Help! 3000 Pound Concrete Mix

[LWFrisk]

I was reciently given a 6 inch tapered 30 foot aluminum flag pole. The cast mounting flange was broken (had been hit by a car) and a couple of dents within 24 inches of the bottom. I have removed the flange, Pressed the major dents out and have put together a ground sleeve made from an 8 inch 5ft long sleeve with a framework of re-bar, dug a hole 3ft x 3ft x 3ft with a form exting upward from the ground surface that is 2ft square and 2.5 ft above the ground. These dimensions exceed specifications for the manufacture's installation instructions for a "sleeve" mounted flag pole. I purchased a small cement mixer; concrete grade sand, 3/4 in rock and Portland cement. The supplier of the material said to use a mix of 1 part Portland, 2 parts rock and 4 parts sand. Everything on the internet says 1 part Portland, 2 parts sand and 4 parts rock. What is the correct ratio of Portland, sand and rock 3000 pound concrete? I will attempt to attach a photo of the exposed form for the flag pole base.

 

[tc35dforme]

I vote for 1 cement, 2 sand, and 4 rock... I remeber 1, 2, 3 as a kid for cement, sand, and rock. A little more cement will make it a bit stronger. Important part is watch the water. You want enough to fully hydrate the mix, but too much will weaken the mix. Use angular rock and a coarse grade of sand ( not talc like stuff ). Final product wants a pretty stiff slump. You want to be able to plop a flower pot full upside down, remove the pot, and the pile will hold its shape. If its too loose ( high slump ) the aggregate can separate and you will loose strength and risk spalling off from the top.

Also, make sure you steel trowel the top ( after the cure has begun ) to seal the surface and prevent moisture from 'eating' the concrete. Start this process when the mix is firm to the fingertip. Mist on a bit of water if it gets away from you.

Also Also, cover the pour when complete to slow the cure rate. If its particularly warm or sunny, an occasional misting with the hose will do a lot to help the cure.

 

[yooperdave]

The purpose of the sand is so the grains fit between the voids of the larger aggregate. Hopefully your large aggregate is not all one size, but uniformly graded - minimizing the quantity of sand.

I would also think that 2 parts sand to 4 parts large aggregate sounds more acceptable.

If in doubt, you could always purchase premixed cement/aggregate in bags, add water and mix.

Good Luck

Yooper Dave

 

[Egon]

Adding a little extra portland will not hurt and it's not all that expensive.

For the home builder the cost of a few bags of portland cement is inconsequential. For a plant producing many yards of concrete per day it is a significant factor on the profit margin.

Egon

 

[LWFrisk]

Thanks To All Of You That Responded With Help!

I ended up mixing the concrete with one part Portland, two parts concrete grade sand and two parts 3/4 inch rock. I purchased a Harbor Freight Mixer that was on sale. It worked great, pretty light duty, but mixed the concrete well.

Last summer, I stopped at the local Taco Bell for a Burrito. Their flag pole had been hit and knocked down the previous evening. Happend that the manager waited on me and when he asked what I wanted, I replied "Thought you might have a flagpole for sale cheap". He said to "take it, just get it out of here as soon as you can". Next day, I took the trailer and picked it up. A little research on the internet valued the pole at about $2000. I removed the broken part remains of the cast aluminum mount, found an 8 inch steel pipe 5 feet long that I made up sleve (next post), put together a re-bar framework, dug a hole 36 x 36 x 42, built a form to extend 2.5 feet above the ground (makes up for the 28 inches of pole damage (most of which I repaired).

It worked out very well so some time in the next couple of weeks, I will set up the pole. I have made up a boom pole to mount on my John Deere 420/Johnson Loader to help set up the pole.

I will post more photos then. (Photo of sleve/form on next post.

 

[LWFrisk]

This is the sleeve and form. I had started mixing when my wife took the photo.

I will post more photos when I set the pole up.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 6 inch tapered 30 foot aluminum flag pole. )</font>

Just curious, how do you make sure that the pole is perfectly plumb once you stand it up? Since it has a tapered design to it you can't use a level to plumb it. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[LWFrisk]

StanleyinMd

The pole has a "rotating truck" (Pully Setup) that the lanyard runs through for raising, holding and lowering the flag. This is like a built in plumbbob. A bit of weight tied to one of the lines should be the same distance from the pole all the way around the pole.

The attached photo was taken Monday morning after "de-forming" the base. My wife and mother-in-law gave me their approval for the work. It will be covered with veneer stone. The cement seems to be curing nicely. I have a blanket covering it and wet down several times a day.

More photos when I rase the pole in the next couple of weeks.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

What kind of rock are you going to use Leo?

Are you going to the fabricated stuff that's easy and looks so good or are you going to use something native or exotic?

This could be fun!

One of the things I like to do in these situations is put in a planter. I like to make a bowl in a rock and then put it in the wall. The bowl sits out and can either have a plant in a pot in the bowl or the bowl can have something like moss roses growing, to give the wall some color, naturally. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

(wife says I get carried away sometimes /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif)

 

[LWFrisk]

Harv

<font color="blue">What kind of rock are you going to use Leo?
</font>
I have done a lot of building with wood and steel but my masonery experience is pretty limited. I had planned to use Eldorado Stone (probably their Alterwoond Stacking Stone).

This is a photo of the Alterwood Stacking Stone