Over the course of 90+ years, we have developed several types of portable air piston vibrators. Some have long since ridden off into the sunset, and some are still used today.

The Pistol Grip Vibrator

The Pistol Grip vibrator was one of those handheld units from the late ’60s to early ’70s that was successfully developed mainly because a customer said, “I need this and if you build it we will buy it.” Cleveland Vibrator did build it, and they did buy it. However, it turned out to be one of those limited edition models with a higher price tag, and folks used other more standard units for similar applications. This model was used for a precast concrete form application, and the customers would walk around and place the vibrator against the form at selected spots to settle the concrete and remove air bubbles which would generate a better-finished product. The main feature of this unit was the ability to carry it in your hand and not have it vibrate until you squeezed the trigger. Plus, the handle had a rubber grip helping to isolate the vibration force from the operator.

From spending several years in our air assembly area and testing thousands of vibrators, we can attest to the effects of vibration forces on your hands, arms, elbows and shoulders. This was a nice industrial vibrator, but just like the little Rambler Nash Car of that era, we just didn’t have enough interest in it to continue production. The basic body-piston design is still used today in our 1 1/4″ SAEP and UH vibrators.

Especially in the burial vault business, they weld a Cleveland Vibrator UH-F bracket to the steel forms and our UH vibrator comes with a stud to hold the vibrator and vibrate the form. Now with that said, I still see folks take the vibrator and hold it against, and also slide it along, the steel form to improve the finish. It’s not as cool as our Pistol Grip unit, but it works.

Portable vs. Handheld

If a product is a portable unit, it doesn’t always mean it’s a handheld unit. Back in the day, we used to supply a 2 1/2″, 3″, 3 1/2″, 4″ and 5″PH and F-LSH foundry vibrator used to clean out large flasks, and stubborn cores from intricate castings. They were portable units with heavy-duty cast hooks that hang over the edge of the flask, making the cleanout a fairly quick process. Some are too heavy to be picked up by hand but are considered portable because of the drop over the edge of the flask. Most of these are being phased out as foundries change their process.

Our main line of portables for several years, other than the UH vibrator, are our rail car vibrators that we offer in four sizes from 2″ thru our 1400 VMRR vibrators which simply drop in a LSRR/FS or LSRR/FL brackets. The larger sizes can be difficult to pick up and move, but without requiring fasteners they are considered a portable unit.

We recently introduced a Vacuum Mount Unit in several sizes that only required a clean flat surface and an airline to mount. This is a wonderful addition to our product line and works in areas that don’t have the mounting brackets like the aluminum railcars or trucks.

Portable units are very important in the material handling business and we feel we have a portable unit that fits almost all applications. Okay, it’s “HIGH NOON”, or Gary Cooper Time as I like to say. I hope this shows a little bit of our history with portable vibrators.

You can review Cleveland Vibrator’s complete line of portables on our website at www.clevelandvibrator.com.