PTO Cement Mixer

[nuvz]

I am curious if anyone has a plan to build a PTO Cement Mixer. I am thinking that one could be fabricated using an automotive differential for the drive & attaching the drum to an axel. Then allowing the differential housing to pivot using a lever to dump the drum. Any thoughts??

 

[Buck]

nuvz,

My only thought is that there ought to be a market, bigger than say, post hole diggers, for supplying people with "Lego" -Like components, shafts, gearboxes, etc. to do such a thing!

Buck

 

[mbsil]

I'm keeping my eyes out for a used cement mixer with a lawn-mower type engine. I'm thinking I could replace the engine with the appropriate sized gear(s) and weld on a 3PH and a tilt mechanism (manual at first with thoughts for a future hydraulic cylinder tilt (dump))

I should be able to accomplish this for far less than the $700+ that they want for a new PTO mixer.

 

[jimgerken]

I own an old old three cubic foot mixer. It is electric motor powered. It is in tough shape but it works and it is clean inside so I use it and hope it doesnt break. I was thinking , like you are, about how neat it might be to have it 3-pt mounted. But on my current project, and maybe others you will think of, it would be a big hassle if it was tying up the 3-pt. Currently I have a post hole digger on the 3-pt and I drill a hole, set a post, mix a small batch, pour it in the wheelbarrow, dump it in the hole around the bottom of the post 10-12" deep. If the mixer was 3-pt mounted, I'd have to switch implements every 15 minutes. I am finding it great to have the loader on the front to bring the sand to the location where the mixer is, and water is easy anyway with a hose. So a mobile-mixer doesn't have great advantages to me. Just food for thought.
I do like your differential idea. I assume you'd block the unused shaft from turning, basically using the diff as a right angle box. Work out the math so you're sure it will run slow enough. I find that a mixer running about the right speed actually drops the mud at almost the top of the circle. If it is too fast the mud just goes around without doing any blending, stuck to the drum.

 

[mrcaptainbob]

I hatched a plan to hook up a mixer bucket in place of the bucket on the back hoe. Using a hydraulic motor to do the spin on the drum and a manual dump. I like that because of the low height of the drum. Easier on the back. Plus, swinging the bucket over to where it's needed, even if I have to dismount to do it, still beats the wheel barrow. Note the wording...'hatched-a-plan'. Haven't counted that chicken yet.....

 

[3054]

I had a similar idea. Here is a photo of what I made

 

[mbsil]

That's pretty cool.

I found a mixer spec that mentioned a gear ratio of 8.77:1.

If my math skills are working that's 540/8.77 = 61.57 RPM drum rotation speed. Design so that the gearing achieves the same drum rotation speed.

 

[forestcreature]

has anyone else just dumped the back of sack-crete into the fel bucket and mixed it there?

not owning a wheel barrow, this worked for the minimal amount of concrete/mortar work i did.

[self scooping on the gravel too - as long as you do that first]

i really liked the idea of using the mixer barrel on the fel.

 

[Golfgar4]

Pretty cool /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif - but how do you get the FEL to spin around to mix the cement?? /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Kodiak]

There is a new post by andyfr in the pressure washer attachments thread, in the attachments forum. That contains a link to the Lawrence Edwards Company. They have this really good looking hydraulic powered 3Pt cement mixer. I would bet that it would be easy to modify for your front bucket, like that in the picture from 3054.