ForConstructionPros.com

Trowels are a necessary part of the business for most concrete contractors, but knowing what to look for when buying a power trowel and when to make the move from a walk-behind to a ride-on takes careful planning.

"Walk-behind power trowels are typically used on jobs smaller than 5,000 sq. ft., particularly those where the contractor is working in a space-restricted area," says Jonathan Cuppett of Multiquip. "Walk-behind trowels range from 24 to 48 in. in diameter making them well suited to flattening concrete through doors and around pipes, columns and other obstacles.

"For the larger jobs — greater than 5,000 sq. ft. — it's much more efficient to use a ride-on trowel," he continues. "These models are more powerful, travel faster and feature greater path widths, enabling contractors to reduce the number of workers they have on the job while finishing the job in less time and ultimately improving the bottom line."

Ride-on trowels

Ride-on trowels have dual counter-rotating rotors ("helicopters") with typically four or five blades on each rotor. They are classified as either an overlapping blade set or nonoverlapping blade set. They can be powered by either gas or diesel engines.

Ride-on trowels are typically used on large slab surfaces (areas over 5,000 sq. ft.). "Ride-on trowels can be as much as four or five times faster than a walk-behind trowel," says Michael Orzechowski, PE, engineering manager with Equipment Development Co. (EDCO) and vice chairman of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers/Trowel Machine Manufacturers Bureau. "They usually have more contact pressure on each blade and have more horsepower turning the rotors; thus they can create a tighter packed skin on the concrete slab over the lighter walk-behind models."