Concrete Mixer from the barrel: how to make manual and mechanical drive

Construction takes a lot of time and effort. It is especially difficult for those who do not mechanize their labor. Take, for example, the process of mixing the solution: this is a very time consuming task that requires significant physical effort and patience. Make the task easier concrete mixer, but the most simple and low-volume devices cost from 15 thousand rubles and can become an unbearable waste for those who are forced to save. But this does not mean at all that you are doomed to endlessly stir the solution with a shovel, because a concrete mixer can be made from scrap materials. It's easy to collect it if you study the experience of the author of the YouTube channel. Build with us.

Read in the article

1 What is required to assemble a concrete mixer
2 How to prepare a barrel for a concrete mixer
3 How to make stable supports for a concrete mixer
4 How to make a hatch for a concrete mixer: design nuances
5 Mechanical and manual drive for concrete mixer made of auto parts

What is required to assemble a concrete mixer

The main thing in creating such a device is a suitable container for the solution. The best option is a two-hundred-liter used barrel. You can find it through private ads or at a scrap collection point. The barrel must be intact, without damage.

In addition to this container, you will need bolts, several pieces of sheet metal, trimming of a round pipe and profile. If you plan to mechanize the device, you will need an automotive gearbox and a motor with a power of at least 5 kW.

How to prepare a barrel for a concrete mixer

First, you need to cut a hole in the barrel for loading sand into it, cement, gravel and water infusion. That is, it should be large enough so as not to miss a bucket or a shovel, but at the same time it should be airtight so that the solution does not fall out of the concrete mixer while stirring. Optimally, step back 15 centimeters from the edges of the barrel and cut a hatch 40–45 cm wide.

Concrete mixer from a barrel — When access to the inside of the barrel opens, you can begin to strengthen the lid and bottom. First you need to mark the center of the cover and drill a bolt hole in it.

These bolts will be the pivot for the concrete mixer to rotate. But it is not enough to install them just like that, under the weight of the solution, the thin walls of the barrel may not withstand and the bolts will simply tear out of the metal

Therefore, the surfaces need to be reinforced on both sides. The best option is to make these circles out of thick sheet metal. A central axle bolt must be welded to them, and holes must be made around the circumference for fixing in the barrel.

Attach the reinforcement circles to the inside of the barrel as shown in the photo with bolts. Now, even with a full load of the concrete mixer, the rotation mechanism will not damage thin metal

You can leave the barrel as it is, but the mixing process will be much more efficient if you make two blades inside, which, when rotating, will additionally mix all materials solution. For this purpose, the author made two corners of bent sheet metal with sides of 10 and 15 centimeters. On the short side there are holes for bolts for fastening, and on the wide side there are slots through which the solution will pass. These two corners must be fixed opposite each other inside the barrel.

How to make stable supports for a concrete mixer

The supports have two functions: they hold the barrel weighted with mortar and are the basis for the rotation mechanism.

PHOTO: YouTube.com

The top of the A-shaped structure on each side is crowned with profile pieces, inside them are bearings that provide rotation. All these parts can be assembled by welding and additionally reinforced with metal corners.

Take the time and material to assemble the base. It is necessary to make not only a support that connects around the perimeter, but also several slopes, as well as reinforcing crossbars at the bottom and top of the structure

How to make a hatch for a concrete mixer: design nuances

When you cut out the filling hole in the barrel, you will have a hatch and a door that needs to be secured so that it is convenient to close it and unload the solution.

In order to load materials without loss and unload the solution into the prepared container, along the chute, around the loading hatch, you need to make a metal box

To prevent the hatch cover from falling into the barrel, two metal strips 2-3 centimeters wide must be welded along the edge

Strong and tight fixation of the hatch cover is guaranteed by pipes welded on four sides. Through them, after loading the mortar materials, fixing bolts are screwed in.

Mechanical and manual drive for concrete mixer made of auto parts

The concrete mixer can be rotated manually or using an electric motor. The latter option is convenient if it is possible to connect to the network at the construction site.

The author made a mechanical drive based on a gearbox from the old Zhiguli. If you plan to repeat this experiment, then when making the plate reinforcing the bottom of the plate, immediately provide for such an arrangement of fasteners so that they also fix the gear wheel

An electric motor with a power of at least 5 kW should also be attached to a metal plate for fixation. And it needs to be screwed to the support of the concrete mixer

The ready-made solution from the barrel is mainly unloaded into a wheelbarrow or a basin, therefore, it will be necessary to make a gutter of sheet iron of such a size so that all contents from the hatch do not fall out by

It is logical to provide for a manual drive in the concrete mixer, because there may be problems with the electricity connection. The drive is very simple to make: a handle with a comfortable handle should be adapted to the rotation axis

The inside and outside of the barrel must be painted with paint to protect it from corrosion. Cement slurry is a rather aggressive material, so you should also think about the durability of the inner side of the concrete mixer. After each use, it must be cleaned of concrete residues.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in making a concrete mixer with your own hands. But then with its help you can save a lot of time and effort at the construction site.

And here is another review of a simple manual concrete mixer from the same barrel, which may be useful to you when choosing a type of construction:

Share your impressions of this idea in the comments. Write down how effective and convenient is this design in your opinion?

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