# About to buy a Jetter



## Doubletap (May 5, 2010)

Right now I'm thinking about the Hot Jet II from Hot Jet USA. It pushes 8.5GPM at 3,600 PSI. My goal for this machine is to focus on residential and light commercial drain cleaning. Have any of you had any experience with Hot Jet USA or hot jetting in general. Will this thing cut roots as they claim?


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## BuckeyeBowhunte (May 4, 2011)

With the right head it will cut roots. Get a root ranger ported for your specs and you're in business.

As for the US Hot Jet, I haven't run one myself, but i've heard things from those who did have experience w/ them that they leave something to be desired. But that's all 2nd hand stuff, again, i've never dealt w/ em myself.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Rhino Rooter has one and talked how good it was. Maybe you could ask him if he still likes it the same?


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

I wouldn't by the hot version, be a waste of money. There cold jet I beleive is close to the same price and would get you better results. Look at Jetters Northwest before buying though. They make a better jetter, for a better price, and have better upstanding of what they are making.


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## SewerRat (Feb 26, 2011)

I'm with Will on this. Those specs will do a good job on 6" on down without paying for the boiler. The only thing hot water would help on is grease and it's not such a great idea to melt grease as it can congeal in the next belly downstream. Grease isn't usually too hard to jet anyway. Then there is the issue that hot water creates steam which fogs a camera lense which can hinder your inspection. We don't have experience with hot jetting but I do know what it's like to camera a steamy line.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

I just looked up the hotjet's website and they blow JNW out the water by far. Better everything....engine, pump, trailer, electric braking, hose reels....everything is speced way better for cleaning sewer lines. I was really impressed with their components. I would never recommend the hot water version but they do have a cold water version which would you have great results in 8" or smaller pipe.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

I haven't looked much into either JNW or HotJet lately but I came very close to buying one if them in 2011. I talked to both and JNW where much better to deal with. They actually knew there stuff, where HotJet seemed more like a business front trying to sell a jetter they didn't build.


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## davidokc (Mar 5, 2013)

from the research I've done I like mongoose talked to a guy who has one in orlando and
he raved how good it was.I am considering buying one myself was told to go with the wharthog cutter head for grease lines.was told to stay away from hot jetters that they weren't a very good machine.


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## SewerRat (Feb 26, 2011)

I actually have an acquaintance that bought the 8.5 gpm hot water model in late 2009 with the Vanguard engine and he told me straight up that he wouldn't buy from them again. He said it was OK and was making him money but that the engine had given him some trouble right away and contrary to what Ben said he thought the trailer was a little light too. He also said the same thing as Will, that it seemed like in talking to them that they had a lot of irons in the fire and HotJetUSA was just a small part of a more diversified business. He is from Northeast Wisconsin and we bought our vac truck from him and have stayed briefly in touch since. I haven't talked to him in a while now, and I have no experience with HotJetUSA so I'm just passing along third-party hearsay for whatever it's worth. Who knows, he might've fallen in love with them by now...

I can PM you his name and phone number if you want though...


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## 130 PLUMBER (Oct 22, 2009)

davidokc said:


> from the research I've done I like mongoose talked to a guy who has one in orlando and
> he raved how good it was.I am considering buying one myself was told to go with the wharthog cutter head for grease lines.was told to stay away from hot jetters that they weren't a very good machine.


 
Was the guy you spoke to name David from Jet Rooter???


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

davidokc said:


> from the research I've done I like mongoose talked to a guy who has one in orlando and
> he raved how good it was.I am considering buying one myself was told to go with the wharthog cutter head for grease lines.was told to stay away from hot jetters that they weren't a very good machine.


Mongoose makes a very good jetter. There a division of Sewer Equipment of America.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

That's funny Will, I had totally the opposite opinion of JNW and hotjet. JNW couldn't explain a whole lot when I talked to them 1 month ago and talking to Hotjet today, the guy was on point with his equipment....really knew his stuff. They are part of a waterblasting company....maybe this just means they have quite a few people to lend experience on the team. 

I know it might not be fair for me to speak on equipment I don't have but component for component, feature for feature, hotjet looks pretty darn good.


