# Concrete in a remote location



## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

Someone will be along soon enough with the answers. This is the 21st century so I am sure there are retarders to put in the crete. I had to fill a bunch of sonic tubes and big foots by hand with five gallon buckets. The driver stuck around because he was laughing so hard. Not sure how much time a driver will wait, or if you can drop concrete with a bucket like that.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

kevindsingleton said:


> I'm considering building a picnic shelter with a concrete floor in the woods on my property. The location I'd prefer is not accessible to a concrete mixer truck, so the material will have to be moved from wherever we can locate the truck to the site using a small front-end loader on a tractor.
> 
> I can get the truck to within about 200 yards of the pour site, but there are hills and trees that prevent getting any closer with a big vehicle. I think the maximum capacity of the bucket on my loader is a little less than half a yard, so that's probably 15 or 20 trips back and forth to move the 5 or six yards I'll need for my foundation.
> 
> My questions are, how long will the material remain workable, and how long can I reasonably expect the driver to wait for me to move the material using my tractor?


 
The ideal time would be 1 hour,but another 30minutes should be okay.

All ready mix producers have a set amount of free time to unload the truck, after that free time there will be a waiting time charge ,and they are all different,so you'll have to consult your local company.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*you're ok,,, here we get 1hr incl on the transit trk but min load's 5cy,,, on 1 job, we used tandem dumps to carry conc 2m from the plant & that road's still there, too :thumbsup:

just be sure you consolidate the loads & drop into the hole gently,,, since you're not finishing by yourself, while someone's driving back & forth, the other 2 can be rodding & striking off,,, alternatively, you could mobilize a mexican bucket brigade :laughing: to save wear & tear on your tractor bkt :thumbup:*


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

You could also rent a pumper.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*could also rent a crane & bucket, too, but having a scoop on a tractor makes MUCH more $$$ sense to me*


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## concreteman (Oct 23, 2012)

Contact your local ready mix plant and ask for a ground line pump. The ground live service will run around 600 dollars. If you would rather do it yourself just ask the dispatch at the plant to put retarder in your mix and you will have upwards of 4 hours to place the mix.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*at least that's cheaper'n a crane & bucket but still o'kill im-n-s-h-fo,,, IF you decide on a line pump, you'll need a different mix design'd to be pump'd which costs more $$ + you'll waste conc charging the pump,,, you'll also need a guy on the end of the pipe - why make it so hard on yourself ? use the loader & wash it out afterward :thumbsup:*


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## 47_47 (Sep 11, 2007)

Your small tractor may hold about 1/2 yard by volume, but will it handle the weight?


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## GBrackins (Apr 26, 2012)

47_47 said:


> Your small tractor may hold about 1/2 yard by volume, but will it handle the weight?


a half-yard should weigh around 2,000 lbs. Guys is my math correct?


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## 47_47 (Sep 11, 2007)

That's what I figured and most small tractors max out at 750 to 1,000 pounds.


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## concreteman (Oct 23, 2012)

itsreallyconc said:


> *at least that's cheaper'n a crane & bucket but still o'kill im-n-s-h-fo,,, IF you decide on a line pump, you'll need a different mix design'd to be pump'd which costs more $$ + you'll waste conc charging the pump,,, you'll also need a guy on the end of the pipe - why make it so hard on yourself ? use the loader & wash it out afterward :thumbsup:*


Ground line with a 4 inch line will run any mix design. With a three inch line you would switch to 3/8 aggregate. Cost difference is +- $3 a yard. You run the hose yourself. Prime the line right into your forms and you will waste nothing especially if you time your pour correctly and have them blow out the lines with a ball at the end for your last shot of mix. Ground line is the easiest way by far if you have the money. If not than im sure your tractor will do the job. Let the dispatch know that you will be taking a few hours to place the mix though as they will need to tack on a few extra $ per yard to make it worth their while.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

concreteman said:


> Ground line with a 4 inch line will run any mix design. With a three inch line you would switch to 3/8 aggregate. Cost difference is +- $3 a yard. You run the hose yourself. Prime the line right into your forms and you will waste nothing especially if you time your pour correctly and have them blow out the lines with a ball at the end for your last shot of mix. Ground line is the easiest way by far if you have the money. If not than im sure your tractor will do the job. Let the dispatch know that you will be taking a few hours to place the mix though as they will need to tack on a few extra $ per yard to make it worth their while.


 
That's not true,all pumps static or mobile need the mix design to be ajusted for pumping,vertical pumping needs more adjustment than a static line pump,and distance also comes into play when pumps are involved,be it a line pump or vertical boom,size does make a difference.


