I finally ditched the bull float for heavy pours

Used a bull float on everything for 12 years, including a 40 yard slab in Columbus last spring. The surface looked fine but we kept getting low spots near the forms when it set up. Switched to a highway straightedge for the first pass and only float after the bleed water clears. Crew thought I was nuts at first, now they won't go back. Anyone else find the float does more harm than good on big slabs?

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claire_butler110d ago

Bull floats have been around forever for a reason, and you're tossing that out based on one bad pour. Every crew chief I've worked with swears by them for the initial pass because that bull float is what pushes the rock down and brings the cream up for a proper finish. Maybe your issue wasn't the tool but your timing or your crew not keeping that edge where it needed to be. Low spots near forms usually mean you're not checking your grade before you pour, not that the float caused them. You're adding an extra step with that straightedge that costs you time and man hours on every big slab, and the float alone can handle it if you let the bleed water do its thing. If it ain't broke for 12 years, then your process broke somewhere else, not the float. Going back to basics on the float first pass and staying off it until that water shows is what separates good finishers from guys who chase new methods.

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