[TowerTalk] tower cost

[Greenacres113 at aol.com]

if  you can scrounge  you can  save money.

i have a bit of an edge in that my dad  drove a concrete truck  when i was a 
kid.i learned about mixing,pouring,etc. for a 3'x3' pour you're talking  apx. 
30 bags from the local home place. you  need a van or pick up truck. lifting 
heavy bags out of a car trunk is rough and if you tear one.......
you can mix 2 bags at a time in a larger wheel barrow. use a garden rake to 
mix in the water. get a 'whipped cream'  look to the mix before pouring it into 
the hole. you can add too much water so add it a quart at a time to prevent 
it from becoming 'soupy'. water rises out of wet concrete. after a 1/2 hr. or 
so wipe the water off the top. if you don't have a trowl use any thing smooth. 
a tin can works wonders. after this trowling the surface  looks a bit  like 
wet gray sand. that is  the surface  that will dry so if you want to add the 
date or your call use a nail to write with.
the concrete won't harden enough that you can't keep pouring each wheel 
barrow load on top of the last one in the hole. use a pipe or stick to poke the wet 
concrete layers to mix them as you pour. this will prevent layering. it will 
take 60-90 mins to pour all you'll use for a 3'x3' hole.[apx 1 cu. yard] if 
you poke it, it will blend just fine. this also allows trapped air pockets to 
release.
a few last items. the hotter the wx the faster it sets up so try to avoid 90+ 
days. or pour early or late in the day. of course on a rain free day!
the bags will run apx $60-70 but cemet companies usually won't bring 1 cubic  
yard or  less without a sur charge. in my local area they get $75 a yard with 
a 2 yard minimum. if it takes you longer than their normal time to get it 
unloaded they charge 'waiting time'.
this is usually a $1 or 2 a minute!!!!!!
with a helper or 2 you can do it yourself and save $$$$$$$.
REMEMBER: if the cement truck comes he has to wash out the empty drum and 
drain it out on site. that means a pile of stone and cement you must dispose of. 
neighbors frown on this stuff in their ditch or at the curb.this big boy 
weighs 80k lbs. so it  can crush ashphalt in a heart beat. use 2x10s for him drive 
on if the soil is soft or you don't want  something broken.  concrete 
driveways are great for your car or truck but they can't support an 80k lb truck. 
they'll crack one like an egg.


k9il