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## concreteman (Oct 23, 2012)

Canarywood1 said:


> That's not true,all pumps static or mobile need the mix design to be ajusted for pumping,vertical pumping needs more adjustment than a static line pump,and distance also comes into play when pumps are involved,be it a line pump or vertical boom,size does make a difference.


Yup...again price difference is minimal and for his situation he would most likely be pumping 3000 with 3/8 stone in a 3" line. Were not talking about pumping the 50th floor of a skyscraper here. But lets face it...hes going to use the tractor.:yes:


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## kevindsingleton (May 23, 2012)

*Thanks!*

Lots of great information, here. I guess I'll just have to call and see if they're too busy for my little order and to wait around while I tote it back into the woods.

I'm not sure if they can pump concrete up the pretty steep hills that surround the area where I need it. If the retarder allows for as much as four hours "open time", then I can certainly make the trip back and forth to accommodate that window. 

The loader is rated for 800 lbs, so I'll have to gauge that and make concessions.

I'll be dumping it into a form for the slab and apron, and I'll have someone else doing the spreading, at least until I can kill the tractor and step into the mud, myself. That's what wives are for, right?

I'll ask about the ground line option. I'd gladly pay a little extra to save half a day on the project!

Thanks for all the great information!


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

kevindsingleton said:


> I'm* considering *building a picnic shelter with a *concrete floor *in the woods on my property.


Consider using a different material.


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## concreteman (Oct 23, 2012)

Another thought...sometimes mix plants will have one or two smaller off road mix trucks that hold 4, 6, or 8 yards of mix. These much smaller trucks can get into some tight places. Some even have tracks instead of tires.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

kevindsingleton said:


> Lots of great information, here. I guess I'll just have to call and see if they're too busy for my little order and to wait around while I tote it back into the woods.
> 
> I'm not sure if they can pump concrete up the pretty steep hills that surround the area where I need it. If the retarder allows for as much as four hours "open time", then I can certainly make the trip back and forth to accommodate that window.
> 
> ...


 
Rather than using a concrete mixer,you may want to consider a concrete mobile unit,they can mix as much as your tractor bucket will hold and stop,that way there's no worry about wet concrete,and a retarder is not neccessary,but any way you choose it's going to be costly,because the waiting time will eat you up,don't know where you are but here you have 8 minutes per yard free time to unload,then waiting time starts at $2.00 per minute,or $120.00 per hour,you might want to reconsider using another kind of material.


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

A small, line concrete pump would be nice, but their not that common in many area's. Around here, there's one company who has one, and it's just for their own use, they don't rent it out. If you want a pump, the smallest you're going to find is a 32 meter truck unit, at a minimum of $800, and it wouldn't be close to reaching anyways.

I'd consider renting/borrowing a bigger machine/tractor/skidloader if I were you. We have a special concrete bucket that fit's our skidloaders just for off-road jobs like this. I wouldn't suggest using it on such a small loader attachmnet, as the driver will inevitably over fill it, but if you can get something a little bigger, something like that would save a ton of time. Here's what it looks like:


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## cleveman (Dec 17, 2011)

I have a trailer that I used to haul a 500 g water tank in. That amounts to 4000 lbs. I would fill it and dump with the 3 point.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

If you have a mix-on-site company in the area, go for that. Sure, it'll be more expensive than if you could back a mixer right up to it, but it seems like the best option. A line pump would be overkill for a six yard pour, unless there is absolutely positively no other way to get concrete from one place to another. 

You could also rent a couple mud buggies, they hold about 1/2 yard.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*mort, the motorized wheelbarrows're actually call'd ' georgia buggies ' here,,, ' mud buggies ' are something you find in maine OR washington during late august whilst vacationing at the lake :laughing:

seems to me we've beat this thread to death,,, all's left is for a newbie to post ' get a helicopter ! '*


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

Yeah, they're called Georgia Buggies here too, but I didn't know if that was a regional thing or what.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

As far as i know it's what they are called all over,even Hawaii and that go's back to the fifties,and probably longer.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*woody, I certainly don't wanna start talking about how we did things in the 40s & 50s but you 2 older fellows go ahead,,, it'll be fun watchin' :laughing:*


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## kevindsingleton (May 23, 2012)

TarheelTerp said:


> Consider using a different material.


Why?
8,9,10,11,12


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*maybe bark or crush'd stone but i don't think blacktop a good substitute UNLESS you've also got that equipment lying around & you know how to pave it :no:*


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