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## davidokc (Mar 5, 2013)

130 PLUMBER said:


> Was the guy you spoke to name David from Jet Rooter???[/QUOT
> 
> NO I spoke with ryan peale from mongoose


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## theplungerman (Oct 26, 2011)

I have a big bruiser plus 6gpm 4psi from jnw. 
When i tested the warthog they sold me with it I was getting 4kpsi and easily over 7gpm. I had many conversations with them,,, before and after,,,, and was very satisfied with there answers every time. And very pleasant to deal with. 
I love my machine but be advised, with these specs you will not always be able to kill it every time. I've had some root jobs that took taping a push rod to a turbo nozzle to tunnel through. (which my warthog couldn't) And it didn't happen lickaty split. But once you can get through with a root ranger your home free. With the right techniques I've learned here on the forums the machine works great.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

When I was looking at JNW they where selling Subaru/Robin engines. They are a very good engine, now there selling Kawasaki which I know nothing about. They use Uder pumps which are top of the line. HotJet using the Vanguard engine, which is a Briggs and Stratton. It's a good engine, it was the small things that turned me off of Hot Jet, like having there filter installed upside down.....​


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

I am pleased with my JNW.

Overall I think you will find that the pipe does not care which engine provides the HP or which pump provides the PSI. The real difference is like with any tool...the man using it. The guys that know what they are doing can be more effective with a cart than a rookie can with a trailer.

There are pros making a great ROI on every brand discussed in this thread.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

When are you going to have me over for some coffee? I'd love to see that Jetter:thumbsup:. I agree that it is the operator that truly makes the difference, but when your dealing with mechanicals, there are differences. They my not be thousands of dollar differences, but different units are better or worst off the line. The way they are plumbed and engineered make a big difference. I still think the Pump and Nozzles are the heart and soul of any jetter, most small engine now a days are allmost on par with each other, it's the pump that sets them apart. That is way I think it is crazy that some people shell out 40K on a US Jet unit, when they could get the same results from a machine half the price.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Will said:


> When are you going to have me over for some coffee? ...


You have the address,
You have at least 2 of my phone numbers,
You know what time I arrive,
You know that BizBrew is the first thing after turning on the lights.

Me thinks it is not me we are waiting on. :laughing:

Open invite Will.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

In that case, be there in 5....:scooter:


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

plbgbiz said:


> I am pleased with my JNW.
> 
> Overall I think you will find that the pipe does not care which engine provides the HP or which pump provides the PSI. The real difference is like with any tool...the man using it. *The guys that know what they are doing can be more effective with a cart than a rookie can with a trailer.*
> 
> There are pros making a great ROI on every brand discussed in this thread.


Driving nails on the head. Very right you are.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

gear junkie said:


> Driving nails on the head. Very right you are.



Believe I've read you have both the Root Ranger and Warthog (1/4"). What is your options on the 1/4" warthog?


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

The bad....roots...doesn't do diddly on them. The good....grease....really good on grease. The awsome.....shines pipe so it looks like new. I know it doesn't help a sewer flow any better but really impresses the snot out of customers when they see the before and after. Helps them understand why jetting costs more. They seem to be more impressed with the clean pipe walls then the root removal, lol. Pulls decent...farthest run I had to go with it was 98' and it pulled it easy the whole way...if I remember right the pipe had quite a few grade issues as well. I bought from aqua mole but believe AJ Coleman is about $30 cheaper and ships free....Kirk can tell you the details.


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

How about the Trojan jetters, ?

http://trojanworldwide.com/jet machines.html


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

If I was you I would just call HotJet USA and Jetters Northwest and see which one is going to work with you more. I don't think neither one of the machines are very much different from each other. It's just when I was looking at preferred Jetters Northwest.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

JERRYMAC said:


> How about the Trojan jetters, ?


undersized by about 7 hp.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Will said:


> In that case, be there in 5....:scooter:


That's got to be the slowest scooter in town. Be here in 5....hours?:laughing:


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

Being I'm in Tipton, OK right now, might be more than 5 hours......


