Self-made concrete mixer made of scrap materials: structural

In this article we will talk about how a home-made concrete mixer can be made by hand with the use of scrap materials and tools available. The topic of the article is more than relevant, since the presence of a mixer with a mechanized drive is a guarantee of high-quality and successful concreting.

It would seem that it could be easier, because it is enough to purchase the necessary unit, or at worst to rent it. That's the way it is, but if the budget allocated for the construction work is limited, the production of a home-made concrete mixer will favorably affect the cost of the finished result.

In order to determine the choice of the optimal technology for self-manufacturing of the mixer, consider the device and principle of operation of the factory device.

Construction features

The basis of most modern concrete mixers is a drum, traverse, welded metal, and electric drive.

The drum, in which the ingredients are loaded, is fixed on the traverse by means of rolling bearings. The engine is located in the immediate vicinity of the drum and transmits torque through a chain or belt drive. The intensity of rotation of the drum is controlled by gears gear.

In fact, the design of the factory concrete mixer is simple and can be repeated independently with the introduction of some changes.

We make a hand-driven mixer from the barrel

In essence, the concrete mixer drum is the metal barrel. Therefore, for the manufacture of the unit with their own hands, it is most logical to use an unnecessary, but rather strong cylindrical container.

Instructions for the manufacture of our unit requires the use of a metal barrel of up to 200 liters. Finding such capacity does not seem to be particularly difficult. For example, you can use the container from under the fuel.

Manufacturing technology

• At the initial stage in the ends of the barrel we make holes for flange fasteners bolts and shaft.
• Sideways on the wall of the barrel cut a rectangular opening under the loading door (dimensions 300 * 240 mm).
• For tightness of the drum, glue the edges of the opening from the outside with a rubber or polyurethane sealant. The thicker the chosen seal, the better.
• Cut out the steel sheet from the steel sheet so that its edges overlap the line of the cut-out opening..
• We weld hinges and a reliable locking device to the edges of the opening and the manhole cover. It is easiest to manufacture the locking device from the corners welded to the lid and barrel. In the corners we drill through holes for bolting.
• In the next step, we make a manual drive.. The principle of operation of this design is in many ways similar to the action of the rotary handle of the well. To prepare the shaft, you can use a water pipe with a diameter of 50 mm.
• The shaft at the ends of the barrel fastened by flanges. Flanges can be made using larger pipes. The flanges are fixed to the ends of the barrel by the welded method or by bolting.
• In order for mixing to be carried out more thoroughly and intensively, combs must be installed inside the barrel.. Combs are made from a corner of 50 * 50 mm and a length of 700 mm. The teeth are the easiest to make from construction nails 100 mm, which are enough to weld to the base. Combs can be fixed inside the barrel by bolted or welded connection. Fasten combs along the passage of the shaft. As a rule, 4-5 combs for a standard barrel is enough.
• Next, collect the rack, as shown in the diagram. Fastening the shaft requires a bearing.

The use of the finished unit is carried out as follows. The mixture is poured through the hatch. Then the same water is poured. Further the hatch is fixed with bolts and you can proceed to the rotation of the barrel.

The price of such a device is low, while the effectiveness of the application is sufficient for concreting in the conditions of individual construction. A significant disadvantage of this device is the limited dimensions of the loading door in the side.

The small dimensions of the hatch slow down the process of loading and unloading building materials, but unfortunately, an increase in the size of the loading window in the side of the barrel has a negative effect on the strength of the structure for concrete in general.

Manufacturing mixer with electric drive

So, we know how to make a homemade hand-held concrete mixer. The advantages of such an installation are obvious, but it is quite tiring to turn the handle when pouring a massive slab concrete foundation. Save power and save time will help the use of an electric drive.

Important: It is unprofitable to buy an electric motor with new ones, but if there is any old equipment from which it can be removed, you should definitely take advantage of this.

The best option is the engine of a washing machine of the Soviet sample with a vertical load. Motors with modern imported washing machines are not suitable, as they are thin and most likely will not withstand the weight of a metal container filled with mortar.

If the mixer is needed urgently, and you have to work with small volumes of solution (up to 100 liters), you can use the old work washer with minimal modifications of the drum.

Important: By mounting the blades on the bottom of the drum and setting the unit at an inclination of 45 degrees, you can prepare quite high-quality solutions, but without using rubble as a filler.

If you need a more user-friendly device, you will have to work a welding machine.

Manufacturing technology

As mentioned earlier, the disadvantage of side loading agitators is low loading capacity. This problem can be solved by eliminating the side hatch in favor of end loading.

So, we have an engine, a belt drive and other structural elements from an old, but working washing machine, which means it's time to start making a concrete mixer.

• To begin, prepare 3-4 blades measuring 100 * 10 cm of 3 mm thick sheet steel.

• Rectangular blades welded inside the metal barrel diagonally. The angle of the blades is selected so as to push the solution inwards, not outwards, as the drum rotates. However, if you make a mistake, you can change the polarity of the connection, and the barrel will spin in the opposite direction.

• In the next step, we roll the edges of the barrel from the end where the load will be carried out. Thus, it will be possible to avoid splashing the mixture.
• The frame, on which the drum will be located, is boiled from a steel corner of 5 * 5 cm. The frame can be made stationary, but in this case the solution will have to be shipped with a ladle. To facilitate unloading can be due to the swing frame. In this case, the drum can be tilted. In addition, when shipping, it will be possible to change the polarity of the motor connection so that it turns the drum in the other direction and pushes the finished solution.

• We fasten the barrel to the frame by means of a powerful metal flange, which we mount at the end of the barrel with bolts.
• Into the frame we weld 2 powerful bearings, through which the shaft passes from the flange to the pulley, to which the torque will be transmitted via a belt drive.

• To simplify the design of the inclined mechanism, the frame can be made wheel with handles like that of a wheelbarrow, so that the structure, if necessary, can be knocked over and the ready solution is thrown out.

Power supply features

Concrete mixers of factory production, as a rule, are designed for three-phase power supply. This creates inconvenience when a regular power supply is provided on the construction site. Since we use an engine from a household washing machine as an electric drive, we use the usual connection.

Important: For the full operation of the device, it is advisable to provide a reliable solid casing that can be used to cover switches and other devices for which electricity is supplied.

Conclusion

Now you know what knots a homemade concrete mixer consists of from a barrel and how to make it yourself. You can find more useful and informative information by watching the video in this article.