storage of my graco 3900 questions

[Anonymous]

hey Dan,
how long should i wait before filling my 3900 with antifreeze or whatever.
any ideas will be helpfull, im new to the buisiness and things are going good,
just nned to do some advertising so people will know im out there.

thanks Brad,

Piedmont Seal & Stripe
Henderson N.C.

[Girish C. Dubey, President STAR, INC.]

Hey Brad…how are you?
First…I have a 3900 also.
Next…go door to door. Find the right lot and just give them a bid.
( Remember…self standing buildings where the owner is inside…like a church, realty office…etc. )
Walk in and say…”Hi. Can I stripe your parking lot for 180.00? I have a real striping machine…not an upside down spray can.
I’ll make sure all the lines are the same length and straight. I’ll work after hours…you won’t be bothered. Can I?”
Next…get an ad in the Yellow Pages for 100.00. You don’t need a 600.00 ad 1/3 page. Get the 1/2 inch ad.
Mine says…
American Striping.
We stripe parking lots, streets, playgrounds and floors.
Then there’s the address and phone.
That’s it.
As a note…I try to use the word STRIPE…notice my second sentence. There are many individuals that will read STRIPING…as…STRIPPING…and ask…”What do you STRIP?”…like floors, cars…furniture…etc.
( And…yes…every STRIPER that’s been in business for 10 years or more…has MANY stories of people wanting STRIPPERS. )
SO…I try to use the word STRIPE. ( I have 1000 stories…! ALL are funny. )
Next…anti freeze…it’s totally up to you. I just cleaned my machine for the …third…?…time so far this year…?
I used anti freeze to flush it out…well…water and a splash of anti freeze.
Again…you put it in whenever you think it could use a lube…or when it’s going to freeze outside and your machine is vulnerable.
Just pretend it’s your car. Your car ALWAYS has anti freeze in it. You cannot use it too much.
How’s that?
Keep in touch. I’d like to know how you’re doing. Let me know if I can help any further.
Dan

[Anonymous]

hey Dan,
thanks for the quick reply. gotta a seal and stripe job this friday night,
its a fast food place and we’re gonna do it after hours so youre right about
the “no down time” for my customers. i think the thing thats helping me on selling the
people on the job is doing it after hours so they can get their parking lot back
so they can make more money. i’ve got some other questions also, im gonna check out
you’re book too. i undestand the meaning of “quality” i have a sucsessful landscaping
buisness also and in these tuff economic times, “quality” better be good.

i’ve got more questions, but after i do this job, im gonna go down to Florida and
yank on some snook and tarpon with a fly rod!!!!

Brad, owner

Piedmont Seal & Stripe LLC
Henderson N.C.

[Anonymous]

Hey Dan,

when u say you used antifreeze to store your 3900, are you filling all the lines with
antifreeze. Do i flip the valve down to prime, fill the lines, then flip the valve back
to spray and spray some out of the gun to make sure that the line is full. Am i doing
it right this way? how long do you leave the antifreeze in, and what are the benefits?
i’ve called some of the locals around my area but they didn’t ever return my calls, i
don’t know if they were busy or they thought since i am the competition they really didn’t
want to give me a call back.

thanks for the help
Brad
Piedmont Seal & Stripe

[Girish C. Dubey, President STAR, INC.]

Hello Brad
I just clean out my machine in normal fashion.
The only difference is that I pour maybe a half gallon of Anti Freeze into the last few gallons of water…that’s it.
And…yes…I run it through the Prime…then the Gun Line. Then I just turn off my machine…all normally.
Next…the “only” benefit is this…
“Some” mechanics will argue “dissimilar metal corrosion”. That’s where IF you put (2) different metals together…side by side…they’ll corrode right where they touch…just because they’re different metals.
SO…let’s put some kind of a lube in there. That’s it.
Next…some may offer a different type of liquid to help keep things lubed up during the off season…or any longer “down time”.
However, Anti-Freeze is simple to get…I tend to have some around because of the car and truck…!…and any more…it’s a bit more Eco Friendly. That’s it. It’s not something to loose sleep over. It’s probably in the “GOOD, BETTER, BEST” category…not so much a “Right vs. Wrong” category.
Does that help?
Let me know.
Dan
P.S. Remember…you also have a lawn mower. It also just sits through the Winter. I’ll bet yours…like mine…has never been “Winterized” in any fashion. My lawn mower is fine. Again…take the best care of it that you can…but…I wouldn’t loose sleep over it.
I hope that all helps.
Dan

[Anonymous]

hey Dan,

thanks for the help, i may hit you again if i get stumped on something again

thanks again, Brad

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