2. SHOTCRETE: Saving Money with the Right Equipment

INCREASING PROFITS BY LIMITING HUBRIS

If you are in the business of shotcrete and are worried about how the current economic situation may effect your finances, perhaps its time to save money by tailoring your pump to the specific needs of your industry. For the longest time shotcrete professionals have been under the assumption that bigger is better when it comes to the pump you buy; the thought being that the bigger the pump, the bigger the engine, the bigger the.....well,....nobody really knows because that's just what people have always done. Go big or go home?.....maybe go home and reevaluate your spending as it relates to your need.

The truth is, if you are pumping large slabs, foundations or anything else that requires a lot of concrete quickly, then perhaps a 50 yd/hr or 70 yd/hr pump is what you need; but unless you are using a 4” or 5” hose, then you are not getting anywhere near those kinds of yard per hour numbers due to the reduction of concrete from the material cylinders to the hose. And if you are doing shotcrete, you're probably using a 2” hose and throttling down the engine, or adjusting the volume control, to reduce the yards per hour down to around 8 to 10.

So if your primary responsibility is shotcrete, and you have a fifty or more yd/hr pump, then you are wasting that pump's potential and quite literally throwing away tens of thousands of dollars! So what is the solution?

The TRANSCRETE Alpha Max...

The Alpha Max is a 35 yd/hr, 74hp General Purpose concrete pump that is an absolute beast when doing shotcrete!

The kicker being that this pump is about 40 grand less than a 50-70 yd/hr pump!

$$$

What makes this pump so great for shotcrete? Well, for starters it has 5” material cylinders, which are smaller than that of your larger pumps. This is beneficial for shotcrete because that means the pump produces much higher piston face pressure, which is necessary when pushing an extra thick mix. It also reduces kick in the hose and wear on the engine. A larger pump with larger cylinders would waste energy trying to force concrete through the reduction process to pump through a 2” line....and it would kick like a mule!

What many in the industry don't understand is that your yards per hour is ultimately dictated by the size of hose you are trying to pump through. So if you have a 50 yd/hr machine pumping a 2” mix through a 2” line, then you are only producing about 25 yd/hr. If you up that to a 70 yd/hr machine with the same mix and line, you will still only produce about 25 yd/hr. To meet the potential of a larger machine, you have to use a larger hose....but if you are a shotcreter, you're probably using a 2” line...so a greater yards per hour machine is irrelevant and a waste of money.

The Take Home...

If you want to streamline your business and reduce overhead, then don't buy more pump than you need! The Alpha Max is extremely competitively priced and will save you tens of thousands of dollars in purchase cost.....and considering its physically smaller than your 50 yd/hour pumps, you don't need as big of a truck to tow it...so extra savings there as well. In fact, the money you save when purchasing an Alpha Max can buy you a truck big enough to pull it. It also comes with a closed loop hydraulic system and a variable volume control so you can fine tune this pump for every mix. And if you pump jobs outside of shotcrete, such as slabs, footers and blockfill, this pump will still produce 25 yd/hour through your 2” hose! Hook up a 4" hose and pump 35 yd/hr....including standard concrete.

For more information about how you can profit with this pump, see the link below:

Farran Equipment Company, Inc was established in 1984 and has since grown to be a leading equipment and service provider in the Concrete Pumping industry. Serving clients across the United States and overseas, Farran Equipment Company specializes in all things concrete from pumps and parts to hose, tools, and service. Located in North Charleston, South Carolina Farran Equipment Company is dedicated to quality service and customer satisfaction.