Hot water on road tractors and trailers

[jakeman]

Does anyone out there use hot water on tractor/trailers? Would this eliminate the need for brushing? I am currently upstreaming soap (when I can't 2 step) but I end up having to brush or hand mitt every square inch so it takes over an hour to do a tractor and trailer. I wanted to try hot water but my worry is that after I am gone and the truck dries it will still be streaked with dirt. Also since it is more expesive to run my machine with hot water I don't want waste my money if it doesn't make a difference.

[R L S]

Hot water will clean better but it will in no case substitute brushing. Try looking into a better soap than what youre using now. We use hot water when its cold outside or when degreaseing an engine/5th wheel plate etc.

[FullBlast]

Pollished wheels and tanks?? If not, lay the juice to it. That will make it so you don't have to brush it every time. Depends on how picky they are.

[Tracy Handl]

Hot water is an emmulsifier in it's own right so using it will aid in your cleaning efforts. Just be aware of places hot water could be harmful. (think plastic parts that could melt, etc...) Emmulsifacation is impotant because it "binds" the water with the dirt allowing it to be washed away instead of being left behind.

[tinsley]

You can not get better results then with a brush but we do use a downstream injector on some trucks with alittle stronger soap but even doing it that way does not make it look as good if you put a brush to it. As you already know then no need for hot water.

[smb181]

Try washing at 120 to 140 deg, then apply a hot wax the rinse with cool water and the next time you wash it will be a lot easier.

[mikekonnie]

Hi we are new to the forum but we do about 200 tractors and trailers every weekend and have done both hot and cold water. We have found that cold does just as good as job as hot water unless they are really, really bad. You definately have to brush no matter what you use. We have tried using different chemicals but we have found a soap called carbon-nate made by hotsy really makes it a lot easier. We also use a rinse called prism that keeps it from spotting making it shine. It, also, makes the brushing a lot less the next time the trucks done. You only have to use a small amount of rinse in your tank. To much will make it foggy. We only use a 5 gal can every 2 months or more so its very concentrated.