PURCHASING USED PROPANE BUFFERS & STRIP MACHINES

We have used, maintained, repaired, and sold propane buffers and strip machines for over twenty years. We started out using the old Briggs motored, steel framed "rattlers". We used the scary Schwab Swinger to strip floors. We moved on to repair and maintenance and finally sales. At one time we maintained close to 100 (very conservative) machines a month. We have attended schools at Pioneer Eclipse and Eagle. We have attended Briggs & Stratton, Honda and Kohler training schools. We have been around and along with the people I have worked with have had an impact on the industry. Whether by machine design, tool fabrication, maintenance programs. So we somewhat know what we are talking about.
Our recommendations are to the lay person. Not a trained individual who may have an expertise in the field. A well trained individual can make most any machine work. And keep them running for many years. Someone new to propane's need to know the simplest, most reliable machines to purchase, and what to avoid. To that end we provide this information and hope you find it of some value.

Over the years we have sold many brands of used propane buffers. Easy Buff, Flex Systems, Dura Sprint, Sweet 16, NSS, Minuteman, Windsor, Kent, Advance, Hild, Spectrum, Phoenix, Panda, Eagle, Pioneer Eclipse, Sterling, Schwabs, A.L. Cook, Zoomer, Aztec, Powr-Flite, Eagle Power, PDK, Onyx Enginered Products, OPC Floor Blazers, Power Buff, Daemon, Silver Bullet, PBC, Buffers Online, and others I have forgotten.

One thing holds true across the lines. An aluminum frame with a one piece front end assembly and rigid pad driver work best. That is why we have settled on selling only machines that use parts that are non-proprietary. Parts that will generally fit across several lines of propane buffers. Our favorites are Pioneer Eclipse, Eagle, PBC, and Aztec strip machines. While parts for the Aztec strip machines are proprietary, it is worth the hassle of having to buy parts direct from the factory.

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR WHEN LOOKING TO PURCHASE A PROPANE BUFFER

DO NOT purchase any Scwhab or other brand machine with the Briggs and Stratton IC engine. One exception: Aztec Sidewinder strip machines. Strip machines generally have low hours so it would probably be alright. Avoid like the plague the 16hp and 18hp IC opposed twins.

Have a reputable repair shop check-out any Honda engines before purchase. Avoid the white flathead motors. The flatheads were crummy engines on propane's when they were introduced back in the early eighties. The GXV 11hp and 13hp can be alright if they have been maintained properly and have relatively low hours. They are prone to oil leaks and blown head gaskets. That said, we maintained almost fifty of them for a grocery chain for 13 months without a problem with one of them. The key is proper maintenance. If a motor looks ratty pass it by, it hasn't been maintained.

Avoid buffers with Vanguard twin engines with high hours that have not had their heads replaced. Steer clear of the 18hp Kohler opposed twin. Their day is past. It is hard to keep the emissions down on that machine. Steer clear of the old Zoomers that had this engine, the electric clutch costs around $600.00 to replace!

Avoid Flex Systems, Schwab, Sweet 16, Silver Bullet, Sterling, and Daemon machines. These companies are out of business and parts are hard to come by.

Have single cylinder Vanguard engines checked out by a reputable shop before purchase. They can be problematic, troublesome engines.

Steer clear of the first propane buffers that NSS sold. The motors are fine. Everything else is questionable. I used one of the VERY OLD NSS buffers when I was doing floors. It had a Tecumseh motor and I had to use ether to start it. The newer machines are based on a Flex/Silver Bullet design. Some of the parts can be used on Silver Bullet machines. You see a lot of them on Ebay that have come out of Wal Mart auctions.

Steer clear of Pioneer propane's with the Kohler and Vanguard engines and the electronic emissions sentry. They were great machines at first. They get a bunch of hours on them and they become money pits. If they have low hours you might take a good look.

Be careful with the 12.5 HP Onan with the electronic box mounted on the shroud. These can be good engines but have several issues that can eat a bunch of money before they are fixed. The 110 volt starter for the 14hp Onan can sell for $300.00 and is getting scarce.

Note that the 20hp Onan and 12.5/14hp are no longer being produced for propane use. Parts are expensive if not impossible to find. You are looking at $300.00+ for a weak 110 volt starter. $500.00 for a catalytic muffler for the 20hp. An item that has to be replaced frequently if you like to bump into stuff. As far as I know the Honda and Kawasaki are on the majority of new machines.

