Pro tip: switched from hand troweling to using a power trowel for my garage floors in Austin

Used to spend 3 hours on my knees finishing a 2-car slab with hand floats, then I bought a used 36-inch power trowel for $400 last spring and cut the finishing time in half, has anyone else found a good deal on a used one?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisab327d ago

That 36 inch for $400 sounds like a steal. Did you have to replace the blades right away or were they good to go?

victorhernandez7d ago

I can totally relate to your question about the blades, mine came with pretty decent ones actually, they had some wear but still had maybe 70 percent life left so I ran them for a few more jobs before swapping them out. That $400 price point is unreal, I paid $500 for a 24 inch model last year and thought I was getting away with murder, but a 36 inch for $400 is basically highway robbery in the best way. I found mine on a local Facebook marketplace listing from a guy who was moving out of state and just needed it gone fast, which is always the sweet spot for deals like this. It honestly changed my whole approach to garage floors here in San Antonio, same Texas heat issues but the power trowel just handles it way better than my old hands could.

hernandez.gavin6d ago

Was the seller pretty upfront about the condition, or did you have to talk them down... I grabbed my 36 incher off a guy in Round Rock who had it posted for $550 and I saw it had a little rust on the skid plate, so I offered $375 cash and he bit. The blades were rough though, they had maybe 30 percent left and were chattering on the concrete so I swapped them for a new set from Home Depot for like $90 and it ran smooth after that... worth the extra money in the end.