Went from magnesium float to a trowel machine on a big slab, night and day difference

Did a 4,000 square foot warehouse floor outside Fort Worth last Tuesday. I've always been a hand float guy, thought power trowels were for rookies or guys on huge pours only. But my partner kept pushing me to try his old ride-on, and after about 15 minutes I was flying. The finish was way more consistent, and my knees didn't feel like I'd been at a rodeo. Has anyone else switched late in their career and felt dumb for not doing it sooner, or is there a downside I'm missing with trowel machines on smaller jobs?

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diana61722d ago

Man, that's the thing nobody talks about. The ride-on doesn't just save your body, it changes how you read the concrete. You get a better sense of when it's actually ready to burnish, not just when your arm tells you it's been long enough. The downside on small jobs is setup time and cleaning, if you're dragging it out for a 500 square foot pad, it's not worth the hassle.