2 Buy or not 2 buy...Cement mixer

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Unless you have a heart condition I'd suggest you just grab a hoe.

I've thought about getting a mixer. Then I think about how often I'll use it and where i'll store it. Each time the hoe wins.

[Allen Bookout]

Not having any experience in this area, I may be way off base?? According to the HF ad, that mixer has a 1/3 HP motor. My little JET mini lathe has a 1/2 HP motor and my el cheapo lawn mower has as a 3.5HP engine. Seems like that HF mixer might me seriously underpowered??? What do the experts have to say??

I am one that recommended buying a mixer vs hand mixing. I did rent one from HD last year and it was underpowered but I do not remember the hp. After about an hour with normal loads it really slowed down, almost ot a stop, and I had to hand assist the turning. Because of that I would be leary about one that was selling too cheap. I had read not to buy anything form HF that had a motor but did buy a HF small angle grinder knowing that it would probably selfdestruct and sure enough after 20 minutes it was gone. For that reason I would really be leary of the HF unit. You might want to shop around. Then again it might last a while. If you have an extra motor laying around with more hp and/or better quality that you could swap out you could still be ok in the long run.

I think that the Northertool stuff is better quality than the HF stuff overall and would not worry so much about buying a mixer there. Here is a page with their mixers.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...atchallpartial

If you have a Tractor Supply around they have some pretty good stuff at good prices also. Below is the only small one that I see. Have to put in your zip code to get a price. With my code in it showed about $270.

http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp...productID=1489

I am sure that there are other good options as well.

Good Luck no mater what you decide. Allen

[Jeremy Gibson]

So the end result is that I'm leaning toward getting the mixer. Unless someone comes along and has an overwhelming story to convince me otherwise, or has one to lend me for a few days. OTOH, I know what's going to happen, HF will be out of stock and I'll end up doing it by hand anyway. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Bill, I'd happily lend you mine - same model from HF - but it's a bit of a hike from CO. I mixed 2 80# bags with this mixer and it worked just fine. After pouring my 8 post piers for the deck I poured a small pad for the dog house. The motor spins slowly with a large pully. It probably makes 12-15 rotations per minute (just thinking back and trying to imagine). You could push it to 3 60# bags, but it might be harder to empty.

BTW, I mentioned this thread to my wife who is better at mixing concrete than me. She said "absolutely, buy it. It was 100% better than using the wheelbarrow and hoe method".

[Lopaka Garcia]

Hmm 1/3 hp does seem a little weak and maybe that's why it was so cheap. But hey, if you can get a few projects worth out of it, then IMHO it was worth the price saved in sweat. Stu is correct that it's in the gearing that you get the torque needed to turn the mixer barrel and not necessarily in hp alone. Gearing is essential to torque and with the amount of weight you're mixing, that's more important than hp alone. But combined together, oh boy, you'll be a mixing fool. You might end up redoing the driveway after that. If you don't want to purchase, try renting. I'm sure it doesn't cost a whole lot to rent one of those things for a day or even a weekend. I rent things all the time if I think I'm only going to use it once or twice. Especially on high ticket items. Good luck.

[Joe Mioux]

Here, the Ready Mix truck is the easiest and most efficient way to go. Even with a small load fee tacked on it is cheaper than buying your own mixer. A few years ago, we set 32 posts for a greenhouse. We kept the mix dry in the trucks mixer and added water as we proceeded through the pour. right or wrong it worked.

Frank Pellow's method does have an added benefit....aerobic and probably some anaerobic excercise.

Now, if you buy this thing, you have to ask yourself what will you do with it after you have this project finished.

Welll........ Those mixers make a great potting soil mixer, you can custom blend your own potting mixes, add fertilizers such as Osmocote, add other ammendments to raise or lower Ph, add real mineral soil to the potting mixes ( really a great thing to do btw).

Hmmm....what else, wash the cat? NO NO JUST KIDDING!!!!!

Joe

[Mike Evertsen]

wasn't there concrete that you dug the hole poured in dry mix then poured in water alittle mixing let it harden
I remember using that years ago.

[Vaughn McMillan]

...Frank Pellow's method does have an added benefit....aerobic and probably some anaerobic excercise. ...

