Starting out advice needed

What do you want us to do take you by the hand? did you check the Kleen Quip board rigth here Ted has some very clean tms for sale?

what the hell is going on here....this is the second person that wants to start cc'ing at 50

I'm praying to stop at 50

Hey gimmeagig,  I have been in the bussiness a year and i started out with an 18 horsepower used white magic machine and it is very powerful.  There are also some nice units in the 20+ horsepower range that i think would be perfect.  50 hp is great but from what i have heard, if you are using it for one wand, then you will prob only use it at just off idle anyway.  So it probably is a little overkill.  Even with my 18 hp machine i can run 200 feet of hose with no problem. And unless you are really adept at fixing things, I would stay away from anything too old.

all my truck mounts are nissan 49hp 1 is was used and the other 2 brand new never had a problem with any of them.if you buy used have a pro take a look at it make shure life is still left.I like to have to much than not having enoff

To the guys who gave me more than just oneliners( you know who you are)thank you very much for the info.I really apprecciate it.
I wish I could retire at 50 as well but I've spent most of my life being a musician so I knew that eventually I'd have to get a "real job" :0
Actually it's not so bad.I have a few rentals that will be great for me once I sell them, but for now I'm house poor.
I need to generate about 30000 income or so a year to make it worthwhile.If I can make that I'd be happy.Does that sound reasonable?
I'm not trying to get rich I just want to do good work and make a little money for another 7 years maybe.I did used to sell real estate in California for a few years but I don't want to get back to that.Too much competition and too much schmoozing.My background in sales I think will be helpful getting going.For some reason the straightforwardness of the carpet cleaning business appeals to me.

Ok Gimmeagig, heres my 2 cents:

First, dont take advice from anyone, especially "carpet cleaners" ha!

Second, keep doing your homework like you are. I like slide-in units, and I think its pretty clear that you need at least 25-30hp to drive a quality blower and to generate enough water heat for a heat exchanger. Prochem, Hydramaster, Blueline are all gonna be ok, just a matter of how much $ you wanna throw down.