1) Two 55 gallon drum type solvent tanks. One for really dirty stuff like cases/covers, one for internal parts.
2) Say 5-7 transmission rebuilds a week, several odd mechanical jobs that vary widely in a given week, head gaskets/timing chains/oil pans/etc.... 5 man shop, 2 mainly trans, 2 mechanical, 1 chasing jobs/parts/money. Tanks run a lot.
3) Better than no tanks for sure. Been there done that, cases of brake clean are expensive and a huge hassle.
4) Nothing drives me batty, tanks are old and no longer have the filter systems, wish they still had those.
5) Improvements would include the filters back as mentioned, we also have one of those automatic washers but the electric motor went out before I started working here they just managed to get the motor back. Need to get it up and running.
With the automatic washer up, we could get by with one clean tank in trans areas and move one into mechanical area.
Honestly I've never used an automatic washer before, but I will still want tanks handy for speed and convenience.
If I've got a trans case and parts in the automatic washer you know somebody else is going to need to clean something.
If I have just a small part or two to clean its going to be faster and easier to just hit the switch and scrub it off quick in the tank next to me instead of crossing the shop firing up the automatic washer, waiting for it to finish and then back across the shop.
While I haven't used an automatic washer I've seen them working and they are hot and noisy, so definitely not something you want to work directly next to in sunny summer Florida - or anywhere I guess, lol.
If I was designing a system some things I would want are:
1) Functional:
We have 3 trans tear down table with the drain trough in the back, the drains like to plug up, have to always remember to check underneath to see if the bucket is full, and they all have a crossbar support slap in the way of removing the bucket so you have to crouch down, lift a bucket full of dirty trans fluid up about a foot and pull it straight out between this bar and the top support rail where it just barely fits.
Bad, bad design. 3 different manufactures all the same way. Hard to do, guaranteed mess, and something you have to do pretty much every day or two.
Not sure how you could make checking the bucket easier, but having the area to remove the bucket when its full without obstructions is not rocket science.
Wheels, in my opinion everything should be on wheels, good locking wheels. I understand it adds to the cost so maybe make them optional. Better yet, optional to not have them.
Sturdy:
Two of the tear down tables are nice and stable, welded together. The third one is bolted and has gotten rickety over the years. Nothing a couple few hours of pulling it and welding wouldn't fix, but time is money.
Material:
Stainless Steel is great, expensive, but nice. Steel is ok, but always looks ratty. Wood top maybe as an option, but really doesn't hold up well in high volume shops.
Modular:
Everything should be interlocking, or at least have the ability to sit next to/under/over each other nicely. Ideally tables/tops/tanks would be able to interlock inline, or at right angles. Something easy and fast that will hold up and be sturdy.
Should be able to have drawer banks that will slide under and lock in.
Height: I'm a tall guy and would really love the option to raise the height of work surfaces, will kinda mess with the interlocking part and optional wheels, but a solvable problem. This is especially true of solvent tanks.
Even shorter people complain about how low tanks are. Spending a couple few hours bent over a solvent tank is murder on the back. Nothing a couple bricks won't fix, but makes solvent change out a hassle for the barrel type tank anyway.
Restaurant equipment has a lot of these features. Half of the stuff in our trans area is old restaurant stuff. Exchange sink for parts washer and automatic parts washer for dishwasher and you are pretty much there.