Make sure that the company you buy the propane buffer from has a properly calibrated emissions tester and knows how to use it. Individuals may not have a tester but should have access to a repair center that should be able to check the levels. Many stores/businesses are now requiring monthly emissions testing and a tag on the machine showing the machines emissions are in range.

Avoid pawn shops. Unless you know what you are doing and have access to a competent repair center that can advise you before purchase, walk on by. To them, if the machine starts and runs it is in "excellent" condition. I am experienced and have been burned several times buying from pawn shops. The main reason being was that several of the machines were stolen. Imagine the mess created when I tried to sell a machine I bought at a pawn shop to the contractor it had been stolen from. If someone try's to sell you a newer machine under questionable circumstances get the serial number and call the manufacturer or local distributors. They will often be able to tell you if the machine is stolen. I did that with some Minuteman equipment that was being offered to me and it had been stolen from a Wal Mart.

Be very careful on Ebay. As touched on earlier many unscrupulous individuals "dump" questionable equipment on Ebay. I was in a repair shop recently where the comment was made; "this is an Ebay machine. It isn't good enough to sell locally where I have to look at the guy every day". So be careful and realize that good feedback and good intentions do not mean that the buffer will be in good condition. One shop I know told me that the average repair on an Ebay propane is $400.00. I recently went over to Amarillo to pick-up a propane purchase. This company had advertised two machines. One, sadly the one I bought, wasn't near the machine advertised. The other was much better than portrayed. Dishonesty? No, they had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Oftentimes sellers find a propane buffer at a storage auction and get dollar signs in their eyes... so up it goes for bid.

NOW THAT I HAVE COMPLETELY CONFUSED YOU ...

My advice to most people is buy a new machine. You can usually count on two years of good service before you may need to spend a little money on repairs. If you are new to propane's, unless you can find a machine in excellent condition you would be better served buying a new machine. Also, technology keeps changing and companies keep putting out safer and cleaner running machines. Also, think of your image. Do you want people to view you as a second rate cleaner with third rate, unsafe equipment? Or, a first rate cleaner who will spend what is necessary to get equipment that is safe and will do a good job? I know people will tell you different but you can be killed using one of these machines. They have limitations and maintenance needs that have to be respected or you are going to have problems.

Husband and wife die from carbon monoxide poisoning
Nov 21, 2005, 11:11 AM CST

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis police say two people believed to be husband and wife died from carbon monoxide poisoning while polishing the floor of a business with a propane-powered buffer.
Officers patrolling a Cordova business park around 2 a-m this morning found the man slumped in a corner on the floor of La Petite Academy day care center. The woman was found in a chair behind the front desk of the center.

The victims were contractors polishing the floor at the time they were overcome. The buffer was still running when police got inside the building, said homicide Lt. Joseph Scott.

Police did not disclose the name of the victims or their company.

Memphis firefighters tested where the victims were found and discovered carbon monoxide levels three times higher than what is considered safe, Scott said.

The Shelby County Medical Examiner is set to determine the precise cause of the victims' deaths.

Firefighters tested where the victims were found, and discovered carbon monoxide levels three times higher than what is considered safe, Scott said.

Any machine that burns hydrocarbons such as propane can put out carbon monoxide, Germantown Hardware manager Ward Johnson said Sunday. Propane is no more dangerous than gasoline or other hydrocarbons, he said, but spaces where they are used must be adequately ventilated.

"This was an awful accident," said Karen Craven, a spokesman for La Petite, which has 650 centers in the country.

Craven said the license for the facility at 330 Walnut Bend was recently renewed, and passed fire inspection. The building is run entirely by electricity, and does not have a gas hookup, she said.

"We were relieved that it was not the building," she said.

The facility will be open today for its 84 clients, she said.

The Shelby County Medical Examiner will determine the precise cause of the victims' deaths.

This really empathizes the need to take care of your equipment and get proper training. This is the first incident that I can verify where anybody has actually died while using a propane buffer.

PROPANE TANKS

Used propane tanks cannot legally be shipped by common carrier- truck line, UPS, FedEx, etc. We shipped many by truck, but we weren't supposed to. That is another cost you need to figure in when buying a propane buffer. Even if you get a tank shipped to you by the seller you often times need to have repairs made to it. You also may have to pay to license or certify it in your state. Most tanks shown with propane buffers on Ebay are the older style tanks. You should be looking to purchase the newer safety fill tanks. Many fill stations will no longer fill the older style tanks. Depending on whether you buy aluminum or steel, how generous your dealer is, you could spend from $150.00 to $250.00 for a new propane tank.