Treadle systems

[HCCW]

I have used the same system to trigger my car washes for 25 years and I'm about ready to have them rebuilt again - this time I'm going to try having them made out of stainless steel. The regular steel lasts about 7-8 years with a little shoring up and welding from time to time, so I'm hoping that stainless will last a lot longer. That being said, I'm wondering what else is out there? Can you guys tell me what has worked for you? I know a lot of washes have gone to photo eyes, but our treadle system is so precise and gives the customer such a clear target to hit - plus it's so easy for a customer to stop the car wash if they want to just by pulling off the treadle plate, I'm not sure if I want to try to reinvent the wheel in this case or not.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I used to have numerous Mark VII machines that used treadles. Although I didn't do this myself, my distributor said that they had converted several over to pressure pads. They just pulled out the pedal and related parts, leaving the entrance and exit ramp part in place, and put the pads in the area vacated.

 

[HCCW]

I used to have numerous Mark VII machines that used treadles. Although I didn't do this myself, my distributor said that they had converted several over to pressure pads. They just pulled out the pedal and related parts, leaving the entrance and exit ramp part in place, and put the pads in the area vacated.

We have thought about doing that too, but we weren’t sure if the pads would fail a lot because of the constant weight of the vehicle on it the whole wash cycle? Right now the two pads we use for the undercarriage and back up light only get drove over briefly and they will last anywhere from 6 months to 6 years. It’s a total crap shoot on the quality. Whereas the proximity switch that is currently triggering the wash lasts 10 years or more. They are so reliable. But man I hate the tilting plate - that is always what wears out. That shaft slowly gets ground down with every Car that goes over it.

 

[Greg Pack]

Water wizards use photeyes on the floor. One potential problem with that is that as long as the eye is blocked the machine starts to wash. If a customer can manage to jump the safety rail and get far enough up the machine can collide with the vehicle. I've had it happen a few times, the customer usually claims they thought they were supposed to get between the safety rail and the track. My istobal uses eyes mounted on the machine: one when the vehicle is in place and another that signals when they are too far forward. That seems to work very well.

 

[HCCW]

Water wizards use photeyes on the floor. One potential problem with that is that as long as the eye is blocked the machine starts to wash. If a customer can manage to jump the safety rail and get far enough up the machine can collide with the vehicle. I've had it happen a few times, the customer usually claims they thought they were supposed to get between the safety rail and the track. My istobal uses eyes mounted on the machine: one when the vehicle is in place and another that signals when they are too far forward. That seems to work very well.

Oh yes! Another potential problem I hadn’t thought of. We have had customers in the past jump the guard rail and try to put their tire between the tracks and the rail thinking that’s where they’re supposed to be. But you are right, with my system and the machine doesn’t turn on. A couple years ago we installed those flexible tall white guard post, like you see on drive-throughs and sometimes out on the freeway and those have worked wonders. Nobody jumps the rails anymore because it clearly shows them they are not supposed to be outside of those guard posts. We only put one on either side of the entry, but they’ve done the trick and get people to drive their cars down the middle instead of one side or the other.

 

[washnshine]

If you like customers having a target, you can keep the treadle steel, but use photo eyes to actuate the wash instead of the mechanical switch.

 

[HCCW]

Good point!

 

[washnvac]

Another issue with photo eyes if you are in snowy area in the Winter.....clumps of snow will fall from vehicles blocking the photo eyes. Then when the car leaves, the eyes are still blocked from the snow clump. I had this issue on a location with a Water Wizard, and it would send the unit to " out of service" due to the long block out. I soon replaced the eyes with a treadle pad and solved that issue.

 

[HCCW]

Oh my gosh, we get a LOT of snow. Thank you for that info.