15 gallon hopper

have a few questions about the 15 gallon hopper. if anyone knows the answers it would be appreciated. (1) can the paint be left in the hopper w/o it hardening just like a can and cover. (2) how do you screen the paint (3) does the hopper ever tip over (4) is it easy to clean and how often does it have to be (5) is it worth the price I use oil and do approx. (30) 300+ lots a year. thanks

I line it with a heavy duty trash bag. Then just toss the bag

I guess it would be okay if you shoot latex (water cleanup) I don't think it's worth the $$ though, unless you are painting miles of straight lines and would be far away from your trailer. As for the rest, I can't answer because I don't (and don't plan to) own one.

15 gallons of paint also gets heavy pushing it around all day.

in my opinion it is definately well worth the money. I do not think you could leave paint in it unless you had a way to seal the lid on it somehow. I only use mine if my job requires more than 15 gallons of paint and usually dont even drag it out unless im using a large qaunity of paint. screening the paint? you could use a 5 gallon stainer but i do not stain my paint simply due to there is not any point in it. the paint i use is very good and does not ever have any trash or clumps in it. the only time i have a problem with my hopper getting trash in it is when im filling it up more than 3 or 4 times and the sun is out. of course i will get a little trash from the paint on top driing a bit but it takes a while. tip over? I never had it to tip over. its sets well on my machine. east to clean? i clean mine directly after every use. i more less just rinse it out and pour it into another bucket while the paint is still wet. very easy to clean if you dont leave paint in it. its worth the money definately. also nsplm stated that it was heavy. it is heavy to push but not to bad. i currently use a line driver but even before them, i could out paint my partner 2 to 1 using my hopper pushing it

I have a hopper on my two main pumps I use yellow and white. I use oil paint and never clean it and the paint stays just fine. I also waited a few years to buy them because of the cost, but I wish I had bought them a long time ago. When doing large restripes with a driver you just put paint in and go. I would not go with out one now.

i think it might be the best accessory to buy. doesn't matter what size jobs you do you can leave paint in it(up to about 7 gals) and not worry about spills. with the driver i only put 2.5 cans in at a time to allow for surging but it helps out with your productivity. i clean the buildup off the sides about twice a year. once it gets heavy enough let it dry out for a week then set it on its side and lightly flex it with your foot. the heavy layer of paint will crack and you can peel it out without too much effort.

very helpful. ......thank you.

Question # 1. Yes just put a thin covering of water or solvent on top depending on the paint you use. 2. If I get a bad batch of paint and need to screen it I use a 10"-12" food strainer (metal not plastic) and pour through it into the hopper. 3. The hopper does not tip 4. Yes it is easy, especially with solvent based paint. As said above let it dry out and flex to release from the sides. 5. YES, even if you are just doing the smallest of jobs it only has to be filled as much as you need and as stated above it will keep your machine cleaner because paint will not splash on it. I came to like mine most when doing a chain of convenience stores with 10-20 spaces each. I loaded 10 gallons in on the first job and could paint all night with only rolling the machine on and off the trailer. I will not do a large job with out it. Refill time is down time, down time is costly.

How much does one cost? And is 15 the only size that they make?

My SW manager got it for me $180 delivered and yes only 15. One of the design mistakes at GRACO, when making something that will be filled from 5 gallon buckets they should have allowed for the remaining paint (the inch or so left that the suction tube leaves) and a bit of extra room. Maybe make it a 17 or 18 gallon? But it is way better than only 5.

you dont have to fill it every time, the only time I put more than 1 bucket is when Im striping roads, also with a ll it doesnt matter.

nsplm wrote on Apr 12, 2009:Go to #4

15 gallons of paint also gets heavy pushing it around all day.

