A new tool intended to expedite the concrete lifting process is helping an Arizona-based coring and sawing company reduce hand labor and pull slabs with greater efficiency.
Blade Runners has more than 30 years of experience serving commercial and residential customers in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The company’s president, David Weston, says that aligning resources with the needs of customers is a major focal point as it sets out to achieve desired results in an ever-changing market.
Recently, Blade Runners exchanged the use of jackhammers, sledges and pry bars for a vacuum lifting device that allows for fewer cuts, cleaner working environments and quieter operation.
The Vacuworx SL 2 vacuum lifter, compatible with equipment such as skid steers, small excavators and backhoes, is designed to lift saw cut concrete, granite and marble slabs, landscape pavers, steel plate and other flat materials up to 2,700 lb. The system operates using the auxiliary hydraulics from the host machine.
For Weston, less gear equates to higher margins, and more profitable outcomes for both Blade Runners and its customer base. As one example, comparing use of the SL 2 to conventional methods, he says a four-man crew pulled 3,120 sq ft of saw cut concrete in a single day. That reduced their estimated time commitment by more than 70 percent.
With a removal process that requires fewer cuts and no jackhammers, Blade Runners is also limiting noise, reducing vibrations and minimizing potential for exposure to silica dust.
“The problem with hammering concrete is it goes into a million pieces,” Weston says. “Fewer cuts mean more uniform pieces. Plus, we can keep it attached and don’t have to wait for the truck, so we are not double handling at all. As soon as we (vacuum lift) the concrete out, we drive to the disposal roll off and release the slab into the roll-off container.”
Weston adds: “The Vacuworx method of concrete removal is significantly more efficient, more profitable, and has less dust and noise impact on the surrounding environment. Our crews love this addition to our equipment spread.”
