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Warning: My power trowel quit 20 minutes into a 40x60 pour and I finished it with a hand float
Pouring a 40x60 slab for a garage in Tacoma last Tuesday, and my old power trowel just died on me about 20 minutes in. No sputter, no warning, just done. I scrambled and finished the whole thing by hand with my 4 foot float, which took almost 3 hours and my shoulders are still yelling at me. Worst part is I can't tell if it's the belt or the gearbox, and a new one runs about $1,100 I don't have right now. Anybody got a go to fix for a trowel that won't turn over, or should I just eat it and buy a replacement before my next job?
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martin.riley11d ago
Man, hand floating a 40x60 is brutal, been there. Sounds like the capacitor or the switch before you go blaming the gearbox, those are cheap fixes. Pop the cover and look for a burnt smell or a swollen cap first. Pull the belt and spin the shaft by hand, if it turns free then your gearbox is fine and it's just electrical. No way I'd drop $1100 til I checked that.
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dylan_brown3011d ago
Used to figure a gearbox going out was just a gearbox going out, nothing to check first. Cost me a motor swap once when the real fix was a $30 cap, so now I always pop the cover and spin the shaft before I spend a dime. Marty's dead right here, check the cheap stuff first.
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