Strange, cheap, concrete mixer

[ns_in_tex]

I tried to come up with a cheap,easy way to mix & pour those little tads of concrete that I always seem to need.

Have mixed 25, 80 lb sacks so far. Much easier for me than mixing by hand.

It is a 55 gal barrel mounted on my fel. Put in materials, clamp on lid, then turn upside down, then right side up, about 1/2 dozen times, remove lid & pour.

[ns_in_tex]

Barrel upside down

[ns_in_tex]

Barrel right side up

[Anonymous Poster]

THe creativity of the folks here just never fails to amaze me!

Very interesting concept...That is really thinking outside the barrel...err...I mean box... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Bill

[PTFarmer]

Neil,

I like your style ! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[mrcaptainbob]

Wouldn't it take less fuel to get one that spins, rather than driving in circles to mix it? Not to mention gettin' pretty dizzy!! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Cacinok]

Neal,

Did you do anything to the barrell (e.g., weld in a baffle to help stir up the concrete)? Your set up looks like it would be a great help in placement of the concrete, assuming you can get your tractor close to the project -- a whole lot easier than using a wheelbarrow. Do you know how many cubic feet/(yds?) the barrell will hold?

Clint.

[Green_in_MI]

I applaude your ingenuity, but I suggest you tip that barrel over a few dozen times instead of a half dozen. If you expect any consistency in strength, appearance, or performance you will need to mix it THOROUGHLY. You could open it occasionally and help blend the components with a shovel. That would probably get you most of the mixing you need. If you were using ready mix and water a dozen tips might work, but mixing aggregate, sand, water, and cement from scratch takes more effort.

[ns_in_tex]

Clint,
I did not do anything to the inside of the barrel. So far I have not even put a gasket on the lid. I thought before I use it the next time, I would run a small bead of silicone around the inside of the lid & give time to set up, to see if this eliminated all leaking. It did not leak much, without any gasket.
I am sure the speed at which your bucket tilts, would have some bearing on the mixing ability.

I mixed as much as 5 80# sacks once, but so far I feel 2 sacks at a time may be the optimum.

It works great if you can pull up to where you are pouring with the tractor. I built a V-box (what I call a hog trough with the bottom open), when pouring forms, to make it easy to pour into the narrow forms.

[ns_in_tex]

I was using the bagged premix. When you take the lid off to pour, it will be obvious if it is mixed good, to wet, to dry, etc.
Unless you try to mix too large a batch.
Yes if you want to mix by hand, I think, it might still be good, you can set at the height & angle that fits you best.