ForConstructionPros.com

Increased quality, labor savings and tighter material yields are just a few of the benefits concrete contractors will see with laser-guided grading systems. Below are four success stories from contractors who run a variety of these systems.

Stepping into commercial
Chad Springborg, president of Chad Springborg Construction, Omaha, Neb., began his concrete business in 1994 specializing in residential concrete. About 10 years ago he started branching into commercial work. He knew in order to compete in the commercial market he would need to stay competitive with other commercial contractors and increase his jobsite production. In 1999, he purchased a Bobcat laser-guided grading attachment for his skid-steer loaders, enabling him to do fine grading on commercial building projects.

The system uses a Trimble total station mounted on a tripod and two transmitters mounted on the skid steer's grader attachment. Springborg's crews adjust the height of the transmitter to the desired grade and the laser system automatically moves the blade, fine grading the base to within ¼ inch plus or minus the designed grade as the operator moves across the jobsite.

Springborg says the laser grading system gives him better yields on his pours, decreasing his concrete overage from around 8 percent before he had the system to currently about 2 percent. Laser grading has also increased his productivity and decreased his labor. Paired with his Somero Laser Screed, Springborg says he can complete jobs three times faster than he could with his previous system.

Today Springborg's business is performing about 70 percent of its sales in the commercial sector. His typical jobsite is under 50,000 square feet, but Springborg says his laser-guided grading attachment is just as effective on larger jobs.