off the belt, start spinning, tire shiners deploy. Job done. No problem at all. BTW, Tommy makes a beautiful wash, IMO.

Afterthought. That would be an issue @ 55ft though.

 

[Airguy]

What is the minimum length you think the tire shine would work with the belt? 60' or 65' ??

 

[robert roman]

“What is the minimum length….tire shine would work with the belt? 60' or 65'??”

According to Tommy version of mini-tunnel, it requires 70’ to 90’ which includes tire shine.

Years ago, OEM’s used to describe mini-tunnel as 60’ and shorter. Today, 38’ to 50’ seems to be marketed most.

Since you have gone from proposed 55’ to 70’ to accommodate tire shiner, add on about another $50K to $60K in cost.

“BTW, Tommy makes a beautiful wash, IMO.”

Like Dell Computers, Essenberg’s done a great job of designing an innovative modular carwash system and assembling outsourced elements. Like Dell, Tommy doesn’t make much.

For example, glass and plastic buildings are made by companies that make solariums, greenhouses and architectural design elements such as ceilings for malls and commercial office buildings. There are only a handful of companies that make this stuff in U.S.

Likewise, Tommy out sources belt conveyors, vacuum, dryers, brushes and support equipment.

As middleman, Tommy has to charge far more than its suppliers in order to generate sufficient sales to sustain its business. Profit margin required to sustain dealership today is about 20 percent of gross sales. As a result, Tommy has very high prices.

Tommy gets price because it sells mostly to high profile investors with prime property. Its mini designed ground up is $1.6 to $2.0 million. In-bay conversion (no mention of tire shine) is $200K to $400K and is targeted at high-volume gasoline sites.

Today, most carwash developers use a 5-phase project development process. First two phases is selecting advisers and carwash design. For example, a question like “what’s the best value and longevity” can only be answered after a project has been designed.

If you don’t have design person, then try to obtain guidelines from someone.

For example, I got my copy of Hanna Sherman’s, Planning a Car Wash, Part I and II, “From the ground up” from David Belanger, Jr. almost 30 years ago.

Guidance discusses placement, troughs and chases, slab, centerline to property line requirement, building line to centerline equipment, etc. etc. needed to match placement of conveyor and traffic flow.

 

[Greg Pack]

I like the idea of a flat belt too. However, there is a Tommy Wash near me with a flat belt. I have heard several people complain about their lack of ability to clean the wheels. This place is about three years old, so they may have figured out a better way to address that.