New Concrete Equipment Now Available At Hirepool

At Hirepool, we’ve been working with concrete for donkey's years. We’re proud of our range of masonry equipment for hire, including concrete grinders and heavy-duty dust collectors. In fact, we reckon we’ve got the best dust collectors in NZ when it comes to cleaning up debris and silica dust. If you’ve never used a concrete grinder or proper dust collector before, you may need to read up a bit before getting on the tools. That way, you’ll get the best back for buck from your equipment hire. 

In this guide, we’ll unpack everything you need to know about concrete floor grinding and using a dust collector. A lot of the talking points will also be covered in our video above. After reading or watching, you’ll be ready to lock in your hire and get your concrete surface prep job done the smart way. Here’s what we’ll go over: 

Here’s what we are tackling in today’s blog: 

What is a concrete grinder?

Our concrete floor grinder’s features

Safety when using a concrete floor grinder

How to use a concrete floor grinder

How to change the concrete grinding disk

What is a dust collector?

The effects of silica

Our Husqvarna H-Class Vac’s features

How to use a dust collector

Accessories you may need for concrete surface preparation

Let’s get into it.

What is a concrete grinder?  

Depending on the task at hand, you may find you need to change the bucket attachment of your mini excavator. Before you try and tackle this task, make sure you learn how to do so safely. Let’s break it down into easy-to-follow steps. 

Our concrete floor grinder's features?  

Not all concrete grinders are created equal. You’ll be stoked to hear that ours is one of the best on the market. Making sure you’re using the best gear means you’re getting the best end product and not wasting any time or sweat. The big talking points of our concrete floor grinders for hire include:

• Non-marking wheels
• Emergency stop button
• HVA Meter, which shows current voltage for top performance
• Can get within 2mm of edges

Don’t say we didn’t warn ya, but our concrete grinder is heavy duty. In fact, it weighs about 62kgs. That’s nearly the weight of a young apprentice tradie! Jokes aside, the weight is good, as it can make light work of concrete. It’s also easy to move around in any standard utility vehicle. If you need to hire a vehicle, we’ve got a great range to get you from A to B. The full specs of this concrete grinder include:

Top tip: The handles on our concrete grinder fold down for easy transport and storage. When you pick it up from your local Hirepool, we’ll even load it for you.

Safety when using a concrete floor grinder 

Whether you’re getting stuck into a DIY job at home or you're busy on the work site, safety needs to be top of mind. Using a concrete grinder or dust collector is no different. Before getting on the tools, you’ll need to ensure you’ve got the proper safety gear. For concrete floor grinding, this means:

• Eye protection (goggles)
• Rated respiratory mask 
• Sturdy covered shoes
• A shirt with long sleeves

We’ve got a range of common PPE (personal protective equipment) for sale. So have a nosey at our range online if you’re short on anything we’ve mentioned. Each concrete grinder hire and dust collector hire will also come with safety instructions for use. So, give these a good look before getting stuck in.

How to use a concrete floor grinder

The good news is that a concrete floor grinder is pretty easy to use. It might take a while to get used to at first, but you’ll get used to it over time. Your concrete grinder hire will come with its own instructions for use, too, so don’t worry if you forget any steps from this guide. To use your concrete floor grinder, you’ll need to: 

1. Attach your heavy-duty extension lead
2. Set up in the area you want to pass over
3. Switch on the concrete grinder

And, that’s really it! A quick change on the axle settings and installing the edging trowel allows you to change from normal grinding to edging. Sometimes, the auto axle height mechanism on the gear may be needed. This allows for a really even grind. 

How to change the concrete grinding disk 

If you’ve got a lot of ground to cover, the team at Hirepool can set you up with an extra blade for the grinder. Don’t sweat it if you’re unsure which concrete grinding disks you need. Our team are happy to provide advice. To change the blade, you’ll need to: 

1. Use the onboard spanner to remove the single nut fastener
2. Install the new blade
3. Re-fasten the nut

What is a dust collector? 

A dust collector, like the ones we have available for hire, is more powerful than your vacuum cleaner at home. In saying that, the idea of a dust collector is similar. It removes dust and debris from the air or surfaces, leaving the air and ground clean. A dust collector is much more powerful and better suited to use in wet areas. 

The effects of silica 

One of the main concerns when working with concrete is silica dust. Don’t underestimate silica dust, as it can cause heaps of problems. Silica dust, or crystalline silica dust, is the dust left over from concrete, stone and even bricks when you cut, grind or sand. What makes silica dust extra nasty, is that it’s often hard to see. So, a better safe than sorry approach is always needed. That’s where your dust collector comes in.

Our Husqvarna H-Class Vac’s features 

We often recommend our H-class Husqvarna vac for working with a concrete grinder. It always performs well for on-tool dust extraction when cutting, blasting, scarifying, and grinding concrete, plaster, or other applications where harmful dust is produced.

This unit is equipped with 2 HEPA H13 filters, Jet Pulse pre-cleaning and an hour meter for precise filter management and control. This means your vac is less likely to trap dust or get clogged during use. 

The Longopac bag hose system ensures simple, dust-free bag changes and waste disposal. And if you’re looking to hire for a big job, your local Hirepool branch can provide you with extra bags. It’s lightweight, easy to carry through the site, or can simply be wheeled from job to job. The specs of this dust collector include:

How to use a dust collector 

You may not be keen to do the vacuuming at home normally, but using the Husqvarna H-class vac is a breeze to use. It’s a powerful piece of kit, meaning you don’t need to double back as much. To get the most out of your dust collector, be sure to follow the instructions for use that come with the gear. These instructions include:

• Connect your heavy-duty extension lead if needed
• Connect the vac hose to the dust extraction port on the tool
• Start the dust collector before getting stuck in so it can warm up

Then, you’re good to go. When using the dust collector, be sure to keep an eye on the vacuum indicator. If it enters the red, then the filters need to be purged. This is an easy process. Just follow the instructions that come in the operator's manual. These instructions include:

1. Cover the inlet with the attached cover if applicable
2. Let the machine build up vacuum for about 5 seconds
3. Push down on the key and release it
4. Repeat the first three steps five times
5. Turn off the motor of the gear, and wait for it to shut off completely
6. Uncover the inlet

If you notice the suction still isn’t great after doing this, you may need to replace the Hela filters. Once again, how to do this will be outlined in the instructions for use. 

Accessories you may need for concrete surface preparation 

For some jobs, you may need to consider a heavy-duty lead to power your concrete grinder or dust collector. At Hirepool, we’ve heaps of ways to help you power gear, including:

• Portable single-phase generators
• Silinced three-phase generators
• Generator accessories
• Extension cables

If you need some pointers for using a generator, read our advanced guide to generators. 

Work with concrete the smarter way with Hirepool 

Using the proper gear when prepping a concrete surface will help you to get the job done smarter, quicker and to a higher standard. Using a powerful dust collector means the clean job will be simple, and you’ll get rid of silica dust. Be sure to check out our range of masonry gear to help with any concrete jobs that come your way. For more concrete-related advice, check out our guides, including: 

• Advanced gear guide: concrete mixers and vibrators
• Advanced gear guide: Concrete breakers
• Advanced gear guide: Concrete saws