Time is a very important factor in the concrete flatwork business. The quality of a concrete pad or floor is dependant on a period between pouring and curing of the cement. Cement contractors know their business depends on their ability to have the right concrete machine ready for each job they encounter. Concrete power trowels are used for both floating and finishing large cement slabs. A power trowel can significantly decrease labor costs by its ability to cover more square footage of slab per day. They also improve the quality of the concrete surface top and help to ensure flatness of the slab. Power trowels can be found in mainly two types, walk behind and ride on versions.
Walk behind concrete power trowels normally have one rotor with three or four blades, are powered by either a gasoline engine, electric motor or even a propane motor. Trowels are available in 30, 36 and 48 inch blade diameters. In some cases hand tools might finish 350 to 650 square feet per day where as a 36 inch power trowel can finish 700 to 1500 square feet per day depending on job site circumstances.
Ride on concrete trowels have two rotors each with four or five blades, are powered by one or two gasoline engines and are available in up to 100 inch models. Ride on trowels can dramatically increase production. Typically, a ride on can cover four to five times as much concrete compared to a standard walk behind model. Depending on the operator, one ride-on model can replace 3 to 4 walk behind trowels. Ride on power trowels are available in two different blade configurations, overlapping and non-overlapping. Typically, the non-overlapping position of the blades requires higher torque and can accommodate pans during the floating operation. The overlapping position is often used at increased rotor speeds and provides seamless coverage during the concrete finishing process.
