Alright, let me tell you about my little adventure getting a used floor cleaning machine. My workshop floor was getting seriously grubby, way beyond what a mop could handle efficiently. Sweeping just moved the dust around. I looked at new floor scrubbers, you know, the walk-behind kind? Man, the prices were just way out there for my budget. Thousands! Just wasn't feasible.

So, I thought, maybe a used one? Started digging around online. Checked those marketplace sites, local classifieds, even some auction listings. You see all sorts. Some looked like they'd been through a war, others were suspiciously cheap, probably needed tons of work. It took a bit of patience, sifting through the listings.

Finding a Candidate

After a week or so of looking, I spotted one listed not too far from me. An older Tennant model. The pictures weren't great, looked a bit dirty itself, ironically. But the seller mentioned it was working when they last used it a few months back before they upgraded. The price seemed reasonable, not dirt cheap, but fair if it actually worked.

I messaged the seller, asked a few basic questions. You know, how old is it roughly? Any known issues? They were pretty straight up, said it was old, probably needed new batteries soon, but the main functions – scrubbing and vacuuming – were okay last time they checked. Decided it was worth a look.

Checking It Out

Drove over there one afternoon. The machine was definitely used, had its share of bumps and scrapes. Looked pretty industrial. The guy had it charged up, thankfully. We turned it on. The brushes spun, the vacuum motor kicked in. Sounded powerful enough. We didn't have water or anything to do a real test, but the core parts seemed operational. I looked over the squeegee blade at the back – it looked a bit worn but usable for a while.

Checked the battery compartment. Yeah, the batteries looked old, but they held enough charge for the demo. I figured replacing batteries was a likely future cost, factored that into my mental calculation. We chatted a bit, felt the seller was being honest about its condition. Made an offer slightly lower than asking, we settled on a price, and I paid the man.

Getting it Running

Getting it home was the next fun part. Thing was heavy! Needed a ramp and some muscle to get it into my truck. Once back at the workshop, I gave it a good clean-up first. Wiped down the exterior, cleaned out the dirty water tank – ugh. Found the manual online, thankfully, which helped figure out the controls and maintenance bits.

Filled the clean water tank, added some floor cleaner. Fired it up and gave it a go on a patch of the floor. It took a few passes to get the hang of the controls, how fast to walk, how to turn without leaving puddles. The vacuum pickup wasn't perfect initially, left some streaks. I fiddled with the squeegee angle adjustment, that helped a lot.

• First few runs were a learning process.
• Figured out the right amount of cleaning solution.
• Learned how to maneuver it in tight spots.

The results? Night and day compared to the mop! Even on that first proper run, it lifted so much grime. The floor looked way better immediately. Yeah, it wasn't as slick as a brand new machine, probably, but it worked.

Living With It

Been using it regularly for about six months now. Had to replace that squeegee blade like I suspected, wasn't too expensive to find a replacement part online. The batteries are definitely getting weaker, I'll need to bite the bullet on those soon. But overall? Totally worth it.

It saves me hours of work. The floor stays much cleaner, less dust gets kicked up. It's not fancy, it's kinda loud, but it does the heavy lifting. For the price I paid compared to new, I'm well ahead. If you're thinking about one and don't mind something that's not perfect, checking out the used market is definitely something I'd recommend based on my experience. Just be prepared to check it out thoroughly and maybe do a little tinkering.