Putzmeister Pumps Vegas November 2002

More than 8,000 yards of concrete in seven hours using 10 concrete boom pumps and conveyors – that combination equated to the rapid completion of a huge mat pour for the third Turnberry tower being built in Las Vegas.

The 30-story Turnberry Towers are extremely expensive condominiums. Located across the street from the Las Vegas Hilton, the new $650 million community features the ultimate in high-rise condo luxury. It combines the resort pleasures and social facilities of an exclusive private club and offers it to those who can afford its luxuries. Each residence is priced from $400,000 to more than $4.5 million and features from 1,550 to 8,000 square feet. Famous stars such as actor and comedian Alan King have secured space at this private, gated community.

Besides being noted for its glitz and glitter in the tourist world, Las Vegas is also known for its crushed and coarse concrete mixes in the pumping industry. As its porous ingredients are crushed, the concrete’s rough edges make it extremely difficult to pump and especially tough on pipe. For the special Turnberry Towers job, the mix design was no different for Quinn Concrete Pumping of Las Vegas who pumped the large mat.

Vegas mix handled easily However, owner Mike “Quinn” Isley of Quinn Concrete Pumping said, “Our Putzmeister units easily handled the Vegas mix without any problems. And the equipment did it extremely fast. Over 1,000 yards an hour were placed, as we started around midnight and were done by early morning. Everything was flawless and everyone was smiling as the job went off without a hitch.”

Especially pleased was James Tidwell, general superintendent of Beers Skanska, the general contractor who orchestrated the pour. Quinn noted that “James was extremely satisfied with the pour; however, he deserves a lot of credit for organizing it so successfully. His vast experience and expertise made the job come off exactly as planned.”

Over the past four years, Quinn Concrete Pumping of Las Vegas has built up its fleet of Putzmeister equipment and the company’s reputation for prompt, reliable service. As a result, Beers Skanska called upon Quinn Pumping to handle this massive pour.

Ten units used in all Ten Putzmeister units – seven boom pumps and three Telebelt® conveyors – were on site August 17 to handle the job. The pumps were mainly the larger size for placement by boom and tip only. This avoided dragging hoses. The company’s largest unit, the 58-Meter with its long reach, 260-yard output and 907 hopper, was used to handle the farthest-reaching points while delivering its high volume.

Other Putzmeister units included a 52Z-Meter, two 42X-Meter and two 36-Meter units, all with 907 hoppers and .16H pump cells, capable of up to 210-yard outputs. Three boom pumps were positioned above the “pit” – two larger sized pumps and the 32Z-Meter pumping into the hopper of a 36-Meter below. This was to reduce congestion in the hole and allow more room for ready-mix trucks to access the site.

The Telebelt conveyors, capable of up to 360 yards an hour, also helped achieve the high output of this job. They, like the boom pumps, handled the difficult mix without a problem.

Batch plant was on site Rinker Materials already had a batch plant on site. However, they also trucked in the mix from branches nearby to accommodate the large pour.

“Everything was very well planned, and the concrete was delivered right on the money. All equipment operated without breakdown or accident … not so much as a ready-mix truck hitting a pump occurred,” said Roy Schaapveld, general manager at Quinn.

Quinn Concrete Pumping has been involved with all three Turnberry towers. Sixty percent of all residences are already sold as of August 2002, with completion of the third tower scheduled for spring 2003. Attendees to the World of Concrete can view the work in progress when they visit Las Vegas in February. At that time, they can see how owner Turnberry Associates is revolutionizing upscale residential resort living in Las Vegas.

JOB SPECS: Owner: Turnberry Associates General contractor: Beers, a Skanska company Pumping contractor: Quinn Concrete Pumping – Las Vegas Ready-mix supplier: Rinker Materials – Las Vegas Equipment: Putzmeister boom pumps … 58-Meter, 52Z-Meter, 42X-Meter (2), 36-Meter (2) and 32-Meter; and Telebelt TB 105 conveyors (3)