Old timer convinced me to switch to power trowels for flatwork

Ran into a retired finisher at the supply yard last Wednesday who said he used to hand float everything until his 50s, then tried a power trowel on a 400 square foot slab and never went back. He said his knees and back lasted 15 more years because of it, which got me thinking about my own joints after 20 years in the trade. Anyone else make the switch later in their career and regret not doing it sooner?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai_park1mo ago

I rented a power trowel for a 300 foot garage floor back in 2012 and almost threw my back out just lifting it off the truck. I still hand float small stuff out of habit, but honestly after watching my dad do concrete until he was 68 with two replaced hips, I wish I'd made the switch ten years ago. My knees crack like bubble wrap every morning so maybe it's just me but I'd rather look a little silly running a machine than end up hobbling around the supply yard at 60. That old timer probably saved himself a lot of Advil, and I'm starting to think he was onto something.

sullivan.finley1mo ago

I used to be one of those guys who thought hand floating was the only "real" way to do it, you know, like you had to earn it with sweat or something. But reading about your dad working concrete until 68 with two replaced hips really hit me. That line about your knees cracking like bubble wrap in the morning, I feel that in my own joints. I had a neighbor who did everything by hand for decades and now he can barely walk to his mailbox. It made me realize that looking a little silly running a machine beats the heck out of being able to actually move when you're older. So yeah, I'm with you now, that old timer was probably just saving his body for the long haul instead of trying to prove something.

oliviat171mo ago

That old timer's story about his knees and back lasting 15 more years really made me reconsider my stubbornness. I always thought power trowels were for guys who didn't know how to finish properly, but watching my own joints ache after big slabs has me rethinking that attitude. Your post convinced me to at least rent one for my next big flatwork job and see if it saves me some pain.