RIDE-ON FLOOR SCRAPERS: BATTERY VS PROPANE
What most flooring demolitionists don’t know is that in addition to being battery powered, ride-on floor scrapers also come in propane models.
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WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
Ultimately, more selection means the ability to choose a machine better geared towards your needs. Rather than being limited to battery powered units (which are the vast majority of ride-on floor scrapers), the alternate option of propane exists.
Is one of these better than the other? That depends on how you use it.
Rather than telling you to buy one instead of its counterpart, the correct choice comes down to who each of these machines are better for. There are different tools for every job, and finding the right ride-on floor scraper is the same type of situation.
BATTERY
If you’re working in an area with tenants or neighbours that can be easily disturbed, chances are a battery powered floor scraper is what you need. Because these machines have electric motors, they tend to be fairly quiet and can make it possible to work in near proximity to office works and other noice-sensitive tenants.
Zero emissions of a battery-operated machine also means that it can be used indoors in enclosed spaces. Arguably the biggest benefit of battery ride-on floor scrapers is that no customer will ever tell you it can’t be used. There is no pollution when the machine is in use.
Being able to plug the machine into the wall to recharge the battery also means that consumables like gas or fuel are virtually eliminated. This brings the operating cost of the machine down significantly for a lot of daily users.
PROPANE
Propane machines tend to have slightly higher horsepower motors than battery powered models, but the noticeable difference will be minimal to most contractors. Still, it’s something to consider if ultimate-productivity is a must for your job site.
Not needing to worry about power on the job site is a huge benefit to using a propane floor scraper. If you’re working in an area where charging the battery of your ride-on floor scraper every night isn’t going to be a possibility, propane begins to make more sense.
Additionally, there’s little downtime between changing tanks when you run out. If you’re running 16-hour days, it’s a lot easier to change a propane tank than it is to wait for the machine to charge, change the battery pack, or use a second machine.
WHICH IS RIGHT FOR ME?
Like we said, it really comes down to what you need the machine to do given your typical customer jobs.
One over-looked factor to consider is whether your customers will allow you to use propane (which has exhaust emissions) on the site. Many projects will state in the Job Spec “no propane machines”. If you own a propane at this point, you’re out of luck. Although the emissions are similar to using a forklift indoors, trying to convince your client might be an undesired burden.
Really though, there is much to consider. For a less expensive, all-day battery model, most customers are going to be pleased. The lack of fuel is also going to help pinch a little extra profit out of the job.
CONCLUSION
If long days and ultimate production are what you’re after though, propane might be for you. With the ability to have very little down time and being used in areas without electricity, this is an attractive option for the right contractor.
Still can’t decide on what to use? Give us a call and we can point you in the right direction. With our years of manufacturing and operating these machines, we can help you determine what style of machine is going to be the best for you in the long run.