Very few Creekers know this, but Frank is actually 117 years old. He's stayed so young looking, healthy and strong by keeping active and finding beneficial exercise in any task he does.

I've mixed a lot of wheelbarrow concrete at various times in my past, but I think these days if I needed to mix more than half a dozen or so bags, I'd likely buy the HF mixer (which is currently on sale, apparently) if I had the room to store it.

- Vaughn

[Bill Lewis]

Storing the unit after the job isn't so much of a problem exactly. We've got 2.25 acres, but along with that we also have a number of "toys" we used to maintain it. Currently most of my bigger implements and accessories sit outside. We have an oversized 3 car garage, and I can get three cars and the tractor just fine, but sometimes it takes a bit of shuffling to get things in and out. Consequently our next big project will be a second garage or a pole barn. This will also give me a better lumber and sheet goods storage, and a place for my panel saw to live. So If I buy the mixer, it may have to sit outside for awhile. BTW, I find that BBQ grill covers work pretty well for these things.

[Lopaka Garcia]

I have to agree with you there Frank. For a small job, it is easier to use a wheelbarrow than to drag out the mixer. But here in lies the question. What is considered a "small" job? Actually for smaller jobs, if you know what you're doing, mixing concrete in a wheelbarrow can be pretty fast. But for most homeowners, they're not very familiar with mixing concrete in a wheelbarrow.

Frank, why don't you do a small tutorial here since we're on the subject? Sorry if I'm putting you on the spot BTW. A good wheelbarrow makes a difference too, don't you think Frank?

[Lopaka Garcia]

You're right Mike, there is such a thing. I've never used it personally but I know it's available.

[Frank Pellow]

I have to agree with you there Frank. For a small job, it is easier to use a wheelbarrow than to drag out the mixer. But here in lies the question. What is considered a "small" job? Actually for smaller jobs, if you know what you're doing, mixing concrete in a wheelbarrow can be pretty fast. But for most homeowners, they're not very familiar with mixing concrete in a wheelbarrow.

Frank, why don't you do a small tutorial here since we're on the subject? Sorry if I'm putting you on the spot BTW. A good wheelbarrow makes a difference too, don't you think Frank?

I will think about doing a tutorial.

A whellbarrow of sufficient size and shape is important. But, I don't think it has to be that good. The one that I showed in the picture near the start of this thread is very old and has seen a lot of use and some repairs. No one would now call it "good".

[Marty Walsh]

I've been following this thread with tremendous interest since I'm breaking ground on my new shop today. (Well actually the backhoe is...)

I have to pour 28 2'x2' pads that will have 4' long 12" diameter concrete tube forms atop them. I'm having a redi-mix truck do the columns since it'll be about 4 yards of concrete. But, I'm doing the pads 'by hand' before the truck shows up.

I have 60 bags of concrete being delivered today and was planning to do the wheelbarrow thing. After reading this post and seeing the mixer on sale, I took a trip to HF in Savannah and picked one up.

Unfortunately, I think my review will be too late to help Bill, the original poster of this thread, but I'll go ahead and post anyway for those that are interested.

By the way, redi-mix in this area is $100/yard, with a $100 delivery charge for anything under five yards. (Ouch)

- Marty -

[Frank Pellow]

Marty, I hope things go well for your and your new mixer. And, by the way, I do consider 60 bags to be a "big" job. I too, would be tempted to get a mixer for a job of that size.

[Frank Chaffee]

Bill,
After yesterday’s pour I must change my vote.

If ever you have a project that involves digging earth, mixing and pouring concrete, hire some young guys to do it all.

Still hurtin’,
Frank

[Allen Bookout]

One thing that no one has mentioned is the uniformity of the mixture. It is my understanding that this issue is important for the strongest final concrete product. It always seemed that the mixture was just not as uniform if I hand mixed it rather than useing a mixer.

I know that it will all harden even if there are some parts that are not throughly mixed, or not mixed at all, but how strong is it really as compared to a properly mixed batch? Is it really worth it, for a couple of hundred bucks, to make sure that the mix is good and to save a bunch of labor on top of that? I say yes.

Allen