Mixing concrete - "Mud mixer" alternative. Steele mixer

[newbury]

I'm a one person "try to do it all" operation. I've several "projects" lined up in my mind that will require hundreds of 80lb bags of mix but with a loose time frame. I know that is in "buy by the yard and pay to get it done" category but labor is SCARCE and one site is about an hour from the nearest concrete plant. I've been looking at the "Mud Mixer" and stumbled across this alternative - "Steele mixer" that looks like an inexpensive alternative.
Has anyone tried one?

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Never tried, but looks super easy. I think I'd still just rent a mixer and let machinery to the hard stuff.

 

[lman]

When I was a kid my dad used a pto cement mixer on a tractor to make a large slab for the hogs. It kept me and my brothers busy shoveling sand and dumping 94 lb bags of cement into the mixer. Something like that may work on your tractor. It was easy to move and dump the concrete where you wanted it.

 

[BlueKnife]

I'm a one person "try to do it all" operation. I've several "projects" lined up in my mind that will require hundreds of 80lb bags of mix but with a loose time frame. I know that is in "buy by the yard and pay to get it done" category but labor is SCARCE and one site is about an hour from the nearest concrete plant. I've been looking at the "Mud Mixer" and stumbled across this alternative - "Steele mixer" that looks like an inexpensive alternative.
Has anyone tried one?

Once you're over a yard, buying concrete by the yard is quite a bit less expensive, much better quality, and almost always easier than using bags. In many cases, this is true even with only one person. It's essentially impossible to do quality flat work bigger than 5-6 ft of sidewalk using bags. I say this as someone who owns an actual hydraulic skid steer mount concrete mixer. What kind of projects are you doing?

 

[scootr]

Speaking from years of experience. In 1985 I bought a used towable Essex 1/2 sack mixer with electric motor. It was cheap and it needed a main bearing which I installed.
I used it to build a block shop and grout it by myself. Over the following 40 yrs I have used it to pour slabs and lay block. It's been one of my best investments. The last slab was 12 x 24 in 2021. I'm getting a little old for that now but I'll keep around. It's family now.

 

[newbury]

What kind of projects are you doing?

On my list of varying priorities:
1. An extension of a shed floor from ~ 10'Wx15'L to about 17'W to max it out w/ a change in the maximum size not requiring a permit. ~50@ 80lb bags
2. About the same size as #1 for sidewalk to house ~50 bags
3. Repair/replacement of some 10x10 driveway pads

 

[paulsharvey]

I'll throw out some alternatives.

Dry mix trucks, it's more money than ready mix, but they batch onsite to your needs (slump, psi, ect), I think they can carry about 6.5 yards, but you pay for their time, and what concrete you use, not the whole truck. Popular with parking lot type curb guys, with a pull style curb machine, or formed curb, Type F or Type E curb, and a self propelled curb machine, just order ready mix.

There are mix buckets for skid steers, if this is going to be a semi regular thing.

The mud mixer, guys do seem to love; probably can be rented for around $150/day? I think they are around $3700 new?

Old barrel mixer type; and if you want to save more, get bulk bags of sand and pea rock delivered, and buy the Portland, and mix the whole thing.

Old fashion, hoe, shovel, hose, and tractor bucket

Barrel, and heavy duty paddle mixer (I don't mean a paint mixer on your cordless drill)

1 yard trailer redi mix is available for either pick up or deliver in areas, might be worth googling.

 

[paulsharvey]

On my list of varying priorities:
1. An extension of a shed floor from ~ 10'Wx15'L to about 17'W to max it out w/ a change in the maximum size not requiring a permit. ~50@ 80lb bags
2. About the same size as #1 for sidewalk to house ~50 bags
3. Repair/replacement of some 10x10 driveway pads

That sounds like 1 yard each for #1 and #2, at 4" thick, and each 10x10 6" thick will be almost 2 yards each. If you have about 6 yards worth of work, order either a ready mix or dry mix truck. It's about the same money, even with delivery, enivro, fuel, ect fees, if they will go to ad low as 6 yards without a "short load" fee. Some will charge a 6 yard min, even if you only order 3 yards.


1 hour delivery time isn't something that should be a problem, almost every conventional mix design has a min of 60 minutes from batch to placement, and can be worked for atleast 90-120. If that's still an issue, you can get a mix with some 'Tard in it.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

They lost me at "use a flat shovel to get the concrete out." I can't imagine shoveling out thousands of pounds of concrete. You'd think with that design you'd be able to pour it into the forms.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I have an electric mortar mixer that I bought on Amazon for about $75 that does a great job of mixing a bag of concrete in a five gallon bucket. Great if you're doing only a couple of bags.

To me though, the essential question is how many times are you going to be picking up that concrete. With a hand mixer, twice: once to put it in the mixer, once to take it out. With a portable mixer, once, putting the bags in, then you can pour them out. With delivered mix: zero times.

If the job is measured in thousands of pounds that becomes a big deal.