turned to Somero for a solution. He had
never considered buying the Somero
PowerRake
a difference. But this time he gave it a
second look.
contained big stone (size eight and up
to 1.5 inches) by hand. Once we saw
the PowerRake in action during a demo
on the job, we changed our minds,"
notes Ruttura. "It can really move the
concrete--it's very quick and agile
scurrying around in the concrete, yet
still powerful, and we could cut the
number of laborers needed for raking
in half."
than in other areas of the country. Any
reduction in labor needed for a job
increases his bottom line because New
York labor rates run from $700 to $800
per day, per laborer. As compared to
doing the work by hand, there was a
25-percent reduction in labor by using
the combination of the Copperhead
and PowerRake to place and finish the
million square feet of concrete at Bronx
Terminal Marketplace. Even in smaller
markets, the PowerRake can still pay
for itself quickly when the efficiency,
reduced labor, and reduced workers'
compensation claims are factored into
the equation.
about the laser-guided PowerRake
machine's ability to push and pull
large piles of concrete has turned into
cheerleading for this 13.5-horsepower,
ride-on workhorse that can place
concrete to plus or minus ¼-inch
accuracy. Using the equipment can
also mean using less hose since it can
distribute piles of concrete into the
farthest corners of a job. Working ahead
of the CopperHead enabled Ruttura's
men to achieve a much flatter strike-off,
and they were able to realize the F
Marketplace project, Ruttura & Sons
Construction was starting a job for
The New York Times, building its new
printing press facility in Queens, New
York. They brought their new equipment
to that jobsite as well, and it made a
need for labor, and overall accuracy of
that job, enabling them to achieve even
higher F
square feet of concrete per day," Ruttura
says. "We used only four laborers as
opposed to almost 20 laborers that would
have been needed if the work was done
by hand. But the consistency of our
F
specifications."
that is replacing Shea Stadium, and the
U.S. Tennis Association Arthur Ashe
Stadium, also in New York. In every job,
Ruttura's goal is to get the concrete close
to grade and then screed it precisely on
grade, efficiently, with reduced labor and
consistently high F
Company grew from a small sidewalk
and curb contractor in Freeport,
construction company by approaching
challenges as opportunities to grow.
Celebrating its 90
excavation, storm drainage, sanitary
systems, water services, and all phases of
cast-in-place concrete construction for the
greater metropolitan New York area.
began work on the Bronx Terminal
Marketplace reconstruction project across
from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx,
New York. This massive, $500-million
Gateway Center project that will include
retail and restaurant space is expected
to last approximately 48 months,
including demolition of old structures and
environmental remediation to address the
contamination of the soil and existing
foundations.
challenges due to the contaminated soil of the brown fields
and contaminated foundations. But the greatest challenge for
Ruttura was the requirement to incorporate existing flooring
in the proposed four-story, 1-million-square-foot structure, and
have it meet the high F
& Sons. "But we had not been able to achieve F
job we couldn't use the large Somero
the job required very heavily reinforced concrete, 12 inches to
up 6 inches on center. Pumped in through slick line hose, it
would necessitate a lot of labor to move and rake 1,000 yards of
concrete day in and day out. Aside from wearing out his crew,
Ruttura knew there was no way his crew could make consistent
F
Because Ruttura & Sons had been using the Somero S-240
Screed) for many years, they were used to the laser-guided
accuracy consistently achieved with a Laser Screed. They
were aware that Somero also had a smaller Laser Screed, the
CopperHead
while it cuts, screeds, and vibrates the concrete in one pass.
This seemed like an answer to part of the dilemma, but there
still was the chore of having to rake huge volumes of thick,