I need a cement/mortar mixer. Should I bite the bullet, and buy a larger gas powered unit, or will a small electric suffice. I need to do 40' of block wall, stone over it, and various and odd stone and cement work around a remote cabin.
How good do the small electrics last? Is their capacity too small to mess with? Would it be more efficient to use a bigger one, and mix my own portland, sand, lime, and aggregate rather than buy sacks of pre-mix?
Steve
Steve
I've borrowed an electric that is about 15 years old and does a lot of work. Still works just fine and for the job you want should be ideal.
I don't know about mortar mixers but I have an old Builder Square (RIP) electric concrete mixer I have mixed many yards of concrete with over the years and it is still goinhg. I am not sure how you would break it. It is not that good with mortar tho. It seems to hang up in the drum and not mix right. That is why mortar mixers use paddles
If you are the only one working than you won't need the capacity of a gas machine. 40' wall is small enough you could just wheel barrow mix. I have found that a wheel barrow is about the capacity of electrics I have used anyway.
Pre mix is the only way to go. Hauling in the sand and then the stones then shovel both into a mixer trying to keep each batch the same so it will look the same finished is time consuming and expensive. Just break a bag into the mixer/wheelbarrow and go.
If more than 3 people and larger projects then a gas is the way to go. I have an 8 HP mixer. I can dump in 4-80lb bags of premix, add water, and haul out 2 wheel barrows of concrete in less than 4 min. But need at least 3 people to keep up with the machine.
I have had good luck with small electric mortar mixers. They are great when working alone and very reliable. I don't like per mixed mortar mix very much. Much better results with individual bags of portland and lime. If making concrete you can mix sand and portland and then pour it into a tub and add stones or gravel.
I bought this one:
EBAY to buy and then sell.
"This general duty cement mixer handles stucco, mortar and concrete. Also great for inoculating seeds and mixing feeds. All-steel unit is rugged enough for construction and farm use. Large wheels for easy maneuverability. Double insulated."
The seed inoculation thing gets me. How does it do that?
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