Changed my mind on buying a power trowel after years of hand finishing

I was always a hand float guy, thought power trowels were a waste of cash for small jobs. Then I took a 3000 sq ft warehouse slab in Phoenix last month and my arm nearly fell off by lunch. Buddy of mine loaned me his 36 inch Whiteman and I finished that whole slab in 2 hours flat. Bought a used one the next day for $800 off Facebook Marketplace, best money I ever spent. It cuts finishing time by half and my hand doesn't cramp up anymore. Only downside is the gas smell and it kicks up more dust than I expected. Anyone else switch over later in their career and regret not doing it sooner?

3 comments

3 Comments

park.miles1mo ago

That $800 Whiteman off Marketplace is a steal for a 36 incher, those things usually go for double that around here. The dust issue is real though, I started wearing a half mask respirator on dry concrete days and it made a huge difference for my lungs. Once you go power trowel on a big slab like that warehouse you'll never look back at hand floating anything over a thousand feet.

ryanm601mo agoMost Upvoted

Man I feel you on the respirator thing. I got a half mask too after a buddy of mine ended up with some gnarly lung issues from decades of dry grinding without one. Now I keep it in my truck and throw it on anytime the air starts looking thick, even if I feel a little goofy walking around looking like I'm prepping for a hazmat situation. The difference in how I feel at the end of the day is night and day, no more hacking up that gray phlegm all evening. Your wife might give you a hard time about the third trowel but she won't have to watch you wheeze through dinner, so there's that.

ryanm601mo agoMost Upvoted

...and then you try explaining to your wife why you absolutely needed a third trowel machine because this one "just happened to pop up." Like honey, I know it's dusty and heavy, but it's a steal at half price, do you want me to leave money sitting on the table? But yeah the respirator thing is no joke, I started using one last year and now I can actually breathe after a full day of finishing instead of coughing up what looks like gray chalk for the next three days. Plus the neighbors don't look at me like I'm a meth cook when I come home covered in dust, so that's a bonus.

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