How big is my mixer

[boggen]

I think i'll buy 60 lb bags, they are easier to handle and it sounds like 2 at a time might be just about right. I will be trying for a 5" slump or less.

i had problems, of getting the full mix wetted. in my mixer. and it was a difference between 1 to 3 quick shots of the garden hose. of to much or not enough water.

when i got to much water, it would almost all turn into pea soup / slop. and then when i did not have enough water. it was like dry pancake batter / cake batter stuck to the bowel and you didn't drag the spoon around the edges / bottom of bowl to get it all mixed up.

since i do not have projects come up all the time for concrete, most of the time it has sat in the shed doing nothing. as a result each time i go to use the blasted thing. i end up having an extra bag broken open. so i can take a bowl at a time to scoop up some extra dry concrete and toss into machine when i put in to much water.

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there is a bit of an art in opening up a concrete bag.

one end of a concrete bag = "good end" other end = pain in rear to open. generally i have a razor blade / box cutter handy when things do not open up correctly.

so far all the bags i have used came straight off back of a pickup truck via tail gate on the truck. so everything was a nice working height. trying to open top of a bag, and then pickup from ground and dump in, can get rather heavy and sore back quickly.

 

[bigtiller]

Filling it with water was a great idea Egon, and it will show if any holes need repaired.

I like that mixer on a FEL. I can see a future project some cold winter day.

I seen a guy on YouTube turn the mixer off, put the end of a new bag inside, open it with a putty knife, shake the sack empty and then start mixing.

 

[dfkrug]

there is a bit of an art in opening up a concrete bag.

one end of a concrete bag = "good end" other end = pain in rear to open. generally i have a razor blade /
box cutter handy when things do not open up correctly.

so far all the bags i have used came straight off back of a pickup truck via tail gate on the truck.
so everything was a nice working height. trying to open top of a bag, and then pickup from ground
and dump in, can get rather heavy and sore back quickly.

The above pour was something like 35 bags total. For just a bag or 2, I use a wheelbarrow and
a hoe.

Bags are not my ideal way to go; I usually buy sand and gravel separately and load with a shovel.

I open the bags, arrayed on the tailgate of my truck (or similar place), by cutting an 'H' pattern
in the side of the bag. I do this with a sharp square trowel, hoe, or square-point shovel. Then
I hold the cut side against the opening of the mixer (off!) and push the other side. Works well.

My MIXER80 used to be PTO-powered, but I converted it to hydraulic and FEL mount.

 

[bigtiller]

I set it in the load position today and 10 gallons of water filled it up. So that would be 1.33 cubic feet.

80 lb = .60 cubic feet
60 lb = .45 cubic feet

I am thinking a pair of 80lb sacks would fit into the tub but would probably make a sloppy mess. And a pair of 60lb sacks would probably be just about right.

Ha, i haven't used it yet and i am already wanting a bigger one. But for the garage sale price of 5 bucks, i am going to use it until.........

 

[RobertN]

Dunno about the mixer, but that's a nice chipper in the background

 

[bigtiller]

Thanks, but it's one of those things that gets uglier the closer you get to it. The previous owner was pretty rough with it. It looks like they used it more as a bumper than a chipper/shredder. But it still works good and I bought it right.....$1200