Threw $800 at a power trowel and it paid for itself in 3 jobs

Picked up a used MBW with a Honda motor off a guy retiring last spring. Buddy told me I was nuts spending that much as a solo finisher. First big garage slab I used it on I finished in half the time and the customer threw in a bonus. Second job was a warehouse floor and that one alone covered the cost. Has anybody else had a tool they were on the fence about that turned out way better than expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseyw1212h agoMost Upvoted

Did you already have a fresno or a bull float before you bought the power trowel, or did you just jump straight into the deep end with a machine? I'm curious because those garage slabs can be a real pain to finish by hand, and it sounds like you made the right call. Was there one particular job where you thought "man, I need this thing" or did you just gamble on it paying off?

tylerw9211h ago

Tbh I feel you on this one. I gambled hard on it. I was doing a big garage slab for a buddy and after three hours of hand troweling I was seriously questioning all my life choices. My arms were shot, my knees were screaming, and the finish was coming out patchy no matter what I did. I sat there on the edge of the slab, looked at that mess, and just knew I had to buy one or I was gonna lose my mind. It was pure desperation, man. I didn't even have a fresno or anything fancy, just went straight for the power trowel and hoped it wouldn't be a total waste of money. Honestly it was the best panic buy I ever made.