Construction Blog

Choosing Between a Steel and Aluminum Concrete Bucket

You're in charge of researching and purchasing equipment for your company.  The next job requires the use of a 2 cubic yard concrete bucket to place the aggregate high off the ground on a commercial construction project.  There are many buckets to choose from, different shapes and sizes, and also different materials. The most common material used in constructing concrete buckets is steel, however, many manufacturers are moving to aluminum as well.  Which one is better? How do you choose between the two?

Generally, steel's advantages are limited to cost (they tend to be a little cheaper in comparable sizes) and durability (there's less of a need to be careful during transportation and pouring).  However, Aluminum Concrete Buckets offer far more advantages.  

Aluminum buckets will help your organization save time and money.  Because of the weight difference in aluminum and steel, aluminum buckets allow you to pour more concrete per crane cycle.  A lightweight aluminum bucket cuts dead weight and allows you to lift more concrete payload.  Aluminum buckets from M&B Mag are designed by engineers and concrete pouring experts to provide stability and structural strength that exceeds industry standards. The large diameter and round discharge on M&B Mag's Aluminum Buckets prevents segregation and provides fast, smooth concrete placement. A low loading height on aluminum buckets can make them even more versatile.  

Considering the minimal cost increase and the increased life and payload of aluminum concrete buckets over steel, the decision should be easy.  If you're not convinced, here are a few more 'contractor approved features' that M&B Mag prides itself on providing customers:

  

 

• Durable, thick, cast aluminum discharge cone
• Superior, concrete-tight, clamshell gate
• Uncomplicated and easily maintained steel gate opening gears, gate, return springs and handle
• Wire rope sling is standard, allowing unobstructed concrete loading in any position
• Balanced, precise control, spring-returned handle allows efficient one man operation
• Load-supporting bottom ring provides increased stability and superior gate protection

If you have any questions or personal experiences with concrete placing, in particular concrete buckets, please do not hesitate to leave your comments.

Advanced Concrete Black Beauty Screeds

In recent months, we've seen an increased interest in Advanced Concrete's line of Black Beauty power screeds. These highly affordable, easy-to-use screeds are proving themselves on the job, day-after-day. The Black Beauty Screed is quickly becoming the mid-sized contractor's first choice of screeds. Typically used for stack-cast panels, elevated deck slabs, and even jobs over 50,000 square feet! 

The Black Beauty Aluminum Equilateral Triangle bars disconnect easily for transporting or changing bar lengths quickly. The throttle control allows fingertip adjustment of vibration while the screed is in use. The Equilateral bar will not warp, bend, or twist. The Black Beauty is capable of driving a bar up to 16 feet in length.  A lightweight solution, only 32 lbs., is great for contractors in large or small markets. 

The best part of the Black Beauty Screed is its user-friendly design.  Literally, start the engine and begin screeding concrete slump. Don't worry about posture because this unit comes standard with an adjustable handle to allow the user to stand as upright as possible. The point is, for the price, this screed cannot be beat. Unless, you go with the Black Beauty HD Screed.  The HD (Heavy Duty) is capable of driving a bar up to 20 feet in length. And is available in a Honda or Robin-Subaru 4-stroke (meets California's emissions standards) and a Tanaka 2-stroke engine.

Advanced Concrete also offers a third screed, the Silver Beauty.  The Silver Beauty Concrete Screed is a lighter-weight solution that comes standard with a 4-Stroke Honda engine and is capable of driving a bar up to 12 feet in length. Although it is a more economical solution than the Black Beauty or Black Beauty HD, most contractors see the value in spending a few extra bucks and stepping up to one of the Black Beauty models.

How to Use Muck Truck

Are you sick of humping heavy loads from point A to point B at your home or jobsite? If so, the Muck-Truck MIni Dumper might very well be the best piece of equipment you never knew existed.

With a 550lb capacity, the Muck-Truck is not just a wheelbarrow, it's a powder-coated, stainless steel beast of burden. With a Muck-Truck you can carry 2 1/2 wheelbarrow loads per trip. That's up to 1/4 ton of sand, 120 bricks, a 25'x3' roll of turf, and tons of stress off your back! The Muck Truck's 4 over-sized wheels and 4WD can power your load over mucky ground, up 30 degree slopes and maintain control of your load on the way back down. After the day is done, the Muck Truck is small and light enough to fit inside most truck beds, and its protected wheel bearings mean that cleanup with a hose is a snap.

Did you also know that the Muck Truck is a transformer? Muck Truck's interchangeable accessories can transform your powered mini dump into a ball-hitch Flatbed transporter,  1/4 pallet Powerlift truck, Snow Plow, or industrial strength Vacuum. The changeover is tool-less and can be done in minutes by one person.

That means you can carry your concrete bags to the mixer on the flat bed, switch to the vacuum to clean and prep your area, then switch to the mini dump to transport and pour the concrete. Not many other pieces of equipment can revolutionize the way to tackle your job like the Muck Truck