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## theplungerman (Oct 26, 2011)

plbgbiz said:


> Overall I think you will find that the pipe does not care which engine provides the HP or which pump provides the PSI. The real difference is like with any tool...the man using it. The guys that know what they are doing can be more effective with a cart than a rookie can with a trailer.
> 
> There are pros making a great ROI on every brand discussed in this thread.


Overall you are right. 
But we're not talking hammers driving nails. Or sawing out old waste pipe and not disturbing the water lines 1/16inch next to it. The rookie would not be as good as someone who has done it for,,, let's say at least 3 years. 
Example. Give a pro an old flimsy 1/4inch cable with no cutter and a rookie a new 3/4 cable with a cutter and see who can clear a root blockage. My money's on the rookie every time. 
So the real difference in that example is the arrow not the Indian. 
Overall the pipe doesn't care,,,, but the blockage cares how much gpm and at what X psi is coming at it. 
Now take a rookie and and someone who knows what they are doing with the same machine, then well,,, duh. 

One root says to the other root, don't worry about those 18gpm coming at you at 4000 psi,,, the guys only been jetting 3 months.(like me, lol) But be advised,,, because those 6 gpm at 4kpsi coming at us now are being directed by someone who knows what they are doing. :thumbup:


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

theplungerman said:


> Overall you are right.
> But we're not talking hammers driving nails. Or sawing out old waste pipe and not disturbing the water lines 1/16inch next to it. The rookie would not be as good as someone who has done it for,,, let's say at least 3 years.
> Example. Give a pro an old flimsy 1/4inch cable with no cutter and a rookie a new 3/4 cable with a cutter and see who can clear a root blockage. My money's on the rookie every time.
> So the real difference in that example is the arrow not the Indian.
> ...


Very true.

I suppose I wasn't very clear. I was thinking more in terms of equipment with similar specs. The cart comment was just a bit of pizazz. (although I know a couple of fellas with carts that get a lot done that US Jet says won't work)

So comparing two 4K/10gpm units, the brand of engine would not be near as important as the brand of the plumber. (I think we are probably saying the same thing)


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## theplungerman (Oct 26, 2011)

plbgbiz said:


> Very true.
> 
> I suppose I wasn't very clear. I was thinking more in terms of equipment with similar specs. The cart comment was just a bit of pizazz. (although I know a couple of fellas with carts that get a lot done that US Jet says won't work)
> 
> So comparing two 4K/10gpm units, the brand of engine would not be near as important as the brand of the plumber. (I think we are probably saying the same thing)


Right on. 
Yeah the root ranger and turbo nozzle definitely level the playing field. This per your us Jett comment.


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## theplungerman (Oct 26, 2011)

Will said:


> When I was looking at JNW they where selling Subaru/Robin engines. They are a very good engine, now there selling Kawasaki which I know nothing about. They use Uder pumps which are top of the line. HotJet using the Vanguard engine, which is a Briggs and Stratton. It's a good engine, it was the small things that turned me off of Hot Jet, like having there filter installed upside down.....​


The subaru robins are on the cart jetters. These are air cooled. 
The kawasaki are on the trailers and liquid cooled. 
When they engineered the trailer jetters kawasaki was there best choice for the gpm psi they wanted. 
Subaru was a better choice for carts.


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## SewerRat (Feb 26, 2011)

Mine has air cooled Subaru Robins, when did they switch to Kawasaki?


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

SewerRat said:


> Mine has air cooled Subaru Robins, when did they switch to Kawasaki?


I'm sure it came down to the pricing. I'd prefer the Subaru, they last forever in the Miller welding machines


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## theplungerman (Oct 26, 2011)

SewerRat said:


> Mine has air cooled Subaru Robins, when did they switch to Kawasaki?


The day after you bought yours. Just kidding. I've only been searching jetters 4 months so don't know. 
I'm sure they are both good engines and I would be happy with either one. :yes:


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Last month....
1-1/2 hours on site.....
root ranger......
good to go......


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## wyplumber (Feb 14, 2013)

You will Love that Subaru both out generators use them and so do our jumping jacks never had a problem with any of them


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