Keep On Concrete Truckin’.
Regular Maintenance Matters for Your Ready Mix Truck Drums
Your concrete ready mix truck fleet plays a key role in helping your crew carry out its work and keeping your customers happy. As with anything that experiences regular use on the job site, however, those trucks are bound to experience wear and tear. Concrete buildup along the walls of your drums can weigh your truck down and slow — or halt — the drum’s spin. Meanwhile, mechanical issues that go unaddressed can introduce their own obstacles into the mix. Regular concrete chipping appointments can make all the difference. Read on to learn more about the specialized practice of chipping concrete and the various ways it can benefit your company.
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How Does Concrete Chipping Work?
There is plenty of confusion out there surrounding such maintenance work, and with good reason. Only a handful of companies nationwide specialize in chipping concrete. Put simply, concrete chipping is a practice which requires crews to physically enter ready mix truck drums and, using handheld jackhammers, break away the dried material which has formed along the walls. Although appointments typically span 12-hour blocks of time (from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.), special accommodations can be made for operations affected by noise restrictions, nearby residential areas and the like. Once the dried concrete has been removed, it is typically hauled off for disposal or concrete recycling — or put to use in some other way. Experts recommend booking concrete chipping appointments for cement mixing drums and central mixers every three months.
Why is Concrete Chipping Important for Ready Mix Truck Drums?
Your ready mix truck drum needs adequate breathing room to ensure quality concrete blends and easy mixing. (In fact, a truck rated to hold 10 yards of concrete can actually hold about 14.) Every time you put your drum to work mixing concrete, a certain amount of residue remains inside. Over time, that residue builds up, lowering your carrying capacity and adding extra weight. If left unchecked, that accumulation can lead to lumpy concrete pours and mechanical issues that leave you facing costly repair work or replacement. By getting your drums cleaned every few months, you ensure your trucks have the capacity and ability to aid your team during the work ahead.
In addition, regular inspections by trained concrete professionals can also bring to light related issues your truck my be experiencing. By pinpointing and addressing potential problems early on, you can sidestep hefty headaches — and bills — down the road.
Can Concrete Crews Carry Out Concrete Chipping Work Themselves?
Although the general concept of chipping out concrete might seem simple, the job is extremely dangerous. Flying debris, cramped spaces, airborne cement dust and related issues can lead to life-threatening injury. As such, the work should be left to professionals. Trained concrete chippers will approach the job with proper personal protective equipment (PPE), such as eye protection, gloves and work boots. Not only that, but they’ll go in with an understanding of how to tackle such work in a way that keeps your equipment protected from damage.