Homeowners with mixers that sit unused in their shed may benefit from giving them new purpose and making the investment worthwhile. Repurposing can add new life and extend its usefulness. Concrete mixers are commonly used to mix concrete, but they're also an efficient and cost-effective way to create mortar (1 part cement, 3 parts sand, and 1 part water). Plus they make for great tools when mixing animal feed or inoculating seed!
Handheld Mixers
For smaller concrete projects around the house that don't require extensive costs or transportation, a handheld cement mixer may be just what's needed. They feature long handles equipped with paddles that operate a motor to maintain consistent stirring action of concrete mix - taking up less storage space than drum-style models as well.
Hand mixers can also be an efficient and time-saving method of creating homemade compost. By speeding up and simplifying this once-tedious task with just one tool. A cement mixer with a perforated or removable drum can even be converted to an effective DIY compost tumbler by drilling drainage holes into its base barrel.
A hopper-style cement mixer can be used not only to pour patios and driveways, but also to create garden beds, walls, and other landscape elements. They typically outshout hand mixers in terms of mixing power; having wider barrels for larger jobs and heavier-duty motors with greater selections of mixes but typically carrying higher price tags.
Some models can handle large volumes of concrete simultaneously while still remaining lightweight and maneuverable. They feature wide bases, large wheels, swiveling handles that enable multiple angles of use, and tilt-back functionality so the concrete mix at the bottom can easily be reached.
A pedestal-style mixer can also be an excellent choice, similar to a hopper-style model but featuring a more stable and reliable poly drum. They're great for handling heavy loads while needing minimal maintenance or cleaning; making them suitable for mixing materials like concrete, sand gravel, and rock.
If your concrete project requires large volumes, such as a sidewalk, it might be wise to invest in a professional-grade drum mixer. These mixers feature superior components and have powerful motors to handle pouring larger jobs more efficiently. Furthermore, these models usually boast larger barrel capacities and stronger steel construction to withstand repeated use over time - not to mention reinforced polyethylene drums!
Drum Mixers
No matter if you're building a patio, laying a driveway, or pouring footings - whether laying pavers, concrete or aggregates - you will require a concrete mixer for mixing cement and aggregates. These large drum mixers can handle wet or dry mixes and come in various shapes, sizes, and designs to meet various budgets and projects. Your ideal concrete mixer will depend upon your desired mix ratio, the volume of materials being mixed as well as how much labor will go into operating and maintaining this machine.
If you're mixing concrete, follow the mix ratio specified in your recipe and ensure you have added all essential ingredients before beginning to mix. If the mixture is too thick to pour, add water until you achieve the desired consistency - the blades of your mixer can help break up any clumps of dry material while simultaneously incorporating water efficiently.
An electric concrete mixer can also serve as an effective means to tumbling metal parts to remove rust and corrosion, with its rotating drum and tumbling action helping agitate and clean materials less labor intensively than manually scrubbing and sanding individual pieces by hand. To reduce noise emissions while tumbling, cover your drum with sound-dampening materials such as foam prior to beginning this task.
Gardeners and farmers will find that using a concrete mixer makes quick work of mixing their homemade potting soil. This heavy mix consists of various bulk organic materials that require gentle tumbling to achieve a cohesive, workable texture - this task is made effortless thanks to the rotating drum with built-in paddles in a concrete mixer's drum!
A concrete mixer's tumbling action makes it the ideal machine for sifting and separating compost. You can use an old cement mixer, adapt a trash can with tarp and rotary sifter, or load up the drum of an existing concrete mixer with compost before starting up your mixer to run for a few days or weeks to separate finer components from coarser components and produce usable fertilizer for your garden beds or returning it back into its original pile. Once complete, return any sifted material either back into its original pile or add as fertilizer!
Pedestal Mixers
A mixer can make mixing mortar for countertops, fence posts, and other midsize projects much faster and simpler than stirring by hand or using a drill with a mixer attachment. Some mixers even have additional functions like creating customized animal feed blends for poultry or livestock that could save you both time and money in feeding them all at the same time.
DIYers often utilize mixers to produce their cement, making it an indispensable addition to the tool collection of any home or farmstead. One such mixer was constructed from recycled parts - including an old pickle barrel and wheels from an old minivan. Building such an inexpensive homemade mixer should only cost several dollars; however, its durability might not compare to that of an industrial concrete mixer; therefore it is wise to carefully consider how often and for which tasks it will be used before making an acquisition decision.
Portable Mixers
Concrete mixers are essential construction tools, yet they're much more than that. A few simple modifications can transform an ordinary mixer into an ingenious multitasker capable of handling household, yard, and farm tasks more efficiently than hand stirring or using a drill equipped with a mixer attachment.
This homemade mixer utilizes parts salvaged from an old cement mixer and wheelbarrow. Featuring a swivel-able handle that enables left or right-handed operation, with its cord routed through the drum for ease of access, comfortable handles with easy grips, and its QuickBurst button providing extra power boost for tough jobs, this device makes an impressive statement about itself!
The mixer can also be used to make mortar. This tool is an excellent option for small projects requiring precise mixes (typically 1 part cement, 3 parts sand, and 1 part water). It features specially designed mixing paddles to facilitate this task.
People often rely on mixers to mix concrete for countertops, fence posts, and other projects requiring quick mixes of concrete. A mixer can even be used to customize blend fertilizers that save both money and chemicals on farms.
Mixers can also make excellent compost tumblers. Turning compost by hand with a pitchfork can be laborious, so making use of your mixer to help speed things up makes all the difference in this task. Simply place a perforated container at the bottom of your mixer drum, add soil and compost as you like, cover it all up, then turn on your mixer!
A mixer can also be used to quickly sift compost for seed-starting and potting soil applications, saving gardeners both time and labor in this task. Most gardeners sift their compost using wire mesh mounted on frames with shaker arms mounted underneath and shaking it back and forth over a wheelbarrow, but using a mixer with an attached sifter attachment makes this task much quicker and more straightforward.