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Thread: Cement mixer cleanout

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    I was told years ago by a manager of a redi-mix company that if you can get a few bags of sugar in the cement mix and roll the barrel, it will prevent the concrete from setting up as it should. In the case of the truck in the basement, that probably was not an option.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by bedbugbilly View Post
    IMHO banging on the outside of the drum is never a good idea as it is too easy to get carried away and you will end up with a dimpled drum. Try what the pros above suggest . . . just be careful with the muriatic acid - use goggles and rubber gloves and when you are done and have your drum clean, make sure it and your mixer are well cleaned . . if not, the muriatic acid will rust it and any other metal around it.

    My Dad started myself and my brother out at a very young age - we had a stationary mixer and later one that went on the back of the 8N Ford that rally worked slick. We mixed a lot of cement for projects on the farm and he had us shoveling to help and to learn how to do it. The one thing he drilled, hammered and pounded into us was to CLEAN the mixer up completely when the job was done. Never ceased to amaze me when we were at farm auctions and others and there would be ce,emt mixers and you'd look into them and they weren't cleaned properly and like the one you bought. Sweat and provably a few swear words along the way but you'll get it cleaned out and you'll certainly appreciate that you have it when you need it. Good luck!

    This reminds me of an incident back in the late 80s. We had a contract for trimming out a number of houses in a subdivision that was being built. Behind the house we were working not they had dug a basement and were ready to pour the footers. We were taking a mid-morning break for a coffee and as we took it, we watched a Reds-mix truck carefully make its way backing up to where it could get the chute in a good place to dump for the footers. It was in the fall - typical rainy wet Michigan weather for the week before. The cement contractors were up on high ground and directing the truck back - thank God nobody was in the basement yet because when they got the truck where they wanted it and the driver got out, in less than 30 seconds the wall of the dug basement gave way and all of them jumped bak.
    We couldn't believe what we were watching but that large Redi-mix truck slowly slid back as the wall of the dug basement collapsed and slid right down into the basement - with a full load of cement on board. Thankfully no one was hurt but they ended up having to bring in a large crane in order to get the truck out and I have often wondered just how they ever got that full mixer of cement cleaned out - if they ever did. They weren't able to get a crane there until the next day so that load sat well over 24 hours.
    Nowadays, once they have a broke down truck, they just accept the loss. At least the larger companies do.

    Once they get the truck running again, or towed out of the basement, Then they will already have a new drum on order or some of the larger companies have one in stock. Then swap out the drum and a couple of rollers. Then the truck is ready to go. The old drums get set at the scrap pile and they will sit for years.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dusty Bannister View Post
    I was told years ago by a manager of a redi-mix company that if you can get a few bags of sugar in the cement mix and roll the barrel, it will prevent the concrete from setting up as it should. In the case of the truck in the basement, that probably was not an option.
    I've heard this as well. But in 30 years of being around heavy equipment, construction companies and mixer trucks, I have never seen any sugar anywhere.

  4. #24
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    Well, worrying about dimpling the drum is long past on this one. I do have a couple of rust holes along the neck seams and the motor plate that will need some attention before the first use but overall it’s looking pretty good so far.

    I picked up an air chisel from the local big box hardware store and was able to break up about half of the contents before the air chisel quit, kinda disappointing. The website reviews warn of this type infant mortality on this brand.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by cat-mechanic View Post
    I've heard this as well. But in 30 years of being around heavy equipment, construction companies and mixer trucks, I have never seen any sugar anywhere.
    Not to mention the obvious-- concrete is not an accident, and is not mixed by the driver. All the ratios and all the additives are ordered through a contract that is quite specific, according to specifications called out by an engineer or an architect in the design documents, and measured as carefully as any baker measures ingredients for a cake. The results on large projects are then tested to make sure they meet those specifications. There are commercial retardants that slow how fast concrete sets; no one would use something as unpredictable as sugar.

    Nobody would allow some idiot to throw a bag or three of sugar into a truck of concrete.

    Where sugar is used is on the surface of various exposed aggregate finishes. It's used in various forms, I've seen pop, sugar water and molasses, but that has nothing to do with concrete in a drum.

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tatanka View Post
    Not to mention the obvious-- concrete is not an accident, and is not mixed by the driver. All the ratios and all the additives are ordered through a contract that is quite specific, according to specifications called out by an engineer or an architect in the design documents, and measured as carefully as any baker measures ingredients for a cake. The results on large projects are then tested to make sure they meet those specifications. There are commercial retardants that slow how fast concrete sets; no one would use something as unpredictable as sugar.

    Nobody would allow some idiot to throw a bag or three of sugar into a truck of concrete.

