Masonry Magazine January 2003 Page. 56
Visit us at
World of Masonry
Booth #4527
Feb. 4-7 Las Vegas, NV
Masonry Sho
March 14-15 Tampa,
Booth #711
Knowlton Construction
36 South Church Street
Clifford, PA 18413
Dear Dennis:
Lang Masonry Contractors Inc.
Route 1 Box 167-1A Waterford, Ohio 45706
Phone: (740) 749-3512 Fax (740) 749-3500
November 12, 2002
Commercial Industrial
Block-Brick-Stone
Here are the prints to our shop/storage building you requested. Some things were changed during construction. Just follow sheet 2-5 and the A-B blow-ups I drew and it is as we built it. This building is working out real good for us.
On another note, I really think you should put one of our Mud Hog® mortar mixers on your jobsite. As a mason contractor myself, I realize that a $9395 investment up front is more than most other mixers. But, doesn't anything cheap always end up costing you twice as much in the long run? The other mixers have a cheaper price tag because they only have one-third of the steel and quality workmanship in them that that we put in ours. (Believe me, if mixers this size could be built of top quality at a lower cost, I would pass the savings on to you. But, I am sure you already know that with the successful experiences you've had with our Grout Hog®.)
Dennis, we have become good friends so it's not my goal to play salesman however, you know how passionate I am about sharing information that helps the industry as a whole. My main concern is that this mixing system will save you money and headaches everyday it's used on the jobsite.
Here is how:
Efficiency: Your laborer can mix up to 6 to 7 bags of mortar or enough grout to fill a Grout Hog in one batch. This will save you extra trips to the mixer with your forklift. The laborer mixing can load material below his waist and still dump directly into a high mud pan when mixing mortar, and when mixing grout he can dump directly into your Grout Hoge by simply extending the legs. In any case, there is is never a need to put the mixer up on blocks. Since your laborer will only be lifting bags of mortar and shoveling sand at waist level, he can quickly and easily mix much more mortar in a day's time. Then, he can use his extra energy doing other task to make you more money. You won't have to worry about taking the wheels off to keep people from stealing your mixer anymore- because we didn't put any wheels on the Mud Hog! Since we didn't put any wheels on it, you won't need to worry about the wheels or spindles being in the way of your wheelbarrow or mud pan when you need to get them under the mixer to get another batch of mortar or grout. I'm sure you know how aggravating this can be.
We put forklift pockets on all four sides so when you are ready to move the mixer to the next job, you can load it easily with your forklift from either side, front or back. The Mud Hoge has electric start so you won't need to worry anymore about your men pulling the rope out of the recoil. In fact the only time they would ever need to pull start the mixer is as a back up should your battery ever go dead. And by the way, your project won't be shut down anymore when your laborer jambs the mixer. We made the Mud Hog hydraulic so it will reverse and unplug itself by simply pushing a lever. We also made the paddles on the Mud Hog to stand at a more vertical angle so they will cut through the mortar instead of tumbling it. This saves time mixing a batch of mortar and keeps the blades from slapping and splashing mortar out of the drum. This did require us to put extra paddles in the drum, but since time is money-we think it is worth it!
Cleaning: With the dump design, your laborer can stand up when cleaning the mixing drum. The Mud Hog® lifts and rotates so the drum is turned almost upside down at the laborer's standing height. Since he won't have to get on the ground to clean, he shouldn't mind cleaning the mixer anymore. The grate is one piece so when lifted it is completely out of the way making it easy to reach in the drum to clean. I also know how laborers beat and dent traditional drums but don't worry about them putting dents in the Mud Hog drum with a hammer. We built the drum out of 5/16" plate steel and the ends of the drum out of 3/8" plate steel. This way they can't even dent it with a sledgehammer. The rubber blades on the paddles are made of expensive material similar to what is used to make car tires. So instead of wearing out in a month, the blades should wipe the inside of your mixer drum clean for possibly years. Won't this tickle your mechanic to death? We're not sure how long the blades will last because no one has ever won a set out yet. I do know this, if a car can run 25,000 miles on a set of tires, your mixer blades can surely mix a lot of mortar and grout without wearing out if they're made with the same material.
Dennis, other contractors who have tried the Mud Hog have ordered as many as three additional machines after trying their first one. If you would like a list of these contractors so you can call and see how they like theirs, just let me know. I encourage you to give the Mud Hog® a try. If it is not everything I told you in this letter or for any reason you are not totally satisfied with it, sen it back within the first 30 days of use and I will give you a full refund on your investment.
Since I know how much you focus on efficiency and detail to make your jobsites more productive, I know you will realize how important these great features on a mixer can be. In fact, if it's all right with you, I think I will put this letter in one of my ads so other mason contractors have a chance to benefit by investing in a Mud Hog® as well. I am so excited about it and feel the Mud Hog is one of those innovations that will raise the masonry industry to a higher standard, one unit on a jobsite at a time.
Sincerely, Damian L. Lang
President, Lang Masonry Contractors &
EZ Grout Corporation
See the Mud Hogo at
World of Masonry, Booth #4527 and
Masonry Showcase, Booth #711
CIRCLE 102 ON READER SERVICE CARD
EZ Grou
Corporation
1-800-417-9272
www.grouthog.com