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What are you paying for pit cleaning?

Wow...feel lucky here in NC.

I have a 5/1 with pretty deep pits. I have the pits pumped once every 9-10 months. My guy charges $350 total, regardless of how full they are. So my helper shovels out the busy bays and wheel barrows it to the less busy bays to make sure all pits are FULL when he comes. After reading all of your posts I realize what a deal I am getting here in NC!
 
hopingforthebest said:
I have a 5/1 with pretty deep pits. I have the pits pumped once every 9-10 months. My guy charges $350 total, regardless of how full they are.
That's definitely a good deal. We pay $3,000 once a year if they take everything, $2,200 if they skip the traps which I have them do every other trip.
 
I bought a used 1970 ringomatic in 1994 for $5000. I have replaced the gas briggs and straton motor with a Honda ($600). Replaced the vains in the pump once ($200). I have 4 locations and 20 pits total that we pump at least every 2 months. I have my own property to dump the mud on. When I get a large mound built up people always want the dirt for some kind of fill and they come and get it at their expense. If you plan on being in this business long term I would recommend the ringomatic.
 
Vacuum type pit cleaner. If you have a small tractor Gator has the best setup of anyone. A small dump trailer and a modified front scoop bucket that goes on the front of his tractor.
 
I looked at that tractor setup and liked it. I do have a small John Deere that I use to haul mud etc. away. But the floor opening into my pits is too small to use any kind of a bucket, even if I made a narrow one. I can't cut out the concrete around my grates and expand the opening because my pex tubing is right up tight to the pit opening. I didn't know any better when I built the wash. My grates are only 2' x 3'
 
Ring-o-matics are great if you are mechanically inclined and you have a place to empty them. They do a great job but require a lot of TLC to keep them in good operating order. If you don't like tinkering with equipment they are not for you.
 
I can honestly say that my ringomatic is one of the easy peices of equipment to service that I own. Mine has a old drip system for the bearings on the pump. All I do is make sure a slow drip of oil is fed the bearings while it is running with a simple screw adjustment. Add gas and oil every once in a while is all I do. I never tinker with it other than that.
 
I have all my pits pumped monthly at a rate of $220 per month. I have two locations with total of nine pits. The trucks show up at their conveniance, pump the pits and drive off with the sludge not to be seen until next month. I was glad to hear from others on this as I had no idea what kind of deal I am getting. Sounds like I better hang on to what I got.
I'm in the Wichita, KS area. Who do you use? Name and contact info. Thanks!
 
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