The ideal job for power buggies is large and has a minimum of obstructions such as columns, pipes and conduits. There should be room for two- better yet, three- ready mix trucks to load the buggies. With three, two can be charging and one maneuvering. On such a job power buggying is considerably faster and more efficient than using wheelbarrows. Power buggy floor jobs are organized not too differently from a hand-buggied job. The chief concern is to have room for the power buggies to operate. Ideally, the buggies are loaded at one end of a long building. A pathway along one wall allows the buggycade to deliver concrete between each pair of screed rails along the way. The screed rails end withing 8 to 10 feet of the wall, making enough room for each buggy, but not enough to pass another buggy. When buggies must pass each other, the operator of the empty buggy returning for a fresh load pulls off into one of the bays along his route and waits until his co-worker has driven by. Then he proceeds. The job layout is arranged to eliminate cold joints. It must also be tailored to existing obstructions in the building. Here are a few tips on using power buggies: (1) the bigger the job, the better; (2) the fewer the obstructions, the more efficient power buggying will be; (3) the bigger the capacity of a power buggy, the more concrete can be placed per hour and the less finishing time; (4) try to have the slump at about 4 to 5 inches; (5) if the floor is 5 inches thick or thicker, fill the buggies up; and finally, (6) install tow bars so the buggies can be hauled easily behind a truck.