(1) can the paint be left in the hopper w/o it hardening just like a can and cover. (2) how do you screen the paint (3) does the hopper ever tip over (4) is it easy to clean and how often does it have to be (5) is it worth the price If you use your machine at least once every two days its not a problem with the paint going hard. To screen the paint we have 5 gallon screens picked up from SW-- works well but you have to change them eventually as they get clogged from too many pails filtering through. we just leave it taped around the rim of the hopper and every pail goes thru the same strainer. the hopper never tips over, in fact its not exactly easy to get out-- very snug fit. I think our hoppers get cleaned once a season maybe? if that.. I wouldn't paint without one. Its so much simpler to use, especially in transporting your machine if you only have 3 gallons of paint in a 15 gallon hopper its very unlikely to slosh out.

1 yes 2 dont 3 bungee it down 4 yes annually 5 yes yes yes if you want to make your strainers last longer get a box of quart size baggies and use a clean strainer one on each bucket then put it in a baggie then when you get home wash them out and they will be ready for next use.also when we strain we use plastic food service gloves not latex , the plastic fit loose and are much eaiser to put on and off. we dont strain for airless machines only conventional machines. I cleaned my hoppers today. 1 other good thing is you dont have any leftovers in your buckets. and normally I only put 5 gallons at a time , unless its a big job then we put 2. never fill one to the top.

autolinesjake wrote on Apr 11, 2009:Go to #2

I line it with a heavy duty trash bag. Then just toss the bag

Really? The trash bag doesn't melt? Alkyd paint? Good Idea if ti works

Put me in the Pro column I have one for each yellow and white. I leave the paint in all season and clean it out once or twice a year. I also only add 2 fivers at a time to avoid spilling during transport. I will put 15 in at the start of large jobs. It never tips - however if for some reason you need to switch a machine to another color I find it does need some blocking to stand on its own when not in the machine (Graco not sure about Titan). Absolutely worth the money refills are a pain. On small to everage size jobs you can go for a couple of days without a refill. Like Mike we had a chain of service stations with max a couple hundred feet of lines most were far less. We could go around town all night and never worry about reloading paint or having it spill, it was great.

(1) can the paint be left in the hopper w/o it hardening just like a can and cover. (2) how do you screen the paint (3) does the hopper ever tip over (4) is it easy to clean and how often does it have to be (5) is it worth the price 1 yes 2 We don't screen paint 3 No we never use it 4 N/A see 2 and 3 5 No because of 2 and 3 New paint shouldn't need screening. We use filters on suction and high pressure so we can run trashy paint. Punching holes in new 5's is faster (for us) than opening, boxing, pouring, cleaning, etc. into a big tub. We just paint. I have one or two laying around if anybody wants it (them). Make offer.

hoppers are great I personally wouldnt work without them, they do seal up they dont tip over. I never put more than 2 buckets in them , when I use buckets I always had some left in the bottom that I thought was too much to throw out 1/2 gal , with the hopper you pour every bit in the hopper. no waste or buckets to hold on to. also when I do miles and miles of road I dont have to fill up as often , I buy paint in totes when doing rd work , I have to leave right noe to go look at 40 miles of rd. its totally doable with a ll and a 15 gal hopper. I did a 40 mi. job last year and 18 mi. 2 months ago and will redo the 40 I did last year and this job today is a new one. I can do min 5 miles a day

\STRIPES/// wrote on Oct 8, 2009:Go to #17

(1) can the paint be left in the hopper w/o it hardening just like a can and cover. (2) how do you screen the paint (3) does the hopper ever tip over (4) is it easy to clean and how often does it have to be (5) is it worth the price 1 yes 2 We don't screen paint 3 No we never use it 4 N/A see 2 and 3 5 No because of 2 and 3 New paint shouldn't need screening. We use filters on suction and high pressure so we can run trashy paint. Punching holes in new 5's is faster (for us) than opening, boxing, pouring, cleaning, etc. into a big tub. We just paint. I have one or two laying around if anybody wants it (them). Make offer.

Will give $150.00 for the pair and pay the freight. Will send check and no hurry on shipping as our seasons about over.

I can't find the second one but found the first one. If I can find the lid, I'll send it to you for free but you have to pay freight.