vacuum truck/trailer build

Has anyone built their own vacuum collection system? I have a gas powered gear drive pump that will move 25 gpm of thick cold oil. But I was looking for something faster and preferably cleaner. Seems easy to build, gas engine powering an air compressor. Hook suction side through a surge tank to protect the compressor in case of oil over fill. Then you could hook the outlet side of the compressor to the tank to empty. Have one or two old 500 gallon propane tanks for hold tanks and you're set. So has any one on here done it?

Run a vacuum hose from your vacuum pump to the tank so it get vacuumed as you drive to the pick up location. Or use an A/C vacuum pump.

I use 6 hp gas 2" semi-trash water pump and it move oil plenty fast. It's rated 150 gpm (water). If that's not enough, you can step up to a full-trash 3" pump.

Also of course make sure your trailer build will be able to carry that propane tank. At 500 gallons full, it'll weight roughly 4,000lbs, or 8,000lbs if two.

My only problem with a pump is clogging it up with crap. I ran a ball bearing through my gear pump and it shelled my love joy coupler. So I put a strainer on my stinger and it's just slower than I'd like. Vacuum seems like the way to go.

My gas water pump is a semi-trash and can tolerate up to 1/2" diameter of solids. I use a modified farmer sprayer strainer (can be bought at TSC or a farmer supply store). I took out the mesh that came in it to replace with a correct size exhaust pipe with zillions of 1/2" holes drilled in it. It seem like it still flows almost the same as it did without it. And yeah the mesh got clogged in no time before I did this.

I'll use that gear pump to transfer WMO around the garage or to use it to dispense the fuel into stuff.

What pumps you're using? I want to move away from HF's 3/4HP 1" ports clear water pump for something that will flow more GPM. I can't find anything that's not $500 or more for a high GPM electric pump. I'm thinking about to use 2 or even possibly 3 HF pumps to get the GPM I want (~30gpm, but I'll be happy with ~15 GPM minimum).

I'll find you a link, it's agear drive pump that I have mounted to a harbor freight gas engine.

They say the vacuum pumps will do 1-3 gallons a second.

I assume your using this for collecting WVO?

The best method I found is what your doing. I used a Hydraulic pump and a 6.5 motor. Worked really really well.

I just made sure not to suck from the bottom of the tank and never had an issue. One thing I alawys thought about doing is make a float that would hold the pump nozzle about 1" below the surface with feet that would extend 6" down. Then all you would have todo is throw it in the tank and away you go.

Wvo is nasty and to much work, imo. I run wmo and collect 500-1000 gal at a time

You got that right. Thats why I stopped doing it. That is alot of WMO at a time

turbom700 said:

You got that right. Thats why I stopped doing it. That is alot of WMO at a time

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Yes sir I try to make my trips count. It takes nearly all day Saturday to get hooked, loaded, then go around and collect. I set my good shops up with ibc totes and I roll in and suck them out. My real good shops already have 300+ gallon tanks they fill 2-4 times a year.