That’s a very good question, and one that I am often asked.

portable concrete mixer by Cart-AwayI think I heard it in our booth recently at the World of Concrete Show about a dozen or more times.

I guess the best way to describe it is that Cart-Away portable concrete is a solution for small loads of concrete. Some of the people reading this may have experienced a need either in their own business or for a home project for a small load of concrete. OK, you say, I can see that. Why not just call a ready-mix company? They deliver concrete all day long!

Yes, they do. However, they really don’t like short loads. They would rather send out a full truck (8-10 yards). It’s really just economics. Why tie up a driver, and a very expensive truck, for a homeowner or small contractor for not much less time than it would take to sell a full load and make more money doing it? That’s why there are short load fees or minimums and stand-by time. Cart-Away Portable Concrete eliminates these fees.

These Fees.

Fees? What fees?

Short load fees are an attached fee, on top of the cost of concrete, which are charged for smaller loads. It’s not uncommon to pay $120 per yard for the concrete but if it’s less than a certain amount you will pay an extra fee that can run well over $250. Some ready-mix suppliers just have a minimum load size. This is often 4-5 yards (I’ve seen it even more) that you will pay for whether you plan to use this much concrete or not. That one or two yard patio in the back yard is getting pretty expensive!

And speaking of that patio in the back yard, you have to think about stand-by time cost. If you are using a wheel barrow to move the mud from the front of the house to the back, it’s going to take a little time. Usually a ready-mix company will give about five minutes per yard to empty your load. Anything after that is extra money. And that money is calculated by the minute! $1 per minute is common, but I’ve heard of $2 per minute or more when the economy is booming and suppliers are very busy. During these booming times Cart-Away portable concrete becomes the best solution to these high delivery costs.

On top of all of that, you have to figure that a ready-mix company is going to service its big customers first, right? That only makes sense. So your short load is going to come later in the day, when it may be hotter or you may need to be somewhere else. Your schedule just stopped because you are waiting on the supplier.

Pictured: No Fun.

Fine then, I’ll pour it myself.

Wait a minute, you say. I can buy sacks of premixed materials at the local big-box building supply store right here in town. Yep, you sure can. In my town right now a 60-pound bag of SAKRETE sells for $3.10 each. That’s $186 per yard! Sure, it’s cheaper than the short load fees and stand-by time, but think of two extra things: Time and effort. How long will it take you to mix a couple bags at a time and how much work is that going to be? The answer to both is a lot. And what is the concrete going to look and finish like? You will be pouring very small sections for quite some time. Will the last finish be like the first? Will there be cold joints? And by the way, how much will it cost to rent that small mixer?

Is this where Cart-Away Portable Mixers come in?

It sure is. All of these points are addressed by Cart-Away portable concrete equipment. Whether you are a contractor or municipality that wants to control his schedule and costs or a homeowner that just needs to add on to the driveway, Cart-Away portable concrete fills that need.

Subscribe to our blog, or stop back next month, and I’ll have a post on who is buying Cart-Away equipment.

Scotty