Gizmo Plans 3 Cubic yard Cement Mixer

[hotrod45]

Just wondering if anybody has built this cement mixer or knows of anyone who has? If so how does it work and the cost?

 

[mx842]

Just wondering if anybody has built this cement mixer or knows of anyone who has? If so how does it work and the cost?

I did a lot of thinking and research awhile back on building one that would be able to mix 3 yards at a time. I thought about all the different ways to mix the batch and finally settled on one that would stir the mix in a round medal tub with an extraction port on the bottom. Actually with this type you would not be mixing the whole 3 yards at one time but once you got the batch going it would be a continuous flow of mixed concrete available at the extraction port as long as you kept feeding the machine.

This type would be good for a site that you could not get concrete to or didn't want to have to pay a pump truck. Two guys feeding sand, gravel and powder would keep three guys with wheel barrows busy as long as they all had the gas to keep going.

I was going to run the one I built off of hydraulics but you could run it off of a gear reduction box if you could figure out just what gear you needed. I had more access to hydraulic components so I wanted to go that route. I built a small batch unit and used an old jonny rude outboard lower unit as a gear box and it worked quite well but I never could get the speed just right. The gear ratio of the lower unit was too high for the power unit I was using, a 8 hp gas motor and I played around with adding a pulley reduction setup but before I got it going I started building my pole barn and I haven't had time to mess with it anymore.

A lot of people beat me up about this topic back when I asked this same question saying it was a waste of time and you would never get good quality cement out of such a machine but if you have the time and desire I say go for it.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Projects are fun but I've poured enough concrete that I know it's a lot of hard work to just grade and finish it. Add the mixing to that and it's a man killer. I'd call Ready Mix and save my dough for a more useable project.

 

[JeffinIA]

Not to mention the fact that just mixing Sand , Rock, cement powder and Water, wont make a lasting mix , If outside and you are subject to freezing temps during your year, you will need air entrainment .If you are just talking about making a mix for post holes or footings then you would be OK.