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Updated: July 8th, 2008 05:26 PM EDT

Making the Rounds at University Square

Wacker’s newest trowel is put to the test on this $100 million project.

J.H. Findorff had the opportunity to demo Wacker's CRT 48-35L diesel-powered, 8-foot ride-on trowel at the University Square project in downtown Madison, Wis. The model was recently introduced at the World of Concrete.
J.H. Findorff had the opportunity to demo Wacker's CRT 48-35L diesel-powered, 8-foot ride-on trowel at the University Square project in downtown Madison, Wis. The model was recently introduced at the World of Concrete.
Operators with J.H. Findorff say the CRT 48-35L’s torsion-assist steering system makes the ride-on trowel feel like a hydraulic machine.
Operators with J.H. Findorff say the CRT 48-35L’s torsion-assist steering system makes the ride-on trowel feel like a hydraulic machine.
The finishing crews with J.H. Findorff started the finishing process with walk-behind units, but they like to get ride-on trowels out on the slab as soon as possible because they offer a better finish and the heavier machines offer control in case the concrete starts to get away from them.
The finishing crews with J.H. Findorff started the finishing process with walk-behind units, but they like to get ride-on trowels out on the slab as soon as possible because they offer a better finish and the heavier machines offer control in case the concrete starts to get away from them.

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The CRT 48-35L was kept on the job for over a month. Wacker had hoped to get 10 to 12 hours on it as part of the test. At the time of our visit, it had already acquired 15 hours, and was currently in use on a 500-yard, 14,000-square-foot pour. The largest slab on which it was used, at that point, was roughly 17,000 square feet.

“The guys just love this demo,” Eschler asserts. “[We’ve had] good feedback on it, definitely.”

Easy steering, plus more power

One of the features the operators seemed to appreciate most on the CRT 48-35L is the patent-pending torsion-assist steering system. This system reduces the amount of pounds of force needed to operate the trowel by as much as 75 percent compared to previous models.

“The new torsion bar they put in it makes it easier to operate,” acknowledges Dave Pehl, concrete foreman, J.H. Findorff. “It makes it more like a hydraulic machine.”

“The steering on it is night and day,” he continues. “Our [older units], you have to strong arm them all the time. This one, you can operate almost with one hand.”

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