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As floor plans grow increasingly complex and time runs short, concrete pump operators are being asked to do more with less. “There’s no such thing as a square foundation any more,” says Mike Toole, a pump operator for Mentz Foundations in Union, Mo. “With features such as basement bay windows and hillside locations, jobs are a lot more labor intensive adding a day to two days for the same square footage.”
Mentz Foundations is a foundation and contract pumping company owned by Scott Mentz. The company puts in more than 500 foundations a year on average as well as footings and floors for custom homes and commercial, and some special high-end applications. The Elliott VersiPlacer is helping to get concrete and crews where they need to be to get the job done.
For Toole, it’s as much where he’s asked to pump as what he is pumping. “We’ve got homes going in on hillsides and commercial jobs that offer very limited access. The VersiPlacer lets us get into tight spaces because it doesn’t require the room that you would need with a regular pump,” he said. “As long as you have at least 14 feet, you can do it. We’ve pumped a couple floors well over 100 yards before having to move the set-up.”
The VersiPlacer’s articulating jib boom allows for more precise placement of concrete and more efficient use of crews. “The way you’re able to maneuver makes it easy to keep up with the crew and there’s no need to break pipe,” he said. And that has made a difference in the jobs Toole is able to tackle.
“VersiPlacer lets us pump in places that we wouldn’t have been able to without it. We’ve pumped bridges under power lines with it and up on top of a mezzanine that would normally have required us to break pipe, “ he said.
When it comes to overall performance, “the design and function of VersiPlacer is very impressive. I like the way it works,” he said. |
