Get Skid Steers into the Mix

Even given these potential benefits, Gus Antoniou, president of G & D Excavating, Inc., Lyons, Ill., was skeptical. He arranged for an on-site demo of the attachment roughly six months ago. Despite his initial reservations, he purchased the attachment that same day.

"I thought I was making a mistake," he admits. "But it's probably one of the best attachments I've ever purchased. It paid for itself within the first 12 uses."

In addition to excavation and trucking services, G & D Excavating does a variety of horizontal and vertical concrete projects. It previously relied on trailer-mounted concrete pumps or boom trucks, even for smaller pours. Now, the attachment is used on these jobs instead.

"If I'm pouring a second-story deck and I have to place 15,000 to 20,000 sq. ft., I wouldn't use this machine," says Antoniou. "But for small placements between 4,000 and 8,000 ft., it's ideal."

G & D Excavating has seen a number of benefits. "You don't have to go out there with Georgia buggies, or a bunch of guys with wheelbarrows," Antoniou points out. "You're not dependent on a subcontractor to bring a pump. And you don't tie up your [boom] pump on a small job when you could put it on a big job."

The attachment travels on the same trailer as one of the company's Bobcat S300 skid steers. Once on-site, the skid steer moves the pump into position, then serves as its power source. "I have the ready-mix trucks dump right into the hopper and I use it basically as a transfer device to transfer material to the area that we're working," Antoniou explains. "I've pumped concrete 140 to 150 ft. away. We have actually set up the pump in the front, then pumped a foundation addition behind the building. And we did not disturb the area at all around the building with trucks."

The attachment has cut labor requirements. "You don't need as much support personnel for the machine as you would with the larger truck-mounted pumps," says Antoniou. "The same operator who runs the Bobcat can operate the pump."

In addition, it provides more precise material placement due to the steady material flow at a lower volume. "Although its concrete delivery is less than the larger pump trucks, its delivery is more detailed," Antoniou notes. "You have better control of the job."

The attachment proved particularly effective on a recent pour at a Chicago-area warehouse. The job called for an 8,000-sq.-ft. reinforced, structural post-tension slab on a mezzanine level. Rather than bring in a boom truck, which would have required cutting holes in the roof or opening vaults in the side of the building, the skid steer and attachment were driven inside.

"We started pouring with the machine at 7:30 a.m. We were done pouring by about 11:30 a.m. and then the finishers finished up," says Antoniou. "At idle speed, we were delivering 12 yds. an hour up 18 ft. onto the mezzanine. At high speed, we were delivering 18 yds."

Since it was purchased, the concrete pump attachment has been in almost constant use. Antoniou now has plans to add a second one to his fleet.

"It's a perfect residential machine and it's a perfect light commercial machine," he states. "And at the end of the day, you still have your Bobcat on the job.

"Even if I replace it once a year, it's worth it," he adds. "The convenience is key here."

Blastcrete Concrete Squeeze Pump

The Blastcrete RD 6536 concrete squeeze pump utilizes a peristaltic action to deliver concrete at rates up to 25 yds. per hour. It also pumps up to 100 ft. vertically and from 300 to 500 ft. horizontally, depending on the concrete mix.

"Our concrete pump attachment can offer a lot of diversity," says Jim Farrell, president, Blastcrete Equipment Co., "whether a contractor is already involved in concrete or masonry or recognizes an opportunity to get involved with this type of work."

Although the attachment offers comparable performance to a self-contained, trailer-mounted pump, it can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 less. In addition, it can provide substantial cost savings over subcontracting concrete delivery.

"The current upcharge for pumping concrete using a line pump is $25 per cu. yd.," Farrell notes. "The calculated output of this pump attachment is 25 yds. per hour. If you do the math, theoretically, this pump attachment can be paid for in 25 hours of pumping."