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One pour in July that nearly broke my back and my crew
Last summer we had a 42-yard residential driveway in Phoenix, 6 inches thick with rebar every 12 inches. The pump truck showed up an hour late, the sun was already cooking the forms, and my finisher walked off after lunch saying the mix was too wet. We had to bull float and edge that slab with just me and one green helper until 9 PM. By the time we finished, I had heat rash on my arms and we still had to cure it right. Anyone else ever lose a man mid-pour and have to double up on the finish work? How do you keep backups lined up when the schedule hits the fan?
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anthony_jackson4d ago
42 yards in Phoenix in July is already brutal, but losing your finisher after lunch turns it into a survival movie. I had a guy quit on me during a 30 yard slab in Laveen, said the mix was too wet so he just drove off, and I ended up doing the bull float with my brother in law who had never touched concrete in his life. He kept asking if the float was supposed to sink and I kept telling him no while it was sinking. We finished at midnight with flood lights and a radio, and the slab still cracked in two spots but the homeowner never noticed. My backup plan now is just having two numbers on speed dial and a cold case of water in the truck, because guys will always flake when it is 110 out.
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