Troy Bilt 2800 PSI Pressure Washer Review
I purchased this pressure washer, model 020568 at Lowes in Jacksonville, Florida in April 2014. The salesman told me it was what I needed for common residential use. I was referred to the extended warranty program for 3 years and it seemed like a good deal. Anyone who uses pressure washers or small engines for that matter knows the risks of using them. On the way home, I made the decision of purchasing a gas can and bought gas from a local gas station using Ethanol free gas designed for small engines. I have used small engines for 30 years and know the pros and cons of using and storing the Ethanol gas. I have used this pressure washer for approximately 15 hours since April. It is stored in my garage and it's well maintained. Approximately 3 ½ weeks ago I used the pressure washer to clean my driveway, ran like a champ and stored it away in its normal spot. That night, after securing my garage for the night I smelled a very strong odor of gas in the garage and noticed the pressure washer had a puddle of gas under it. For some reason, the gas was flowing out of the carburetor through the air filter leaking in my garage. I put the pressure washer outside for the night (to avoid any explosions within my home) and took it to Lowes for repair a couple of days later (October 10, 2014). I explained my circumstances to the store employee and they gladly took the pressure washer in for repair. Well, today I went back to pick up the pressure washer and to my surprise, I received a bill for $78.00 for repair. The store employee told me the carb needed cleaning and the warranty does not cover it. I was totally taken back by the diagnostic result of this finding. This pressure washer was well maintained and the gas used in it was also the same gas used in my Toro Lawn Mower, Stihl chainsaw, and Stihl edger/weed eater. I have had no problems with any of the other equipment with the same gas supply. While speaking with a store employee, he made mention that this particular pressure washer changed their design in the carburetor (it's smaller than previously designed) and noticed several returns for the same issue. In conclusion, I can only comment that I strongly recommend that you do not purchase this item, and if you don't listen to recommendation on purchase don't buy the extended warranty, it's useless.
I researched pressure washers online before purchasing this pressure washer last Saturday. It was easy to put together and cranked on the first couple of pulls. However, after using the pressure washer for about 45 minutes, it suddenly turned off by itself. I check the gas and oil levels, which were both fine. I let it cool down for a couple of hours and tried it again several times and it would not crank. I took it back to Lowe's and they happily returned the item. I thought it must have been a lemon and with all the other great reviews online, I decided to exchange it for another one. I brought it home, put it together added gas and oil. It worked perfectly for about 30 minutes and quit! I checked gas and oil levels again and tried to re-crank it... nothing. I called Troy Built customer service. They told me to loosen the gas cap and try to crank it again, I did but it still would not crank. The customer service representative said that the product should not be doing that and to take it back to Lowe's. So I have wasted a lot of time trying to get it to crank, put 2 of these together, and several unnecessary trips to Lowe's for 2 pressure washers that don't work! I am very disappointed and frustrated with this product. Maybe our Lowe's got a bad batch of this model pressure washer but I would never recommend this product to anyone. It has wasted more of my time and money that could have been put to better use!
I purchased a Generac pressure washer on Lowes.com (as they do not carry them in any store) for a lower-than-retail price due to Lowes getting rid of that model, overall saved about $110. The Generac worked for about 10 minutes, then the pump seemingly went out and would not create any pressure at the wand. After taking it to Lowes, they gave me a full refund and asked me to go to the Seasonal department to order a replacement, as I still wanted/needed a pressure washer. When the gentleman at the desk said they were on stop order (they could no longer be ordered), I asked where the pressure washers were. Instead of pushing me towards an isle, he came over with me and explained what they had in stock, and what was comparable and some suggestions on this unit, the Troy-Bilt Pressure Washer. To my surprise, he had a manager come over and authorize the sale of this $320 unit for what I paid for the Generac (at the deep discount I paid).
Getting the Troy-Bilt home, setup was a breeze... far easier than the Generac. Started it up, and cleaned the walkway up to my front door in 10 minutes. This unit has great power and will clean concrete easily with about a 6" clean area with the 40 degree nozzle. The integrated detergent dispenser is a great feature as well. The unit seems well constructed and (while not really important) looks great in red and black.
Overall, I am very pleased with this pressure washer, and even more, I am amazed at the level of customer service of my Lowe's store, which not only did everything they could to make it right, but took the time to help me ring it up at the special price. Due to several factors, I am usually a split customer between Lowe's and "another" local builders store. This has made my decision. I am a Lowe's only customer for life.