Lawn Care Forum banner

mower breaks decorative concrete curbing

4K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  KrayzKajun 
#1 ·
Got a call from a customer saying that my employee cracked his decorative concrete curbing around the flower beds with the mower. Should this curbing have cracked ? I was thinking the curbing might have not been thick enough. Has anyone ran into this problem?Thanks
 
#4 ·
think about it, that curbing isn't that strong, then you run a thousand pound mower into it.
Actually it is suppose to be made to withstand more PSI than a driveway from my understanding gathered from talking to a guy that installs them for a living. I do not recall the numbers but I do remember him informing they actually were made to withstand impacts like that.

William, my suggestion is to go look at it, question the employee and use your judgement. I had a guy try to say that my crew ran over and broke his a few years ago. I informed him that there was no crew as I was solo then and that I simply did not hit it (he was neighboring property not one I care for) . The guy insisted that I did it even after I informed him that there is one thing about concrete, it will eventually crack. He wanted my insurance information, called the police to report etc etc.

The end result - the police report showed no signs of a mower tire or that a mower had been on the property which led the insurance company to inform the customer " Soil settles in your location, concrete cracks with time- NO SOUP FOR YOU"
 
#6 ·
What sort of a gravel base is there under that curbing? If the ground is soft under it, it will still crack if weight is applied from above.

Also, is this a new client? Watch out for some people. I've heard outlandish claims from people just trying to burn companies for some-thing that was already done.
 
#7 ·
The base is sand. Thats what we have in Florida. They just remove the grass and pour it on top of the soft sand. Maybe they should have used a base for it. I don't know if they use a base for it here.
I have had him for a few years but just got the curbing put down 9 months ago. I have noticed fine cracks all over it ever since it got put down.
 
#8 ·
Concrete will prematurely crack if it cures too quickly. I would actually think this is the cause of the cracking/breaking. In a hot climate like Florida, your better contractors will cover the fresh concrete with plastic to slow the curing time. I'd insist on a concrete analysis before paying for any repairs. It can be stress tested rather easily.
 
#9 ·
I install concrete curbing and IF it was installed properly it will still have a potential for cracks. It is concrete and concrete will crack, It should crack at break lines. Ask if there was reinforcement fiber or cable used at time of install if there wasn't then he's gonna have a lot more cracks in the future. Our PSI rating is well above 5000, I've jumped up and down on the stuff the next day and not been able to crack it. And I am not a little fella
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#13 ·
Tht craps starts to deteriorate after about 10yrs. Every time I pik up an accnt with that stuff. I work my hardest to convince the customer to let me rip it out.
Posted via Mobile Device
That's right, and that's why I suggest bricks set in mortar over any other type of curbing/edging.

At least with the bricks, the cracks don't show, and as the mortar deteriorates it will at least keep a decent appearance compared to curb edging that looks like crap to begin with.

....
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top