How to load 3PH Cement Mixer?

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi,

Not sure if this question belongs here or on the attachment side...but...it is kind of an operating question.

I see 3PH cement mixers hold 1/3 yard or there abouts. How do you get the mix into them? I know manual with a shovel is one way...but that would be a lot of work if one were mixing yards of stuff.

Alligator tears would flow if my loader was on the other end of the tractor and I was manually filling that mixer time...after time...after time...

I have patched holes in my driveway with a mix of crushed limestone and cement, sort of like no fines concrete. I am thinking of maybe just improving the driveway a little by using such a mix, rather than regular concrete. I like the gray color and rough texture. Call me strange, that's OK.

Anybody build a hopper set up of some type, that the 3ph mixer could be backed under and filled by opening a gate or whatever?

What I have pictured in my mind is something that could be filled with the loader, with some kind of opening in the bottom from which the stone could drop into the mixer from...a bag of cement could be dropped in on top of the stone, and here we go, so to speak.

Is there an easier way? Any lazy guys like me out there?

Just thinking out loud at the moment...won't be doing anything along these lines until next time the weather gets warm.

I just keep thinking...there must be an easier way than me and my shovel...

Bill in Pgh, PA

 

[Spencer]

If you don't already own a 3PH cement mixer, don't buy one. They don't have enough range to dump the cement properly. A hydraulic mixer hooked up to the FEL would be another story.

 

[MossRoad]

Maybe a modified grain hopper cart would work. And it would be towable to get closer to the worksite.

 

[DDT]

Well I got a grain bin off of a junked combine, built legs and a adjustable chute for it. I made a divider for the loader bucket, so I fill the loader out of the dump trailer, dump it into the bin and then load the mixer, but I do add the porland the armstrong way. I don't get layed up anymore.

 

[MossRoad]

In highschool I would occassionally work for a friends father. He was a brick layer. I'm very familiar with the armstrong method. It is one of the reasons I chose a carreer in computers. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Morning David,

That hits close to home. A relative of my son in law worked for me for about three weeks some years ago. He's a very sharp young man who got a high paying job at Worldcom.

Of course since he works there he's had many opportunities lately to consider just what he'd do in the real world. At my daughter's wedding I mentioned he could always come back and work with me.

He got a sheepish grin. But what surprised me was the look I got from his wife.

I asked my daughter about that. She laughed and told me his wife didn't like it when he worked me. It seems he came home all wore out./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Heck, I always thought hard work was an aphrodesiac./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[MossRoad]

Now, I'll do that sort of work for me, like making patios, sidewalks around the house, or Little League projects, etc... and I'm not affraid of hard work... but man, that's hard work! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

The nice thing about that type of work is you can see your work at the end of the day, and bricks don't argue with you; at least the ones that I have met /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Matyac]

Spencer's reply regarding the limted range of motion of various 3PH cement mixer/tractor combinations is worth noting, though it is may be overly general in it's tone. My tractor dealer warned me that SOME mixers would not work well with SOME tractors. It's definitely worth checking before getting the mixer dirty the first time. The Gearmore unit my dad and I purchased works great with my Kubota L3010. There is sufficient range of motion to dump into a full size wheel barrow.

Regarding the material loading issue, so far we have used 90 pound sacks of conrete mix that we got on special at Home Depot. It goes pretty fast that way, but the bags get heavier and heavier as job progress! The hopper approach sounds like a great idea!

-Scott

 

[Anonymous Poster]

MossRoad observes:

<font color=blue>The nice thing about that type of work is you can see your work at the end of the day, and bricks don't argue with you; at least the ones that I have met </font color=blue>

I often wondered why we refer to that good friend of ours as "cement head" rather than "brick head"... now I know!

Amazing...you seem to be able to find the answer to any question here at TBN! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Bill in Pgh, PA

 

[Rick Jay]

Hi Bill,

My recommendation, if you need more than a yard or so for a large pour, is to have it delivered. For smaller jobs, here's what I do.

