OP
Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck
- Thread starter Travelover
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A big thumbs up on the 3.5cf mixer. I have had one for about 10-12 years. It it only used occasionally, but it shows no sign of slowing down. I have also used it to mix dirt with sand and dirt with compost, etc.
Mine is the older model 31979, the new one is 67536, the differences I can see is the older one was finished in what appears to be primer (semi gloss, rough surface) and the newer one is a glossy finish paint. Also, I think the paddles inside the drum are redesigned. Just now, in looking at the picture of the newer model on the HF website, I thought they had changed which side the wheels are on, then realized I was just a dumb-*** and put mine together wrong! By putting the motor over the peg-leg end, instead of over the wheels, I had made it hard to move around. The little handles provided on the old model were inaccessible up under the motor housing. It was easier to pick it up by the bottom of the motor housing to roll around. But only with gloves on, as the bottom of the motor housing is the edge of thin sheet metal. I solved the problem by making wheelbarrow style handles as you can see in the first pic.
So, now that I realized that I had it wrong all these years, I decided to change it to the way it should be. Even though my handles had made it easy to move, it always seemed top heavy, because you are raising the motor when you move it. Also, having the motor over the peg leg can make it seem unstable when mixing. After swapping things around it was awkward to move after being accustomed to my long handles. Also one of the original handles is bent, and they don't have rubber grips on them. They are not pipes as on the newer model, just sheet metal bent in a shallow U channel. So I put my long handles back on. You can see the swap in the second pic, and the handles back on in the third.
I still feel like a dumb-*** for not realizing this before now. But I went back and looked at the assembly instructions, and, like most people say, they are pretty vague. I don't see anything that says which side the wheels should go on.
jp
Mine is the older model 31979, the new one is 67536, the differences I can see is the older one was finished in what appears to be primer (semi gloss, rough surface) and the newer one is a glossy finish paint. Also, I think the paddles inside the drum are redesigned. Just now, in looking at the picture of the newer model on the HF website, I thought they had changed which side the wheels are on, then realized I was just a dumb-*** and put mine together wrong! By putting the motor over the peg-leg end, instead of over the wheels, I had made it hard to move around. The little handles provided on the old model were inaccessible up under the motor housing. It was easier to pick it up by the bottom of the motor housing to roll around. But only with gloves on, as the bottom of the motor housing is the edge of thin sheet metal. I solved the problem by making wheelbarrow style handles as you can see in the first pic.
So, now that I realized that I had it wrong all these years, I decided to change it to the way it should be. Even though my handles had made it easy to move, it always seemed top heavy, because you are raising the motor when you move it. Also, having the motor over the peg leg can make it seem unstable when mixing. After swapping things around it was awkward to move after being accustomed to my long handles. Also one of the original handles is bent, and they don't have rubber grips on them. They are not pipes as on the newer model, just sheet metal bent in a shallow U channel. So I put my long handles back on. You can see the swap in the second pic, and the handles back on in the third.
I still feel like a dumb-*** for not realizing this before now. But I went back and looked at the assembly instructions, and, like most people say, they are pretty vague. I don't see anything that says which side the wheels should go on.
jp
Attachments
chopped
Veteran Member
Dont feel"dumb" I had a mixer I bought new without a motor and I mounted a motor and mixed. and mixed for a few years. Then I loaned it to a guy and when it came back there was a mount on the outside he had built. hmm I thought , come to find out the motor was turning it backwards the cement was being screwed outward instead of inward..It worked alot better after that.. Would havebeen an easy fix had the motro been a reversable one..
crazyal
Super Member
Since we are talking about cement mixers has anyone thought about converting one to run off the pto/3pt on a tractor? I've looked around at the pto mixers and they are not cheap. It seams like if you removed the motor it wouldn't be too hard using belt(s) to get the correct gearing and transfer the power from a pto shaft to the shaft that drives the drum. If I was to try I wouldn't want to use an expensive mixer or an old one that may not have too much life left in it.
