Products

Advantages of Precast

> Manufactured in a controlled environment.

> Double the PSI of pour in place concrete.

> Huge labor savings – No onsite forming and pouring.

> Less trade skills required.

> No weather delays.

> Greater load carrying ability.

> Aesthetically pleasing uniform appearance.

> Bolt patterns exact to specifications.

Let’s talk about something serious. It’s 2024, and not only are we still using carboard to form light pole bases, but contractors are still installing rebar, conduits, and j-bolts on site in unregulated environments keeping their fingers crossed that bolt patterns line up, and weather cooperates. Midwest Cast can create savings for you in time, labor, and headaches. Our units are delivered to the jobsite ready to be set and have light poles connected. You can rest assured that bolt patterns will line up correctly and there will be no surprises.

ARE PRECAST BASES AS STURDY AS POUR IN PLACE?

The technical answer is, YES. Actually, precast bases are even more secure than pour-in-place bases because of the tamping and compacting pressures. With pour-in-place, you are depending on the column weight of the concrete to create outward horizontal pressure on the surrounding native soil. Depending on the depth of concrete, the amount of pressure generated varies. When using precast bases, a tamped backfill is required and this causes significantly more sidewall pressure against the native soil than bases that are poured in place.

In sandy soil or other loose loam soils, hand or pneumatically compacted fill will actually increase the density of the surrounding soil. When utilizing the pour-in-place method, there is a certain amount of soil disturbance when pouring the mix. Loose soil can mix in with the concrete and cause voids and weak spots. All of these issues are eliminated with precast concrete.

“Over the years all the bases we have been contracted to straighten or repair have been poured in place bases, loose native soils allow the poured in place bases to lean. Bases that do not have rebar correctly installed or no rebar at all have cracked and fail completely to the ground. We have never had these issues with precast bases." --Monte Adkisson Vice President - ALL PRO Electrical Technology, Inc.