Power buggies have evolved into a productive and versatile replacement for manual labor or larger material-handling equipment on many jobsites. Consider that a wheelbarrow pushed manually can move at about 2.5 to 3 mph, while a power buggy can travel upwards of 7 mph or more.
"Concrete is hot," comments Warren Faler, product manager, Multiquip. "The longer it sets, the harder it gets. You only have so much time to discharge and spread the concrete before it's too late."
"Compared to a concrete pump, these machines are easier to use," adds Terry Rowlands, CEO, Muck Truck. "Keeping pipes clean at the end of the day is difficult and labor intensive. With these buggies, you can just load concrete into the unit and wheel it to the site."
While commonly known as concrete buggies, these powered wheelbarrows can do far more than move concrete. With features geared toward productivity, and accessories that increase versatility, they will transport everything from dirt and construction debris to pavers and jobsite tools.
"Although the original intent was to place concrete, they are now being used for a wider variety of materials every day," says Faler. "They're simple to use and simple to maintain."
"A lot of our customers purchase our buggies for all the other jobs they can use it for, because they can carry more than concrete," Rowlands notes. "Nearly every machine has some sort of attachment. Very few of them leave the factory without some options added.
"A lot of these guys aren't doing just concrete," he continues. "They're also digging footings, so they have to carry dirt away. They might be laying pavers or stone. They might not have work in the winter, so they purchase a plow for moving snow. There are a lot of other jobs [buggies] do other than carry concrete."
Enhance productivity
A range of productivity enhancing features are available for power buggies. Here are a few examples:
Hopper options. Most power buggies come standard with a polyethylene hopper. This is well suited for moving concrete and wet materials, because they easily slide out without leaving behind any residue. Many manufacturers also offer a steel hopper, which provides durability for hauling heavy rock or asphalt.
In addition, stake beds and flat beds can be interchanged with plastic or steel hoppers. "This gives a contractor the ability to haul landscape material, plants, etc.," says Kendall Aldridge, IHI Compact Excavator Sales. "With our design, you only need to remove eight bolts to change to the bed. Within a matter of minutes, you can make a switch."
"A stake bed/flat bed option really comes in handy," agrees Ed Varel, engineering project manager, Stone Construction Equipment. "With our units, you can take the sides off the stake bed to turn it into a flat bed, which is good for moving materials that don't fit into a hopper, such as 2x4s."
Hopper size. The most common hopper size is 16 cubic feet, but some manufacturers offer capacities to 21 cubic feet. "Typically, 16-cubic-foot buggies are the most common due to the large capacity and the versatility to operate in more confined areas," says Fred Russell, Miller Spreader. "But 21-cubic-foot machines have one and a half times the capacity and can move much more material per trip, given that the jobsite can accommodate the larger size. Smaller 11-cubic-foot walk-behind machines are usually reserved for smaller jobs with very tight pathways or landscaping jobs."
Hopper design. Manufacturers also offer hopper features designed to boost productivity, such as increased dump angles, higher discharge lips, splash protection, etc.
"We provide a dumping angle that promotes a clean dump," says Faler. "A greater dump angle eliminates the need to manually remove material. We also have a high discharge lip, so when you're backing up with the hopper raised, the lip of the power buggy doesn't scrape the forms. Our splash protection reduces concrete splatter on the operator."