tonydigregorio
New member
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2011
- Messages
- 11
- Tractor
- IH DX45
Crazyal, that is exactly what I was thinking of doing. I bought the harbor freight 3.5 cubic foot mixer thinking if it was underpowered I could always convert it. Well it showed up today via Fed-Ex, I have to say I'm glad I only spent $200 on it, I think my 8 year old could weld better than whoever did the work on this one. It got pretty banged up in shipping and has lost quite a bit of paint and the on/off switch is damaged (gonna contact HF and see if they will replace it). All in all I'm still not really disappointed for the price but I dont think there is anyway it is sturdy enough to be convert to run off of a PTO. I'm running at about 38 horsepower at mine and I think it would twist this thing into a pretzel if I tried it....... maybe if I added in a reduction gear or something.
crazyal
Super Member
I think it would need to have the light weight frame replaced with something much stronger. I think as long as I used a simple belt (maybe with something like a riding mower system to engage it) design the belt would slip before an damage was done to the mixer itself.
I just think it would be nice to put the cement and water in it, start it mixing and while it is drive to where you want it and pour away. If I got carried away I could even rig up a cylinder off of a remote to tip it from the tractor seat.
skspurling
Silver Member
crazyal said:
Why would I want to do that? That is what the FEL is for. I figure i dump it out in my bucket, refill the mixer, and let it mix while i go pour my bucket in the form.
I also think you run the tractor at idle for the 3pt mixers. Clearly dosen't take a lot of hp to turn these things, so there wouldn't be enough resistance to cause the tractor to twist it into a pretzle. Not even sure why they are so expensive. There really isn't much to them. Most of them do come with a hydraulic top link to dump them.
California
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2004
- Messages
- 16,618
- Location
- An hour north of San Francisco
- Tractor
- Yanmar YM240 Yanmar YM186D
I threw together a rear platform that as it turned out, I use all the time. I wonder if the mixer could set on something like this, strapped down and with the PTO driving the mixer.
California
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2004
- Messages
- 16,618
- Location
- An hour north of San Francisco
- Tractor
- Yanmar YM240 Yanmar YM186D
Today I bought the HF Dual Direction Diesel Barrel Pump.
Does anyone have this? The reviews on their single-action version were faint praise - seals leak, end cover broke, etc. Maybe this one works better. The casting looks much heavier. (But the quality of its one page 'manual' isn't encouraging).
I expect to carry a plastic barrel to the gas station strapped on a pallet, in my trailer, then lift the pallet off back at the ranch.
Somebody must be using this pump. How well does it work? Should I take it apart and re-seal it before putting it in service?
Does anyone have this? The reviews on their single-action version were faint praise - seals leak, end cover broke, etc. Maybe this one works better. The casting looks much heavier. (But the quality of its one page 'manual' isn't encouraging).
I expect to carry a plastic barrel to the gas station strapped on a pallet, in my trailer, then lift the pallet off back at the ranch.
Somebody must be using this pump. How well does it work? Should I take it apart and re-seal it before putting it in service?
PILOON
Super Star Member
Today I bought the HF Dual Direction Diesel Barrel Pump.
Does anyone have this? The reviews on their single-action version were faint praise - seals leak, end cover broke, etc. Maybe this one works better. The casting looks much heavier. (But the quality of its one page 'manual' isn't encouraging).
I expect to carry a plastic barrel to the gas station strapped on a pallet, in my trailer, then lift the pallet off back at the ranch.
Somebody must be using this pump. How well does it work? Should I take it apart and re-seal it before putting it in service?
I have been using one for about 4 years.
Rigged to a 25ish gal plastic barrel that I rigged to a cart that I wheel up to tractor for fuel ups.
No complaints so far.
About 30-40 turns of the crank to refuel up my CUT.
No spills, no hefting 5 gal tanks at arms length
