Where to get a good wash bucket?

I would like something that is big, on wheels, and has some sort of screen on the bottom to trap grit and dirt (so I don't need seperate buckets to wash and rinse). I've seen buckets like that at Griots for ridiculous amounts of money (it was like $70, with wheels, at Griots). So, I wondered if anybody knew of a better place to get something like that at a reasonable price.
 
An idea I got from Rod Kraft of Meguiars during a seminar this past summer, is to get 2 5 gallon buckets, any Wal Mart has them, put one inside the other and drill holes in the bottom of the one inside. The holes allow the grit to pass through the top bucket and settle safely away in the bottom bucket. Couple that with Grit Guard on top ( compatible Im assuming) and you got much contamination protection. Incorporate a foam gun ;) in the washing procedure and you're probably on your way to sterile washing conditions :D



A ring with casters that can fit the bottom of the bucket may be available at http://www.usplastics.com. Not sure :nixweiss I personally have no need for them.
 
I use all white buckets, I can mark which is for which with a Sharpie pen. White is for easy identification of any contamination
 
Bill D said:
An idea I got from Rod Kraft of Meguiars during a seminar this past summer, is to get 2 5 gallon buckets, any Wal Mart has them, put one inside the other and drill holes in the bottom of the one inside. The holes allow the grit to pass through the top bucket and settle safely away in the bottom bucket. Couple that with Grit Guard on top ( compatible Im assuming) and you got much contamination protection. Incorporate a foam gun ;) in the washing procedure and you're probably on your way to sterile washing conditions :D



A ring with casters that can fit the bottom of the bucket may be available at http://www.usplastics.com. Not sure :nixweiss I personally have no need for them.



Heck of a clever idea! :xyxthumbs
 
Usplastics.com has great buckets cheap.... also great place for containers. They did throw in some relgious pamphlets in my order though......
 
Ron K, a now banned member, had another good suggestion.



"Get some heavy galvanized chicken wire and make a "tub" out of it that fits in the bottom of your bucket. It should stand up 2 to 3 inches from the bottom.



The dirt goes down out of the mitt, the mitt doesn't touch it and you have less opportunity to pick it back up and scratch the clear.



...this has worked like a champ, the dirt is heavy and goes down, you have the mitt far enough above the dirt you don't usually create enough agitation of the water to mix it back into the soap solution. "
 
~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



Grit Guard.com

Insert $10

Dolly $30

3.5Gal bucket + Lid $35

Complete bucket (inc all the above) $65



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM
 
Bill D said:
An idea I got from Rod Kraft of Meguiars during a seminar this past summer, is to get 2 5 gallon buckets, any Wal Mart has them, put one inside the other and drill holes in the bottom of the one inside. The holes allow the grit to pass through the top bucket and settle safely away in the bottom bucket. Couple that with Grit Guard on top ( compatible Im assuming) and you got much contamination protection. Incorporate a foam gun ;) in the washing procedure and you're probably on your way to sterile washing conditions :D



A ring with casters that can fit the bottom of the bucket may be available at http://www.usplastics.com. Not sure :nixweiss I personally have no need for them.



I think it's a great idea to keep the grit at the bottom of your wash bucket. However, the GritGuard looks like all you would need. I measured the bottom of my wash buckets (std 5 gallon buckets like the Home Depot buckets) and it looks like a perfect fit. Here's the spec sheet:



http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pr...SPlastic&category_name=20326&product_id=25277



Am I missing something? If you use this gizmo, would you need to double-bucket (described above)?



Has anyone ever used a GritGuard?



Regards,



Dan.
 
I've been thinking about getting the grit guard for a couple of days now and have one guestion. If you use the two bucket method (which I do) won't the grit guard better serve it's purpose if it was in the rinse bucket? It seems to me that the entire idea of using two buckets is to keep the wash mitt clean for use in the soap mixture.
 
David has been working on a Sonus bucket with Grit Guard, seat cover, dolly wheels, etc. Looks like it would be excellent.



There is a thread in the Autopia Car Care vendor forum where I have asked David for an update.
 
After several years of using two buckets, I recently bought a plain double bucket of the kind available at any hardware or homegoods store. This cost about $9.00.



Since my car is pretty low to the ground, I often work on all verticle surfaces while seated on a rolling stool I purhcased when I got this car. For the bucket, I built a small box out of plywood and 1x3 the same size as the bottom of the bucket, which fits snugly into it. I painted it with several coats of some old paint to keep the water from the wood.



I then bought 4 casters which I screwed to the bottom of the box, 2 of which rotate and two of which are fixed. This allows me to set the box so it does not roll downhill when I am using it on my dirveway, which is a slight hill. (If all 4 wheels swivel, it would roll away on its own when on an incline.)



After reading the above posts, I will make some kind of a mesh grit gard to put in the bottom of one if not both sides of the bucket. I like that idea, although grit from the rinse water has never been a problem for me using two separate buckets.



Now with this bucket on wheels, I can do all sides of the car sitting down, and just pulling the bucket, with soap and rinse water in it, along with me. And the bucket lifts out of the cart for easy rinsing, emptying and cleaning.



Total cost, maybe $15 dollars or so, and it does exactly what I need it to do. I probably spent less time making my little bucket cart than I would have spent driving around to different stores looking for something appropriate.



And I feel so good about myself.
 
raven said:
I've been thinking about getting the grit guard for a couple of days now and have one guestion. If you use the two bucket method (which I do) won't the grit guard better serve it's purpose if it was in the rinse bucket? It seems to me that the entire idea of using two buckets is to keep the wash mitt clean for use in the soap mixture.



Why not get four buckets,one inside the other, drill the holes, get two Grit Guards for each bucket setup and then you should have ample contamination protection.
 
raven said:
I've been thinking about getting the grit guard for a couple of days now and have one guestion. If you use the two bucket method (which I do) won't the grit guard better serve it's purpose if it was in the rinse bucket? It seems to me that the entire idea of using two buckets is to keep the wash mitt clean for use in the soap mixture.



:xyxthumbs :xyxthumbs



The bucket also doubles as a detailing seat



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM
 
Personally, I don't think ANY bucket, even one with wheels and "grit guard" should cost $50 to $60. I bought a nice big wash bucket at TARGET for $5 last week. It would probably cost about .50 more in manufacturing costs to add wheels and some sort of screen.



I guess I'm going to have to rig something on my own. Fortunately, I have you guys to get ideas from! Every time I post ANY problem I get one creative solution after another. :)
 
Totally agree with you on the price thing. Besides, I will use white buckets only for rinse water and I see the expensive ones are colored.
 
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