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a mixer full of mud

Muffler Bearing

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
512
Location
Colorful Colorado
Occupation
Truck Mechanic
Hey Gang, So I vowed this would never happen on my watch,and as luck would have it, I was on a plane headed East when it did. I'd like to think things would have turned out different if I was there but... oh well... The truck had 10 yards of concrete on it when it stopped running, the driver cranked and cranked and wasted allot of time before he called in. When help arrived they spent more time trying to get it running. Finally they tried hooking jumper hoses to another truck, but by then there was no killing the load. Turns out the fuel pump stopped making pressure. Not sure if we will try chipping it out.
 

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willie59

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Dec 21, 2008
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Knoxville TN
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Service Manager
Chipping it out? 10 yds of readymix? You ain't gonna put me in that hole. :D
 

RonG

Charter Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2003
Messages
1,833
Location
Meriden ct
Occupation
heavy equipment operator
I have done quite a few over the years.If you have a good demo man it can save a lot of work.We used to put a large window fan over the hopper to keep the air flowing by drawing it in through the inspection hatch in the drum.It was a rainy day job for us and sometimes could take months to complete.
Once in a while a poorly executed shot would open up a seam on the drum but that can be fixed.We always tried to be careful about denting the drum with hammers or whatever because that produced points of accelerated wear after it went back in service.
I am sure sucking up that dust is one of the reasons that I cannot breathe well today.Ron G
 

tonka

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
1,555
Location
Longview WA
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Equipment Operator
Just call Mcnellis and get a new drum, your gonna spend more in labor and time getting 10 yards of concreet out, than the price of a new drum!
 

Muffler Bearing

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
512
Location
Colorful Colorado
Occupation
Truck Mechanic
Yeah, I am definately not getting in there, our normal chipper guy said $4500. The drum is only a year old, so some thought is going towards saving it. We'll see what happens, it is out of my hands. Oh, I heard that when the jumpers got hooked up, and it made it's first revolution, the drive tires on one side lifted in the air!
I've almost tipped a stalled one over in an intersection getting it started, and I was being really careful. I swear I saw a steer lift up but I would think if the drives go it's over!
 

digger242j

Administrator
Joined
Oct 31, 2003
Messages
6,628
Location
Southwestern PA
Occupation
Self employed excavator
A long, long time ago, I worked for a small time concrete contractor that owned two mixers himself. One had a pony motor (Ford 289), to run the mixer.

The same thing happened one day when that pony motor quit. Fortunately, this happened while he was still at the batch plant, and they were able to turn the drum partway and hose some of the load out through the access hatch. It still ended up with a good few yards stuck in it. Yeah, even though I had nothing to do with it, I had my day in the barrell on that one.

For 10 yards, I'd be seriously thinking about a new drum...

On edit:
The drum is only a year old, so some thought is going towards saving it.

As I hit the post button, it occurred to me to ask how old the drum is to begin with. I guess that answers that question. What does a new drum cost?
 
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DigDug

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2005
Messages
577
Location
Maine
To bad to hear that. I bet the new protcol for stalled trucks is send out a jumper truck to get barrell rolling again . Good Luck with it.
 

544D10

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2004
Messages
166
Location
Oceanside, CA
Occupation
Lucas & Mercier Construction Co.
Out here I've seen a lot of drums that look like there made from fiberglass or CF. I bet there no jackhammering those!
 

tonka

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Jan 14, 2008
Messages
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Location
Longview WA
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Equipment Operator
Out here I've seen a lot of drums that look like there made from fiberglass or CF. I bet there no jackhammering those!
Ok i'm from Cali born and raised. I also been around mixers all my life and i have never seen one made out of fiberglass or carbonfiber. Besides carbonfiber costs way more than regular steel.
 

surfer-joe

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2007
Messages
1,403
Location
Arizona
Vietnam solution:

Find two Marines with pump shotguns and buckshot.

Find eight to ten convicted felons. (Volunteers)

Set Marines to stand watch over felons.

Equip felons with one air compressor, two long air hoses, two 80 pound jackhammers and two 60 pound jackhammers.

Mix felons and jackhammers inside mixer. Cook in normal daytime temps up to 120 degrees.

Allow felons one hour for lunch and rest. Otherwise work felons twelve hours

This recipe may take several days to finish.
 

RonG

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Dec 2, 2003
Messages
1,833
Location
Meriden ct
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heavy equipment operator
The sugar will retard the set but it has to be mixed into the concrete to work,at least that is my understanding of it.I have not used it or seen it used,only hearsay.Ron G
 

willie59

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Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,363
Location
Knoxville TN
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Service Manager
Vietnam solution:

Find two Marines with pump shotguns and buckshot.

Find eight to ten convicted felons. (Volunteers)

Set Marines to stand watch over felons.

Equip felons with one air compressor, two long air hoses, two 80 pound jackhammers and two 60 pound jackhammers.

Mix felons and jackhammers inside mixer. Cook in normal daytime temps up to 120 degrees.

Allow felons one hour for lunch and rest. Otherwise work felons twelve hours

This recipe may take several days to finish.


Would be nice if we used the Vietnam solution here in the states!
 

JDOFMEMI

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2007
Messages
3,074
Location
SoCal
Tonka

I have seen the new style drums, and they look similar to fiberglass, but apparently with some exotic materials. They say there is enough weight savings to get another half yard of crete in it. I don't know about that, as I did not think the steel ones were THAT heavy.
After I wrote that, I looked it up, and they are composite, with HDPE in it. Found out about one with 50,000 yards hauled, and they measured it at only 30% worn. Article said thet steel is usually nearly finished by that time.

They are out here though.
I found this info
http://trailer-bodybuilders.com/mag/trucks_mcneilus_bets_composite/


As far as cleaning the old one, I like SurferJoe's method best.

I have done it before, and it is no fun.
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
6,599
Location
LaGrangeville, N.Y.
The sugar will retard the set but it has to be mixed into the concrete to work,at least that is my understanding of it.I have not used it or seen it used,only hearsay.Ron G

You are correct Ron, the sugar must be blended with the load to be effective. The union I belonged to had two concrete companies signed and I worked with some of the drivers at a freight company and they told me of this method. The drum must still be working for the sugar to work.
 

mudmaker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2009
Messages
136
Location
Colorado
That is what I like about the Drum Jumper. http://www.drumjumper.com/ You can just send out a guy in a pickup which is normally much quicker and easier than another truck. If I was still in the RM business I would either buy one or rig one up myself.
 

Cretebaby

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Messages
284
Location
E. Iowa
Ok i'm from Cali born and raised. I also been around mixers all my life and i have never seen one made out of fiberglass or carbonfiber. Besides carbonfiber costs way more than regular steel.

All the new ones here are composite.

Lighter and wears longer.

They kinda look goofy, they are dimpled on the outside kinda like an orange.
 
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