Truck Wash Equipment | Kränzle South Africa

What makes a Kränzle pressure washer last in a wash bay

Washing a fleet is continuous, demanding work, and it is the high pressure cleaners in this range – the Kränzle cold and hot water machines – that this section is about. The Iteco systems and the wash chemicals are separate ranges.

Forged special-brass pump head

The heart of every machine is a pump head forged from special brass rather than cast. Brass resists corrosion, and the pump runs low-wear components – which is what gives it its service life.

Ceramic-coated stainless steel pistons

Stainless steel conducts heat away from the seal; the hard ceramic coating gives an extremely low-wear working surface. Together they slow the wear at the water seals, and the seals are what decide when a pump needs rebuilding.

Slow-running 1,400 r.p.m motor

The machines built for continuous operation use a four-pole motor turning at 1,400 r.p.m rather than 2,800. The lower speed halves the work the pump does for the same output – which is where the saving on wear and maintenance comes from.

Dry-run safety

Each plunger carries a fabric sleeve and a Teflon graphite backing ring, which lubricate and hold the temperature down inside the pump, so the pump tolerates a period without water – the leading cause of pressure cleaner damage.

Total-Stop and safety shutdown

Closing the trigger gun switches the motor off automatically, which relieves the pump and drive, cuts the noise and reduces power consumption. Left switched on but unused, a machine deactivates itself after approximately 20 minutes.

Built, stocked and serviced in Cape Town

The stainless steel frames, cabinets and wall-mounted installations these pumps are supplied in are manufactured at our own facility, so a machine can be built to the wash bay rather than chosen from a catalogue. Spares, servicing and operator training run from the same place.

The range

The cold and hot water high pressure cleaners are genuine German Kränzle machines, built in Bavaria and supplied here since 1989, housed locally in stainless steel where the application calls for it. The Iteco automated single-brush systems are made in Italy and supplied by Kränzle South Africa. The wash chemicals are Nerta and own-label products for truck and fleet washing.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need wash chemicals as well as a machine?

Not always, but a foam or degreaser shortens the wash and cuts the effort on heavily soiled vehicles. Foam is applied first and given time to lift the dirt before the high pressure rinse, so less scrubbing is needed. The chemicals are diluted from concentrate, so a drum goes a long way.

Manual high pressure machines or an automated system?

It follows the volume. A yard washing a handful of trucks a day is served by one or more high pressure cleaners and an operator. A yard putting a high volume of heavily soiled trucks through each day is where an automated single-brush Iteco machine, or a custom drive-through wash line, earns its place – the machine does the work rather than the operator. We scope the automated systems to the site.

What supply do the machines need?

The high pressure cleaners run on 230V single-phase up to approximately 11 L/min and 400V three-phase above that, and need roughly one third more water than the pump’s rated output – a 10 L/min pump wants about 13.5 L/min at the machine. Confirm voltage, phase, amperage and water supply before quoting. Automated systems have far higher water and power demands and are scoped per site.