How to choose the best parts washer

If you work in or own an automotive repair shop, chances are you’re going to be working with dirty things all the time. From engine rebuilds to transmission repair work, sometimes the best way to get your customers back on the road as quickly as possible is to give those dirty parts a good cleaning instead of replacing. That’s where ​ parts washers comes into play. There are many industrial parts washer product options on the market, so what are the things to look out for when choosing the best style or brand?

Speed, size, and capacity

Whether you’re a high-volume shop or the local mechanic, having access to a parts washer makes automotive repair easy. When considering which spray wash cabinet to use, make sure to look out for the speed at which the water heats up to temp, the size of the actual cabinet and the capacity or weight of the parts the system will hold.

Ranger parts washers all feature dual heating elements. This feature allows for on-demand use of the parts washer any time of the day. That’s important to you because the longer you have to wait on your equipment to perform, the longer it takes to get the job done. Two is better than one, and with two heaters working together, the parts washer will get up to temp in seconds, not minutes.

Excuse us for a moment for the cheap marketing copy, but when it comes to washing engine parts or other components, size matters. Ugh, alright, we went there. The point is, you need as much room in your parts washer cabinet as possible out of convenience. Imagine having a long component that needs to be cleaned only to find out it doesn’t fit! That would make your parts washer useless. Not so with Ranger parts washers, there’s plenty of room. The RS-500D series parts washer has ​24.5 cubic feet of space inside the cabinet. If you need even more room, the RS-750D series parts washer has 31.5 cubic feet. Plenty of room to get the job done.

With all that room to fit all those parts, you’re going to need a heavy-duty motor to get those parts moving inside. If the parts washer you’re considering does automatically rotate parts as they’re cleaned (which you should be considering), then make sure it has a capacity that’s high enough to handle the workload you need. Ranger parts washers come in 500-pound and 750-pound capacities depending on which model you choose. Plus, all our parts washer models have two available motors in 1 HP (208-230V / 60 Hz / 1 Ph) or 3 HP (380-415V / 50 Hz / 3 Ph). If you’re planning to get some heavy-use from your system, we recommend going with the beefy 3 HP motor for more torque and long-term use.

Is the parts washer cabinet made of stainless steel?

Most parts washers on the market today require two things to get all the grime, grease and dirt removed from parts: water and detergent. It just so happens that those ingredients that are used to get parts clean can also put a toll on a parts washer’s cabinet. Plus, if your shop is located in an area that is typically prone to rust, a steel cabinet might be exposed to those elements down the road. When looking for the best parts washer to buy, consider one that can stand up to whatever you throw at it.

The Ranger parts washer series now has a completely stainless-steel option. Whether you choose the RS-500DS stainless-steel parts washer or the larger RS-750DS model, the cabinet and internal components are protected over years of use. If you’re on the market for a parts washer, consider the investment and make sure it’s into something that is going to be long term.

If your budget does not allow you to go stainless, make sure the outside of the cabinet of the parts washer you’re considering is completely sealed with a strong powder coat finish. If any steel is exposed to the elements, there’s a chance that rust will develop and that’s never a good things for these types of machines. Ranger’s standard parts washer models, the RS-500D and RS-750D, provide a complete powder coat finish over the entirety of steel surfaces.

Whichever route you choose, make sure you at least make the decision to go with stainless or powder coated steel. You’ll thank your future self when the parts washer is in the same shape it was in years ago!

Warranty, customer service, and quality

Things happen no matter what industry you’re in. At Ranger, we’re no exception to the rule so we’ve designed a warranty for our parts washers that will give peace of mind to all those who give us their business. When things go wrong, you want someone there to be available to you. Let’s face it, you own a business and, wait for another cheesy marketing line, time is money. You need to get back up-and-running fast and that’s where Ranger’s premiere customer service team comes into play. Finally, in order to ensure those first two things are never needed, and as much as we would love you to call us, make sure the parts washer you choose is built and designed by a company that stands for quality. Ranger is a division of BendPak Inc., the world leader in quality automotive equipment. We’ve been in the business for over 50 years and in that time, we constantly strive for perfection in our service teams and the equipment we sell. We’re proud of the quality that goes into our parts washers and if you decide to purchase one of our Ranger models, we know you’ll see and experience that too.