I have a small electric mixer (3.5 cu. ft., I think). I used to use the Quikrete ready mix, but that gets pricey and it must be stored where it stays dry! Since I tend to "collect" my materials for weeks (sometimes months) before I actually get around to do the job, I found a better, and cheaper, way.

I had a couple of yards of 3/4" gravel delivered and a couple of yards of sand. These stay outdoors, but covered with a tarp. I then just buy a couple of bags of Portland Cement and keep that in the garage, nice and dry.

When it's time to do some mixing, I use the loader on my tractor to put the sand in a 17 cu. ft. dump cart connected to my lawn tractor. I fill the bucket of the tractor with the gravel. With the mixer near my work site, I arrange the sand cart, portland cement, tractor bucket and water hose near the mixer. Then, it's just 3 shovels of gravel, 2 shovels or sand and 1 shovel of Portland cement...add some water...repeat...until mixer is filled. After mixing, I pour the mix into a wheel barrow and dump it where needed.

With the loader raised and the sand in the cart, there is not too much lifting. Even then, it's just a shovel full at a time.

This wouldn't work for a large pour, but that's why I would suggest having large amounts delivered for large projects.

~Rick

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi Rick and all,

If it were concrete I would certainly order readymix...but concrete is not what I am thinking about.

I have this infamously bad driveway. Not long as we are close to the road..too close really...but maybe about 80 or 100 feet max. I was thinking of using some kind of brick, to surface it after putting down concrete first as a solid base.

But as I though about it, I kind of like the idea of crushed limestone held together by some cement, like "no fines' concrete, but using limestone in place of gravel.

I should check and see if this can be prcvided by a redi mix truck. I would guess not.

The plus of doing this is that I could patch things in the future easily...add something easily in the future if I wanted, and it would look like one seamless surface...maybe...

Just an idea at this point...

I should check and see if getting this stuff delivered by multiple yards is possible. That would really make sense.

I just like the idea of easy patching things later...and also like the gray color of the limestone...but I suppose I should also consider simple "no fines" concrete concrete using river gravel rather than limestone. Might even like that better...nice natural brown color.

From what I have read after the no-fines concrete sets up a bit, you take a garden hose and wash off the top surface, so the stones show and the cement that covers them is washed off...

Could patch that later just as easy as the crushed limestone...that may be the easy solution...and even a better one...

Thanks for the advice.

Bill

 

[Soundguy]

How to get a cement mixer loaded?.. Buy him a case of beer?

Seriously though.. I always use ready mix.. all nicely pre-mixed.. a tad bit more expensive.. but then i don't do alot of concrete work...

Soundguy

 

[Carl_NH]

Bill,

For pavers (brick) no concrete is needed, just a good base of crusher run or what we call stone dust - limestone or granite fines about 3-4" on top of a few inches of 3/4 stone. This once packed down and watered makes for a fine base for a brick driveway.

Carl

I have us

 

[ScottAR]

It kinda sounds like you want somthing along the lines of a macadam drive. They lay a base of limestone, hose it down with liquid asphalt, then lay decorative stone over top and compact with a roller. In your case, the top stone could be the same limestone as the base, saving money.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Let me offer you an alternative that you might find attractive.

Check around and find if your local redimix plants sell "washout".

Washout is what they wash out of the mixers when they come back in the yard. You get good sand and great rock all mixed together. It's just that the cement in the concrete isn't worth much. The yard I've rented for eleven years now has a twelve inch covering of this over pure t black gumbo clay. I never have had a problem.

It does have a couple of drawbacks. One is of course if they bring you washout that hasn't been worked you will have clumps. Some big clumps even. My yard used to be owned by a dirt work contractor. By working it I mean having it ran over by a crawler to break up the clumps.

And when it's real dry there is a dust problem. But if it's just your driveway and not a two acre parking lot like I have then it's one hardly worth mentioning. Unless of course some fool hauls butt up and down your driveway like a wild man./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif