Do-it-yourself concrete mixer from a plastic barrel. We make a manual concrete mixer from a barrel with our own hands, quickly and at no extra cost. Final installation and assembly

06.05.2020

At limited budget buying equipment that is needed for only one construction is unprofitable. If firms offering tool rentals have not yet opened in the neighborhood, a do-it-yourself concrete mixer made by yourself will be a great way to save money! If you approach a homemade device with care, it will last more than one year.

Types of concrete mixers

Having previously studied the mechanism of operation of concrete mixers and their characteristics, it will be possible to choose a design that is suitable for the needs of a particular construction. After all, why complicate your work if you can manage with a simple mechanical device?

On the other hand, loading the concrete mixer to capacity, it will not be possible to finish pouring the foundation faster - this will lead to a banal overload of the engine and its imminent failure.

Mechanical or electrical?

Choosing the design of the future "assistant", you should immediately decide on the way it works:

mechanical concrete mixers - operate from a manual drive, when mixing a large number concrete, you need to turn the gate together;
electric concrete mixers - work from the network, but connecting the motor requires good knowledge of auto mechanics.

If several strong and hardy people are involved at the construction site, you can get by with a manual concrete mixer. The ingredients of the mixture are loaded either simultaneously or one by one. The only inconvenience is that designs with a movable barrel, and not an internal shaft, do not allow adding water during the mixing process. The barrel must be stopped, the hatch opened and water filled. The hatch closes and the mixture mixes again.

Electric concrete mixers allow you to mix large volumes of concrete in the shortest possible time, while one person does an excellent job. It should be borne in mind that high-power motors require a three-phase network, therefore, when choosing a tank volume, the motor power should also be calculated in advance. If only a 220 V line is connected to the yard, you will have to forget about heavy solutions.

Forced, gravity or vibration?

The design of the concrete mixer will also depend on the principle of operation:

forced-action concrete mixers are distinguished by a fixed tank in which the blades mounted on the shaft rotate;
gravitational concrete mixers mix concrete due to the rotation of the tank itself, in which the blades are rigidly fixed to the walls;
vibratory concrete mixers can not boast of high productivity, but they provide a high-quality and homogeneous mixture without bubbles.

At the same time, both gravitational and forced action concrete mixers can be both mechanical and electric. The whole difference is that a mechanical forced-action concrete mixer has a horizontal axis, while an electric one can also have a vertical one.

For their manufacture, you need a metal container. The most elementary option is a metal barrel with walls from 2.5 mm thick.

Vibrating homemade concrete mixers are available to every owner of a hammer drill. And although it will not work to fill the foundation with their help, it is quite possible to make a filler floor in the bathroom or mix a tile mortar. At the same time, the design is nowhere simpler and does not require direct human participation. So even a woman can do the job.

Concrete mixer volume

An important selection criterion is the capacity of the future concrete mixer. For example, for work on pouring the foundation, a minimum capacity of 200 liters is required. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the finished mixture will turn out 15-25% less - depending on the possibilities of loading.

Manually, such a volume of concrete can be kneaded, although it is quite difficult - the hand will get tired.

A home-made device has another significant drawback - the mixture is often discharged in in full. Therefore, it is better to take care of a wheelbarrow of the appropriate capacity in advance. If it is possible to make a partial reset mechanism, it is better not to take the time to create it. This will greatly simplify the operation of capacious electric concrete mixers and allow you to work together, loading two wheelbarrows.

Drawings and arrangement of simple concrete mixers

If the volume of construction is small, you can get by with simple concrete mixers, the creation of which does not require serious labor and financial costs.

Vibratory concrete mixer from perforator

The presence of a mixer attachment is a must for any construction works. But holding a drill while it kneads the solution in a bucket is hard and time is wasted. If you have a hammer drill with manual activation of the percussion mechanism, you can quickly make a vibratory concrete mixer:

You will need a puncher with a power of 1-1.3 kW. Less powerful ones will be ineffective.
A vibrator is being made - the main operating part of the concrete mixer. An improperly made vibrator simply won't mix the concrete. Its shape should resemble a biconvex lens - flat edges and a convex middle. For example, it can be metal plates stacked together and fixed. The disk diameter is calculated based on 20 cm per 1 kW. For a 1.3 kW rotary hammer, you will need a vibrator with a diameter of 25 cm.
A round container is selected. The distance from its walls to the vibrator should be equal to its radius. So, for a vibrator with a diameter of 25 cm, you need a container with a diameter of 50 cm.
Mounting bracket for perforator. The position of the vibrator is calculated so that its distance to the bottom is equal to its diameter, in this example it is 25 cm. The amount of solution above the vibrator should be the same.

The readiness of the solution during the operation of such a concrete mixer is determined by the absence of rising bubbles and the formation of small waves on the surface. If the cement or sand is of poor quality, the solution may not form waves. The mixture is ready when it stops stirring and gurgling.

Concrete mixer with manual drive from the barrel

You will need actually a two-hundred-liter metal barrel, metal pipe diameter 2-3 cm, flanges, grinder and welding machine:

A loading hole is cut in the barrel and two opposite holes for the pipe, which will be the axis. The axis can be threaded both through the center of the barrel and diagonally. In the second case, the mixture will mix better.

From the inside of the barrel, 2-3 blades are welded to the walls - so that the mixture does not stick to the walls and mixes better. The blades should run along the entire barrel, but not close to the walls - otherwise the solution will constantly accumulate in the seams.

A pipe is threaded, its ends are welded and fixed with flanges.
A stand for a concrete mixer is being made. Its height should be such that it is convenient to load the ingredients of the mixture without raising them too high, but also so that it does not have to interfere, bending over three deaths. On the supports under the axle, you need to make oarlocks that will allow the axle to spin freely. You can use both a hollow tube of a larger diameter and bearings.

It is imperative to provide a wide, strong and stable base connecting the legs of the supports. This will prevent the concrete mixer from swaying during operation.
The levers are welded to the axle. Do not forget that they should be located opposite each other. The longer the lever, the easier it is to move the barrel. But too long a lever is not convenient to use, so you should stick to the golden mean.

The lid of the loading hatch must be tightly closed - so that the mixture does not leak out. Can cut cover bigger size from the same barrel and glue around the perimeter with thick rubber. And you can use the part from the same barrel, left over from cutting the loading hole. To do this, you just need to weld a centimeter metal strip along the edge and also seal it with rubber.

A similar design is for an open-type concrete mixer. Only instead of a movable barrel, blades are spinning inside, which are also driven by human effort. For its manufacture, you will need the barrel itself, and pipes of round and rectangular cross-section. The barrel is laid on its side, the top is cut off from it. It is better to leave as much of the barrel as possible - so that you can mix more concrete.

Holes for the shaft are cut on the sides. But, unlike a gravity concrete mixer, the blades are welded onto the shaft itself. You can use any parts, even blades from a combine!

The mixture is also unloaded by turning the entire barrel.

Such concrete mixers are very a budget option, but requires the constant participation of two workers. If you have to work alone, you will need a device with an electric motor. For example, an open type variant can be quickly improved by connecting a motor to it.

Electric drive "factory" concrete mixers

Without confident welder skills, it is better not to try to repeat the factory models of concrete mixers yourself. But with an experienced neighbor, you can make excellent equipment from almost nothing! At the same time, such a concrete mixer will last more than 10 years, helping in the construction of the entire holiday village.

Homemade gravity concrete mixer from scrap metal

After that, you will have to travel to recycling centers and car dismantling in search of the necessary parts:

sheets of metal with a thickness of 2.5 mm for the walls and 5 mm for the bottom of the pear;
a flywheel from a car, for example, from the Volga or MAZ, a hub and a bendix - for the pear rotation mechanism;
bearings for tipping the pear (you can get by with the “pipe-to-pipe” system, generously lubricating the oarlock);
metal pipes of square section and different diameters - for the base, seat and swivel wheel.

When all the materials are collected, you can proceed directly to the manufacture of the concrete mixer:

The body elements are bent and welded together. You can bend steel with a sledgehammer, even if the individual parts do not turn out to be perfectly even, when welded together, they will take the desired shape.

While the pear is not welded together, a rotation mechanism is attached to the lower part of it, cut from 5 mm steel. It is advisable to make it removable - it is easier to transport a collapsible concrete mixer.

Pieces of pear are welded together. First, the central and lower parts are combined. To do this, the edges of the central rim are notched and bent inward - to limit the exit of the lower part. Through the top, the lower part is inserted into the central rim and, with the help of tapping with a sledgehammer, it is pressed all the way down. When the edges are aligned, they can be welded.

The upper part of the pear drops into the central one, the edges of the central rim are also cut and bent inward. With the help of a nail puller, the top is also “picked out” to the stop and also welded.
From the inside of the pear, blades are welded to help mix the mixture. To prevent the solution from accumulating in the seams, the blades are attached at a small distance from the walls.
You can start making a seat that ensures the tipping of the pear. Given the large weight of even an empty container, you need to take care of the high reliability and strength of the frame.

The overturning mechanism must be done on a flywheel with a gear - so even one will be able to overturn the full capacity. You can weld a hex wheel or fit any other.

A gearbox is being made, which will transmit torque from the engine to the pear. The pulleys on the shaft and the motor are calculated so that up to 25 pear revolutions per minute are obtained.

To prevent large parts of the mixture from falling into the rotation mechanism, a strip can be welded over the crown, but this stage is optional.

In principle, the concrete mixer is ready. If desired, it can be painted - to protect the metal from corrosion, although during operation it will still acquire a classic gray color.

Forced-type concrete mixer from a tin pan

If it is not there, you can order a pan with a diameter of 60 cm and a depth of 50 cm from a familiar tinsmith. After that, it remains only to fit the mechanism, the blades and make the hatch:

The center of the container is marked - this is where the shaft will be located. A hatch is cut out for unloading the mixture. It is easier to cut a rectangular one, but then the whole mixture will break into a wheelbarrow. It is better to make a rotary semicircular hatch.

To do this, a rod is welded in the center of the cut out semicircle, on which the hatch will turn. To prevent the mixture from flowing out, a strip is welded over the cut of the hatch, under which the curtain will move.

In an inverted state, an engine with a gearbox is mounted on the installed bearing. To securely fix the engine and ensure the necessary belt tension, the engine is installed on rails welded to the bottom of the tank.

To reinforce the frame of the container made of steel 2 mm thick, a rim of a steel bar or pipe must be welded along the upper edge. You can also make stiffeners on the sides and bottom of the container.

After the wheels, support and rotation mechanism are installed, the entire structure can be turned over. The blades are attached to the shaft and everything is fixed with one bolt - so that the design is easily collapsible. It is important to think over the position of the blades-blades correctly - one should remove the solution from the walls, the second should separate it from the bottom, and a few more should mix the middle.

You can get by with a construction of scrap and a cross from a water flange. If the blades are made movable, their position can be adjusted depending on the type of mixture.

The forced action concrete mixer is ready! You can mix almost any mixture in it, make them liquid or dense, add crushed stone of large and small fractions. The same concrete mixer, but of a horizontal type, can be made according to the drawing.

The process of assembling a concrete mixer from a steel barrel is clearly shown in the video:

This is one of the easiest ways to make the necessary construction equipment at a minimum cost!

Get a concrete mixer home use now it’s not a problem - there are enough relatively inexpensive household models on sale. Nuance: such products do not differ in capacity (only 60 ... 100 liters) and reliability, since they are made from cheap components. It is easier for a homely owner who knows the skills of metalwork and welding to make a concrete mixer of the required volume with his own hands, following our recommendations.

Choice of agitator design

For and cooking cement mortars various brands, the following types of mechanized mixers are used:

forced action - auger and bladed;
gravity;
vibrating.

Concrete mixer forced (left) and gravity action (right)

Note. Vibrating type mortar agitators are used in industrial scale. It is also possible to assemble a handicraft version at home - for example, from a manual puncher. But you should not seriously consider such homemade products, the reason is the low performance of the installation.

Usually, home craftsmen make gravitational and forced models of concrete mixers - it is easier to collect the components and materials available on the farm for them. Let's take a closer look at each design.

Forced mixers

The principle of operation of this construction machine resembles the preparation of a solution with a drill with a nozzle - a mixer. Mixing occurs with the help of blades or auger installed inside a fixed cylindrical container. Drive - gear, chain or belt from an electric motor with a power of 500 W or more (depending on the size of the container).

The principle of forced mixing - the body remains stationary, only the blades rotate

The designs of forced concrete mixers may differ in a number of ways:

the position of the tub - vertical or horizontal;
mobility - stationary installations (moved by crane or portage) or mobile models on wheels;
unloading method - through an opening hatch or turning over a horizontal tub fixed on hinges;
the order of operation is cyclic or continuous.

Reference. Household mixers designed for cyclic operation - loading ingredients - mixing - unloading, then the cycle is repeated. Screw mixers can operate continuously - on the one hand, dry components are poured, on the other - the finished solution comes out. An example of such a machine is shown in the drawing.

The main advantage of a forced concrete mixer is to obtain a homogeneous high-quality solution. Disadvantages:

manufacturing complexity - the body and the working part must be clearly adjusted to each other so that there are no dead zones at the corners of the container where the blades do not reach;
preparation of concrete is difficult - large and medium-sized pebbles get stuck between the walls of the tub and the blades;
homemade mixer bearings must be protected from the penetration of water, sand and cement.

Conclusion: the installation is perfect for plastering, finishing and masonry work especially when using dry mixes. It is also permissible to prepare concrete with a fine fraction filler - gravel, marble chips, and so on.

Gravity type machines

The simplest manual concrete mixer using the principle of natural mixing is shown in the photo. If in household an iron barrel of 200 liters and scraps of rolled metal will be found, such homemade design it will cost almost free - from the parts you will have to buy only bearings.

Advice. car with manual drive it is better to make from a barrel mounted on a diagonal axis. It has been proven by practice: the quality of preparation of dry building mixes and concretes is significantly improved, and the pipe passing through the tub serves as an additional solution divider.

The classic pear bucket concrete mixer adopts the combined forced-gravity principle. Blades of a cunning shape are welded from the inside of the container, passing the concrete mixture along the walls, but capturing the solution closer to the center. The "pear" is rotated by an electric motor, the concrete is unloaded by tilting the working drum.

What are the advantages of such structures:

the stirrer is suitable for the preparation of any solutions;
ease of manufacture - hinged elements are taken out of the container and do not need to be sealed;
The "pear" and the drive can be placed on a stationary or mobile frame equipped with wheels and even a tow hitch for a car.

Traditional concrete mixers are inferior to forced ones in terms of speed of preparation and uniformity of the solution, but they win in simplicity of design and versatility. For home use gravitational models are more suitable. An example of such a homemade product with a motor from washing machine shown in video:

We make a mortar mixer from a barrel

To select parts for assembling a construction machine, we suggest studying its device according to the presented drawing (the list items coincide with the positions on the sketch):

Mixing drum made of 200 liter metal drum.
Pear tipping handle - steel pipeØ20-26 mm.
Support rollers of the drum - 2 pcs.
metal frame profile pipe section 50 x 30 mm, wall thickness 2.5 mm.
Electric motor 750…2000 rpm, power 0.5…1.5 kW.
Supportive swivel subframe.
The articulation cross is a metal strip 40 x 3 mm.
Intermediate pulley.
Main pulley.

Note. Dimensions and ways of connecting parts can be changed depending on the available materials.

Craftsmen use small wheels or conventional rolling bearings as support rollers. Instead of a profile pipe, round or corners plus channels are used without problems. The sizes of the intermediate and driving pulleys are selected depending on the number of revolutions of the electric motor.

In addition to these materials, you will need a power cable, a block of starting capacitors and an engine start / stop button.

Making a tub

Strict cylindrical shape barrels do not contribute to the high-quality mixing of cement with ingredients - crushed stone, sand, expanded clay and other fillers. After mixing with water, one part of the mass sticks to the bottom, the other splashes out through the neck.

Before assembling a concrete mixer, you need to make a “pear” from a barrel:

Note. The longer you make the vertical cuts, the more narrowing the "pear" will turn out. But remember - too long “petals” bend unevenly, as a result, the container will lose its correct shape, and axial runout will occur during rotation.

To the lower end of the tub, you need to re-weld the bottom and the cross for the drive joint. Another option is to mount the bearing race.

Frame assembly and drive device

The design of the iron frame is arbitrary, depending on the dimensions of the drum, the method of installation and the materials found at hand. When assembling, consider the following recommendations:

the frame must be stable, withstand the rocking and tipping of the barrel with concrete;
weld stiffeners between vertical posts and horizontal elements;
it is better to make an internal rotary frame on bearings, although it is quite acceptable to use hinges on bushings;
prepare mounting platforms for the engine and drive parts;
if the torque is transmitted by a belt, provide a sliding mount for the motor or pulley to tension / loosen it;
put a latch to secure the tub in an inclined position - a metal rod inserted into the holes on the turntable will do.

Pay special attention to the calculation of the drive mechanism. The optimal speed of rotation of the "pear" is 30 ... 40 rpm, it is not recommended to exceed or underestimate the indicated speed. The task is to match the existing electric motor with pulleys, gears or a gearbox in order to reduce the speed. We calculate the gear ratio I, then determine the dimensions of the pulleys using the equation:

I = n1/n2 = D1/D2

n1, n2 are the speed of the driving and driven pulleys, respectively;
D1, D2 - pulley diameters.

Calculation example. There is an engine with a shaft speed of 800 rpm, the size of the drive wheel is 60 mm. To obtain a bucket rotation speed of 40 rpm, you need to select a driven pulley with a diameter of D2 = (800 x 60) / 40 = 1200 mm. When using a chain and gear transmission, the teeth of the sprocket must be counted.

Usually the size of the driven gear is too large. When making a concrete mixer with your own hands, the torque from the electric motor to the drum can be transmitted in different ways:

Reference. On factory models, the issue is solved in a similar way - the driven gear is embedded directly into the tub body.

After assembling the frame and mounting the support rollers, the barrel is finally attached to the lower hub. It remains to connect the wired mechanism and assemble the stirrer power supply circuit.

Conclusion

For the needs of a private household, a concrete mixer with a useful volume of 0.15 cubic meters is quite enough, which just corresponds to a 200-liter barrel. A home-made installation can always be improved - attach wheels, a towing device, and even organize self-loading using a small conveyor. Upgrade Options construction equipment often published by members of thematic forums.

Structural engineer with over 8 years experience in construction.
Graduated from East Ukrainian National University. Vladimir Dal with a degree in Electronic Industry Equipment in 2011.

A home-made concrete mixer from a barrel can completely replace the factory counterpart and will allow you to prepare a really high-quality concrete mix for construction. Its cost will not exceed 1,000 rubles, and all materials can be found in a garage or a scrap metal collection point. We will now look at the detailed step by step instructions how to make a concrete mixer with your own hands, we will learn all the secrets of a simple matter and build a high-quality construction tool in a few hours.

Details and drawings of manual concrete mixer

First, consider what we need to make it. The main goal of our work is to build really cheap design at minimal cost, so we will take only publicly available tools and materials.

A barrel, she is a "badya". The simplest option is a 200-liter metal vessel, in which grain or feed is always stored in the country, a barrel is suitable for transporting petroleum products or chemicals. If you don’t have one at home, then you can find it in a landfill or in any agricultural company (as a rule, they are thrown away after using oils or chemicals).
Thick-walled pipe with a diameter of 32 mm. We need 2 pieces of 20 centimeters each, from which we will make bushings for the shaft. A manual concrete mixer will be without a drive and without bearings - this is much easier and more reliable.
Axis. It should be 150 centimeters long and with a diameter of 3 cm in order to fit tightly into the bushings. For a smooth ride, they can be lubricated with grease.
Channel 60 mm. You need 2 pieces 1 meter long (these will be the supporting elements on which the entire structure rests) and 2 parts 50 cm each - spacers for the main supports, give the tool maximum stability.
Steering wheel from a KamAZ car or another truck. A homemade manual concrete mixer should turn easily. The more steering wheel you find, the better and easier it will be to work with.
Loops. In the middle of the barrel there will be a backfill hatch building materials, it is best done on strong hinges that can withstand any load. The hatch handle can be made from anything, best option- an ordinary door handle welded to iron.
Metal square 20x20 mm. It is necessary for the manufacture of the “insides” of a concrete mixer from a barrel, the manufacturing process of which will be described below.

Actually, these are all the materials that we need. The general drawing of our simple concrete mixer will look something like this:

We also need standard tools for processing: a welding machine (basic skills) and a grinder for cutting metal. The construction will take approximately 3-4 hours with all the "ingredients".

The process of making a homemade concrete mixer with your own hands

Let's start with the barrel and its innards. We need to put it on the axis, center it and make elements inside that will mix the concrete with the highest quality and make a homogeneous mixture suitable for construction work.

STEP 1. Via welding machine or you need to drill exactly in the center from the bottom and top of the tub to make 2 holes, thread a 30 mm metal axis through the barrel and scald everything well so that the barrel is tightly attached to the shaft.

STEP 2. Using a grinder, cut a rectangle sized (90x30 centimeters) along the barrel - a place for filling building materials. Too small a hatch cannot be made, since it will be inconvenient to pour out the finished mixture. A large hole is also undesirable - it will significantly reduce the strength of the product.

STEP 3. We take a metal square and make several “blades” inside a homemade concrete mixer. One side is welded to the axis, the other - to the wall of the barrel. Enough 4-5 blades, evenly distributed over the entire area of the tub.

STEP 4. We weld the cut out rectangle to the hinges, which, in turn, must be fixed on the barrel to make an openable hatch. The lid latch can be made at your discretion, up to attaching a regular door hook. The main task of the lid is to prevent the mixture from falling out under its own weight, so everything must be fixed firmly.

To make a manual concrete mixer with your own hands, you need to install it on a tripod, 1 meter high - optimal height for the device for 150-200 l. If there is an opportunity and desire, it is better to make it at an angle of 10-15 degrees - it will be easier to mix everything, but this is not necessary and will not significantly affect the process. Consider step by step process base manufacturing.

STEP 1: weld the frame. We take a 60 mm channel 1 meter long and weld a 50 cm long channel on one side - one supporting leg is ready. We weld the other support in the same way.

STEP 2: weld bushings. A thick-walled pipe 20 cm long must be welded to the other edge of the channel. A metal axle will go into it.

STEP 3: we insert the axle into the bushings, weld thick metal washers at both ends - they will be retaining rings so that the shaft does not run anywhere during the preparation of concrete. A do-it-yourself manual concrete mixer is already on a tripod and easily scrolls along the axis, it remains to make a drive for it.

STEP 4: weld the steering wheel (or its equivalent). A metal steering wheel or wheels must be welded to one end of the axle, no difference. The main thing is the large diameter of the circle, so that it is convenient to scroll through the full concrete mixer.

An electric drive for a concrete mixer will cost a lot more, so it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money. Such an apparatus should be fully sufficient for the needs of conventional construction in a private house or country house. A manual barrel concrete mixer has virtually no shelf life, as the wear parts are made of thick metal, and the bushings (if used correctly) will wear out 5-7 years.

Do-it-yourself concrete mixer - operating tricks

A home-made design does all the work that the factory version does, but it will have to be operated in a slightly different way in order to get maximum comfort. We will give a few useful tips, with the help of which a do-it-yourself concrete mixer from a barrel will become your favorite tool!

Periodically lubricate the bushings with grease. This will reduce friction and even a child can turn the tub. If you do not lubricate for a long time, then you will soon have to make a concrete mixer out of the barrel again - the bushings or the axle will wear out very quickly.
To the spacers, you can weld 1 wheel from a washing machine or construction wheelbarrow if you still don't know how to make a concrete mixer easy to transport around the site.
The greater the angle of inclination, the easier it will be to handle the equipment. The maximum allowable angle is 45 degrees, you can’t do more, because the concrete will mix poorly.
The engine for a concrete mixer (if necessary) can be made from a washing machine with a gear ratio of 1:8. The flywheel can be installed instead of the steering wheel.
For long-term storage, it would be better to lubricate the barrel with mining so that it lasts much longer.

We looked at how to make a concrete mixer from a barrel with our own hands with minimal cost and got the design for only 650 rubles(provided you use your own old barrel). An ordinary manual concrete mixer for 200 liters will cost at least 6,000 rubles - the benefit is obvious.

Now we offer to see how to make a concrete mixer with your own hands from a barrel in the video and our apparatus at work:

The concrete mixer is an indispensable device for various construction works. The time when mortar for building was kneaded by hand is long gone. Today, in every industry, people are trying to facilitate and automate manual labor as much as possible.

So in construction, in order to facilitate work, they came up with a device that would help prepare homogeneous concrete mixtures. The mixing process in these mechanisms is carried out by mechanical mixing of all the ingredients of the solution. Usually it is cement, water and sand.

For the construction of large facilities, an industrial machine is the only choice. And in a small construction site (for example, in a private house) the best choice- This is a concrete mixer, made by hand, taking into account all requirements.

What is she like?

In most cases, this design is a drum in which the mixing process takes place directly. It receives rotational energy with the help of a mechanical drive and an electric motor. The electric motor in this case is the heart of the machine. These builder's assistants differ in power, drum volume, and also in type of execution.

But not all devices have such a standard design. There is a forced type device. It looks a little different. Here, the container for the solution is made without the possibility of movement. It has blades of a special shape. Due to their movement, all components are mixed. Such a system does not allow the mixing of particularly large particles. The machine is designed for liquid mixtures only. But a do-it-yourself concrete mixer made according to this principle can mix even large fractions of the solution.

How to make a high quality solution?

In the preparation of the correct and high-quality mortar, there are several basic principles. Each of them must be observed, otherwise there is a risk that the solution will be spoiled and will not have the proper qualities.

So, what are the requirements for the process of mixing the ingredients of the solution? Firstly, the cooking time should not exceed 3 minutes in duration. If the process lasts longer, this will cause a centrifugation effect, which will significantly degrade the quality of the solution.

Secondly, when the mixing process is completed, to unload the mixture, lower the neck of the concrete mixer container. You don't need to turn it off.

How to make a homemade concrete mixer with your own hands?

If you need to build a house or utility room in a country house or country estate, then first of all you need to acquire such a device. Making a solution with your own hands is inconvenient, long and hard.

The need for this useful machine is especially felt in the private sector. After all, sometimes there is a need for a small construction, constantly something needs to be reconstructed or rebuilt. Even to pour garden path or make a foundation for a gazebo in the garden, you need a solution.

Do-it-yourself concrete mixer is good way save money, since the unit is needed infrequently, and the price for factory and industrial models is quite high. And there is no point in buying it for a couple of times. Besides do something with my own hands- it's exciting and interesting.

Choosing a capacity

To build our car, first of all, you need to choose a container. In this case, the required volume must be taken into account. You can find an old metal or plastic barrel on the site, a 200-liter barrel is enough.

Base

This design has a fairly solid size, so you need to provide a sufficient base for it. The manufacture of this element must be approached thoroughly.

Wood is used to create the base. A beam with a cross section of 10-15 cm will do. We will connect the frame with a “thorn” connection. First you need to process all the joints with glue and self-tapping screws. Such a home-made concrete mixer, made with your own hands, will be able to withstand the load.

The base, made of metal, of course, has great reliability. But if the device will not be used frequently, it is not practical. And from this, the design will only weigh more. A channel or corner is suitable as materials for a metal frame. You can assemble by welding, bolting.

On the base, it should be possible to mount the drive, as well as a tilt system and a counterweight, with which the solution will be unloaded. Also, don't forget about the controls.

Motor selection

A do-it-yourself concrete mixer, in our case, will be powered by an electric motor. Any single-phase motor is perfect for this. The rotational speed should be no more than 40 revolutions.

There are people who successfully use engines from old washing machines for these purposes. The design of these motors allows them to work for a very long time, and there will be no risk of overheating, overloading or anything else. These units have good torque, so you need to provide a gearbox system. To do this, you can use a belt drive with pulleys of various diameters.

How to make a concrete mixer from a barrel with your own hands?

Since the design is based on an ordinary barrel, any metal barrel of 200 liters will do. Be sure to clean the barrel well after work. If the container is not cleaned, then sooner or later pieces of a dried solution will form inside. This will make it difficult to unload the finished solution from the barrel. So the device will not be able to serve for a long time.

Manual drive

How to make a manual concrete mixer with your own hands? In order for the solution to mix, it is necessary that our barrel can freely rotate around its axis.

For more convenient loading and unloading in the barrel, you need to equip the door. To do this, on the side of the container you need to make a cutout. The door can be fastened with hinges. You also need to provide a latch and a seal.

To organize a manual drive, you can make holes in the center of the barrel on both sides for a small diameter pipe. It will act as an engine. How to fix the pipe? Welding can be used, flanges and bolting can be used.

To improve the quality of mixing the ingredients, metal strips can be welded onto the walls from the inside of the barrel. This will turn out the blades that are in the design of industrial mixers.

bed

A do-it-yourself concrete mixer made from a barrel will have a lot of weight when loaded. The frame for it must be strong enough and stable. In addition, the barrel must rotate.

The material can be wood or metal. Everything will do: profile, corners, timber. This design provides 2 tripods on both sides. The tripods are fastened together longitudinally. The height of these supports should be such that it is convenient to work with the machine. It should be noted that such a structure will move around the site. To make it easier to work with it, suitable bearings can be pressed into the flanges.

forced agitator

We learned how to make a concrete mixer with our own hands. And now we will see how to assemble a forced-type agitator. Making a device is by no means as difficult as it seems.

This device has some design features. Here the whole barrel does not rotate, but a shaft with blades rotates inside it. There are designs with a horizontal shaft or vertical.

A self-constructed forced concrete mixer may be slightly inferior to industrial products, but it will cost much less.

First we need a barrel. For a horizontal design, a special trough may be needed. In the end part of the barrel you need to make a hole. Then a shaft is inserted into it, on which the bearing is pressed. The lower part of the barrel must have a door for unloading the solution.

The shaft can be made either from pipes or fittings. The blades can be welded to the shaft. They are easily made from sheet metal.

Many do-it-yourself concrete mixers, the drawings of which, if desired, are easy to find, are equipped with motors with a power of 2.2 kW or more as an electric motor. And in order to ensure that the shaft speed does not exceed 48, gearboxes are used. You can use a belt drive, you can chain from an old mountain bike.

Any owner of the site wants to equip it as much as possible - to erect the necessary buildings, create flat areas and paths, etc. Often in such cases, concrete is required, and its manual preparation takes a lot of time and effort. You can, of course, buy a ready-made unit for these purposes, but considerable funds will be required. DIY concrete mixer solves such problems(see others for private construction).

A concrete mixer is an installation designed for the preparation by uniform mixing the necessary components of the mixture and ensure the desired consistency of the solution. In practice, four mixing principles are used:

Gravity method. It is based on the use of the weight of substances, i.e. gravitational forces. The problem is solved in a rotating container (drum). The components that are at the top fall down onto other substances, due to which they are mixed. The repetition of this procedure is provided by many revolutions of the drum. The main difference between the gravitational method is rotation of the entire container with concrete mix ingredients.
mechanical method. This option is similar mixer. To stir the mixture, you need rotating blades, which descend into it and perform the task. When using the mechanical method, the working container remains stationary, and the blades inside it rotate.
vibration method. It can be realized by shaking the components at a certain frequency. Home craftsmen rarely use this technology. due to installation complexity.
Combined method. It combines the gravitational and mechanical approach. It can be implemented in two ways - independent rotation of the container and the blades located inside it, or rotation of the container only, but with the placement of rigidly fixed blades in it.

Types of concrete mixers and materials used

Any concrete mixers consist of the following main parts:

working capacity;
mixing blades;
drive with transmission;
body (bed);
mechanism for unloading the solution.

According to the method of setting the torque, 2 types of installations are distinguished - manual and mechanized.

In the first case, the rotation is done manually, and the transmission increases the speed of rotation of the working body. Mechanization is provided by an electric or gasoline engine.

By working tank design the following main varieties are distinguished.

Milk can (flask)

From such a container, it is quite simple to make a manual concrete mixer. A pipe is passed through the center of gravity of the can, which goes out on both sides. The pipe must be securely fixed in the walls of the flask, for which it is used cold welding.

This design mounted on racks. On the one hand, the pipe is bent to form a handle, for which you can turn the container manually. The second pipe outlet is installed on the frame in the bearing. Suitable for such a simple installation. 40 l standard flask.

From the barrel

If using a metal barrel up to 100 l, then the manual installation is made similarly to the previous version. When a barrel is used 200 l, fits good electric drive.

This design requires a container close tightly with a lid. A shaft is passed through the bottom and the lid of the barrel. When assembled, the container is installed on the racks of the bed so that the axis of rotation is inclined.

A large gear for a chain drive or a belt drive pulley is mounted on the shaft from the side of the bottom of the barrel. Torque provided electric motor with a power of 1-1.2 kW. The window for the ingredients is cut into the bottom closer to its edge. When loading, it is located at the top, and when unloading the solution - in the lower position.

Washing machine option

This Appliances and suggests itself in the basis of a concrete mixer. Most suitable option– . It is better to replace the activator reservoir with a metal barrel.

A shaft of the same diameter is installed in place of the gearbox. On the carving of the machine, the blades and brackets are strengthened, which must be well balanced. The drain hole is plugged. This homemade concrete mixer is quite suitable for cooking a small amount concrete.

How to do it yourself?

When choosing the design of a homemade concrete mixer, one must proceed from availability of a home workshop and the necessary equipment. You should take care of such a tool in advance: a welding machine, a grinder, an electric drill, a vice, a hacksaw, a chisel, a set of files, pliers, a screwdriver, a hammer, a sledgehammer, a set wrenches, adjustable wrench, metal scissors, caliper, metal ruler.

Working capacity

Its volume is selected based on the need. For example, when building a basement, small structures, arranging paths, it is enough to find sealed tank for 40-60 l, and when building a house, you will need a container with volume not less than 100-120 l.

Large containers should be made of metal, and for miniature installations, durable plastic can be used.

For home-made devices, any cylindrical, sufficiently strong tanks of the required volume are of interest - metal or plastic barrels, a large saucepan, a tank of a washing machine or heating installations (for example, Ariston), a milk can, etc.

The manufacturing process can be considered on the example of a barrel. The role of mixing elements can be performed comb formed inside the container. The comb is made of a metal rail, to which are welded in a row nails 20 cm long in increments of 8-12 cm.

Two such details are welded along the entire height of the barrel opposite each other. Then, in the center of the bottom and covers are attached on both sides bearing flanges, after which a hole is drilled and the shaft is threaded. To strengthen the shaft entry point, it is recommended to strengthen the bottom and cover by welding cross-shaped rails. The lid is hermetically welded to the body of the barrel. The loading opening can be made bottom or side.

Body and base

The body of the concrete mixer must withstand significant loads during operation, caused by a rotating container with a full load of solution. The base of the housing must ensure its stability during operation, despite vibrations and torque.

To do this, the width of the support is selected approximately twice as much working container diameter. The drum is mounted on vertical racks, which are reinforced with oblique supports.

For the base it is recommended to use a corner measuring at least 10x10 cm. The tank is installed at a height of at least 110 cm. The lower position makes it difficult to unload the solution. All connections are best provided by welding, but in the absence of a welding machine, it can be provided threaded connection using bolts with a diameter of at least 20 mm. For small concrete mixers, the body can be made of wood - timber and board.

Engine

AT homemade devices, most often, rotation is provided by an electric motor power 1-2 kW.

It attaches securely to the frame base and is adjustable for alignment.

The transmission of torque to the shaft of the working capacity is carried out using chain or belt drive.

To do this, a gear or pulley of the appropriate diameter is pressed onto the working shaft. It is recommended to keep the drum rotation speed within 20-30 rpm. For this, the required gearbox on the engine is used and the diameter of the driving and driven gears (pulley) is selected.

final assembly

Direct assembly of the concrete mixer is carried out in the following order:

Enclosure mounting and strengthening the foundation. If necessary, it is weighted.
Installation and fixing working capacity on vertical stands. Best Option- the shaft is inclined.
Installation electric motor and its gearbox on the frame so that the output gear (pulley) coincides with the location of the gear (pulley) on the drum shaft.
Installation and adjustment transmission belt or chain.
Mounting electrical network , starting and control devices.

Common mistakes in the manufacture of a stirrer

The experience of using homemade concrete mixers by home craftsmen indicates such typical mistakes allowed in the manufacture:

Installation of old containers, in which holes quickly form when exposed to the solution. For the working body, it is necessary to select a high-quality tank that is not subjected to severe corrosion.
Production of details "by eye". During installation, and even worse during operation, inconsistencies will definitely come to light. Everything must be done strictly according to the detailed drawings.
The combination of cast iron and steel in the body does not give a reliable weld. As a result, they are destroyed by vibration.
The container is selected taking into account that it can be filled with a solution of only 2/3 of the volume. Exceeding the load leads to engine failure.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantage of a homemade concrete mixer is in saving money during numerous works using concrete pouring. It allows you to reduce the complexity of preparing the solution, speed up construction, mechanize labor. Using such a device, you can carry out work without assistants. There is no need to think that the unused concrete will harden in a timely manner and will have to be thrown away.

A homemade concrete mixer also has significant drawbacks. In him there is no way to control the mixing process that is reflected in the quality of the concrete. When building a large object, it will not be able to fully satisfy the need for a solution. The materials used and the craftsmanship can only provide a limited operability of the plant.

Useful videos

Look at a homemade concrete mixer in action:

Manual drum agitator, see:

How to do it yourself - all the steps in detail:

Detailed story about self-manufacturing complete concrete mixer sheet metal and the engine from the washing machine, look: