Contractors and homeowners in the Detroit area who need 3 yards or less of concrete delivered to their jobsite once had two options. They could call a ready-mix yard and pay a premium for getting what is called a short load delivered, or they could rent portable concrete equipment and spend the day getting the equipment, mixing the concrete, cleaning the equipment after the concrete was poured and finally returning the equipment to the rental company.
Now they have a third choice. They can call Mini-Mixx of Michigan and get a short load of concrete delivered by a Mitsubishi Fuso concrete mixer, usually right where they need it.
“The portable equipment is very labor intensive for the customer and it’s often hard to back the concrete drum into a tight spot,” said Rob Dullinger, who along with his partner, Chris Beaudrie, are the owners/operators of Mini-Mixx of Michigan. Dullinger has been in the concrete rental equipment business for many years.
In most cases, using portable equipment means the customer must pour the concrete into a wheelbarrow and then transport it to where it’s needed. If there’s any concrete left over, the customer must find a way to dispose of it.
The partners purchased a concrete mixer with a 1.5-yard agitating capacity and another with a 3.1-yard agitating capacity. They also purchased a small concrete batch plant from a company getting out of the portable concrete delivery business.
Since June – the month Beaudrie and Dullinger began advertising their concrete delivery service – no customer has asked to rent the portable equipment.