    Where sugar is used is on the surface of various exposed aggregate finishes. It's used in various forms, I've seen pop, sugar water and molasses, but that has nothing to do with concrete in a drum.
    And the last part of that equation, the only time you would want to do it, if it truly worked, is with the drum spinning in order to distribute it throughout the mix. But if the drum still spins, it can unloaded. If the drum has stopped spinning, throwing some bags of sugar on top of the wet cement isn't going to keep it from setting up.

  7. #27
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    Agreed, that is why I also said "roll the drum". The idea is to mess up the chemistry so the concrete will not set correctly and it can be cleaned out easier. NO ONE would want bags of sugar around a construction site. Please take the comment in context. The truck was not going to deliver the product, so maybe they could save the expense of a new drum or barrel by preventing a hard cure of the product.

  8. #28
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    Where I used to live, on the road out of town there was a cement truck drum just sitting by the road. Was there for decades. Heard the cement truck went off the road with a full load and it was a few days before they could get it out of the ditch. Guess company just unhooked the drum and rolled it off the truck however they do it and left.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by metricmonkeywrench View Post
    Well, worrying about dimpling the drum is long past on this one. I do have a couple of rust holes along the neck seams and the motor plate that will need some attention before the first use but overall it’s looking pretty good so far.

    I picked up an air chisel from the local big box hardware store and was able to break up about half of the contents before the air chisel quit, kinda disappointing. The website reviews warn of this type infant mortality on this brand.
    Just hit it with the acid. Dump a quart of acid in with a gallon or two of water and let it run for awhile. When it quits off gassing rinse it out and whack at it with your favorite tool. Repeat and rinse as desired.

  10. #30
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    I would at least try a rubber mallet, the vibrations may break to bond to the drum.

    Slim
    JUST GOTTA LOVE THIS JOINT.

  11. #31
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    Heat is yore friend heat the metal with a acet torch steel expands at a diffrent rate than limestone
    Those who would trade freedom for safety deserves neither and will lose both

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by metricmonkeywrench View Post
    I found a deal on a used but in decent shaped cement mixer (its an old Sears) online and picked it up today. Been wanting one for a while but really didn't want to pay full price for something that will just sit most of the time, even from the cheap tool outlets.

    The downside is that one of the previous owners let a good amount of concrete set up in the lower 3rd of the drum. Short of renting either a demo hammer or jackhammer is there some magic method to clean out a drum or am in in for a long bout with a masonry drill, hammer, chisel and sweat?

    Attachment 265919
    like has been said lots of work to remove but it can be done
    shame I have the exact same mixer works like a charm
    best of luck
    Hit em'hard
    hit em'often

  13. #33
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    Success... air chisel #2 finished off the job and got the drum is fairly clean. At least to an acceptable level for me. I figure there was at least a bag+ in there. At least I can now move it a lot easier

    Click image for larger version. 

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  14. #34
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    Wonderful
    GREAT effort
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  15. #35
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    Looks like the needed ingredient was persistence.

  16. #36
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    Keen Crete is the homeowners version of what we use at work. I think we pay about that same price for 5 gallons commercially. Put it in the mixer with a couple of shovels of 3/4" crushed rock and run it a few hours, then let it sit and run it again. It will get clean enough to use. "perfectly clean" is not a realistic concept in the world of concrete.https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-Gal-Mu...2110/206586454

  17. #37
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    Gtrubicon and BD Thanks for the tips on the 2 acid baths, that should finish off the cleaning once I address the few rust spots on the upper portion of the drum to keep the water and cleaner in and keep from making a mess.

    I also should fashion some sort of belt guard. I haven’t had time to see what the original looked like

    Overall I am pleased with the purchase and the wife’s plans will ensure we get our money out of it.

  18. #38
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    If you store it outside with the barrel opening down, put a cover over the bearings on the back of the yoke to keep rain out. Or store it opening up with a cover. Those bearings are a pain to replace.
    Mal

    Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.

  19. #39
    Boolit Master 15meter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mal Paso View Post
    Have you seen the Beirut Explosion Videos? 27,000 Tons of Ammonium Nitrate.
    Didn't check but 27,000 tons sounds a tad high, used to put urea on wheat @ 200 lbs. an acre, 27000*2000/200 = 270000 acres, that's a BIG pile of fertilizer.

    But I've been wrong before, just ask any of my sisters. 65 years and 1 day of being wrong.

    And still counting.

  20. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by 15meter View Post
    Didn't check but 27,000 tons sounds a tad high, used to put urea on wheat @ 200 lbs. an acre, 27000*2000/200 = 270000 acres, that's a BIG pile of fertilizer.

    But I've been wrong before, just ask any of my sisters. 65 years and 1 day of being wrong.

    And still counting.
    You are correct, I got the figure from the news, it was actually 2,750 Tons. Equal to 1,200 Tons of TNT. Estimated 10 to 15 Billion in damage.
    Mal

    Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.

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