Using FEL to cart concrete

/pine · Mar 17, 2009

you might check with your finishers about using an accelerator...enclosed pours usually set up slow...they also prevent the use of long handled bull floats...once it is floated out it could be hours before it is ready to finish...

good luck with your pour...

[edited]

FWIW...All outfits are not the same but most ready mix plants allow 15 minutes per yard (with exceptions of course)

dfkrug · Mar 17, 2009

Deaf said:
Being the Cheap-o I am trying to save the $600 pump fee....

$600 in OH!? You must mean a boom truck then. Here in coastal CA, a
trailer-mounted grout pump is $300-400, and a boom truck, like a Schwing
75m, is over $1000. Many, many pump contractors are hungry for biz, too.
Since it is inside, a grout pump will be best, but one that will pump 3/4"
aggregate, which is much better for a slab, vs. 3/8" pea mix. I would use
a 6-sack mix with accellerator and pour on polyethylene plastic sheet. Also,
rent a power finisher for your laborers to use....you will get a better finish
that way.

Sherweld · Mar 18, 2009

You could do it like this, LiveLeak.com - Concrete Pump - 3rd World Style

But I think you made a good choice, Murphy's Law can be very painful when pouring concrete because there are no "timeouts".

Regards
Ron

firemen122 · Mar 20, 2009

I would definately pump it... You have way to many things for murphy going the tractor route... I know down here right now concrete folks are hungry might be worth calling some review there bids, then tell them what you will pay.....

LarryD · Mar 20, 2009

Excellent advice provided for concrete placement, it's not very forgivable when things go wrong.

I remember a project I had in Chennai, (Madras at the time), India to construct a safehaven at the U.S. Consulate. I knew we we're in trouble when the cement (no batch plant) arrived on an ox drawn cart.

There was a construction elevator on the building but it sheared the main shaft several days before so really is was just a scaffold to the third floor.

All concrete was hand lifted to the third floor and placed in the forms one wok (traditional cooking ware) at a time.

That place left me so many construction memories (nightmares) I can't even begin to list them all.

flusher · Mar 20, 2009

Deaf said:
Has anyone used their FEL to cart cement from the truck to the pour site. Pouring a new slab in the basement and wanted to use my 1215 FEL to cart cement to the shut we made. A concrete buggy wont work since the basement window is off the ground a bit. Thanks for the input?.

FEL? Not a good idea. Wrong tool for that job.

Use a concrete pump. That's how the concrete for the crawl space stub walls were poured for my new house in 2005. There was plenty of room to chute the concrete into the forms, but the pump made the job go a lot faster.

Save the wear and tear on your tractor and on your work crew.

Deaf · Mar 23, 2009

The pour went perfect and ended up being 9 yards. I was the 塗ose Man (no jokes please) pulling, pointing and holding the hose as the concrete is pumped. I can honestly say the FEL would have been more fun even if it took all day. I would take a day of seat time over nearly 1.5 hours of dragging that hose around.

Thanks for the input the pump method was the way to go but don稚 be mislead, its not easy. Thinking about it nothing with concrete is easy, well maybe writing the checks.