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Threw $600 down the drain on a power trowel that couldn't handle a sidewalk
Two years ago I bought a used power trowel off Facebook Marketplace for $600. Guy said it was a good machine, just needed some love. Got it home, cleaned the carburetor, changed the oil, it started up fine. Took it to a job in Fresno last spring for a 1000 square foot driveway. That thing vibrated so bad my hands went numb after 20 minutes. Then the blades started wobbling and left grooves I had to hand grind out. Spent 4 hours fixing the finish on a job that should have taken 2. Ended up junking the trowel and renting a brand new one from Sunbelt for the rest of the week. Lesson learned: never buy a used power trowel without running it on concrete first. Anyone else get burned by Marketplace tools that looked okay but failed hard?
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laura_black311mo ago
Man, that's rough. Got burned on a used airless sprayer that clogged nonstop.
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kim.xena1mo ago
Ugh @laura_black31 that sucks so bad lol. Nothing worse than getting all set up and realizing your "deal" is just a fancy paperweight. I swear some people sell their junk on marketplace with a straight face like it's a treasure. At least with a new one you know the gunk is all yours, not someone else's dried on mess haha. Hope you get it sorted or find a better deal soon because that's just bad luck timing wise.
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Man that airless sprayer story hits close to home. I learned the hard way that "just needs some love" on Marketplace usually means it's one job away from falling apart. Your sprayer clogging nonstop reminds me of that trowel's blades going haywire after 20 minutes of use. At least with rentals you know the junk is all accounted for up front instead of finding out mid job.
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