Masonry Magazine September 2007 Page. 32
MATERIAL DELIVERY
under bed plates, and filling CMU block," Rountree said. The new GP-8A ($1,845), an automated version of the GP-6, will be coming out soon.
Delivery Systems
with Big Payoffs
SOME DELIVERY SYSTEMS, like EZ Grout's Grout Hog Delivery System and Push Button Masonry's Mix-N-Place mixer, offer labor savings by requiring only two people to use one to operate the forklift and the other to dispense the grout or mortar. The systems deliver the material precisely where it's needed.
"If the project calls for low lift grouting, a Grout Hog is almost a must-have to be competitive," Lang said. "Two guys can come through and grout while the masons are striking up and building leads; this allows your crew to continue up the wall without moving from run to run to grout."
The gas-powered model with crane bail (GPHC75; $9,995) works great on taller buildings because operators can swing the
FILL BLOCK WALLS
WITHOUT A CONCRETE PUMP OR FORKLIFT
grout in with a crane, he said. The model also works great on piers, columns, step pans and elevated steps.
"Any size project can see a savings by using the Grout Hog," Lang said. "Box-type retail construction will see the largest savings due to the high production on these jobs."
The company's new Uphill Grout Hog has an upward protruding snout that saves a significant amount of reach on the forklift, and the unique swivel base allows grouting from all angles while eliminating extra forklift moves, Lang said.
"Also, the Uphill Grout Hog makes grouting over the scaffold easier due to the longer auger tube. This keeps the hopper back on the scaffold more and down lower," he said. "With the hopper pivoting on the base and the auger tube pivoting in the middle, it makes cleanup a breeze."
The Mix-N-Place ($14,400) mixes mortar or grout, then a forklift carries the entire mixer to the wall where the mortar or grout is dispensed, said Tom Cummer, co-owner of Push Button Masonry and president of Cummer Masonry Inc. in Sherrill, lowa.
"It's a self-contained system with a Honda gas motor that runs the hydraulics. You can mix and dispense out of the same machine," he said. "It really eliminates a lot of labor and forklift time because there are so many less trips to the mixing site."
Masons can leave their tubs on the scaffolding and have them filled in place so there's no down time, Cummer said.
"It's just so much easier to go to the tubs instead of bringing the tubs to the mixer," he said. "You just go with your mixer and hit the mortar tubs. This way, you always, always have mortar."