Homemade concrete mixer from a conventional washing machine

If construction of a country or country house is just beginning, then equipment such as a concrete mixer is simply necessary. After all, it may be necessary not only during the construction phase, but also after its completion. Surely in the future there will be a need for a small repair or additional arrangement, especially if it is done by hand. However, it is not always possible to purchase a concrete mixer in the store, as this is a rather expensive unit. Therefore, a home-made concrete mixer from a washing machine is quite useful for small domestic needs and not only. Make it out of an unnecessary washing machine is quite capable. In this case, the washing machine can be used to the maximum, that is, both capacity and motor can be useful.

A self-made concrete mixer will cost much less than the store version.

Self-made concrete mixer can be made in two versions: automatic and mechanical. Using a mechanical homemade concrete mixer to prepare the solution will be physically very difficult. After all, this is practically the same thing as stirring the solution with a shovel in a specially prepared container. Therefore, the best option for home use is an automatic home-made concrete mixer, in which the engine is the main driving force of the drum rotation.

Required materials and tools

Tools necessary for work: drill, grinder or hacksaw, channel bar, soldering iron.

Assembling a homemade mixer begins with the preparation of tools and materials. If you have the skill of working with a welding machine and grinder, then the concrete mixer can be assembled with your own hands in a short time. In the absence of such skills, it may take a little more time to make a home-made concrete mixer.

Available must be:

• unnecessary washing machine;
• Bulgarian or hacksaw;
• welding machine and electrodes to it;
• soldering iron;
• drill;
• channel or angles of metal size 45x45 mm;
• metal strip;
• wheels.

Despite the fact that the manufacture of home-made concrete mixer requires time and low financial costs, the value of the resulting unit is very high. At the same time, a self-made concrete mixer has rather small dimensions, which allows it to be placed in a garage, an extension, a shed. The presence of wheels allows home-made concrete mixer to freely and effortlessly move around the site or construction site.

Build a homemade concrete mixer

The scheme of the concrete mixer with electric drive.

The base of the concrete mixer must be made securely so that the container during rotation during the preparation of the solution does not wobble, but is firmly fixed on the frame and worked stably. The duration of the unit operation depends on how reliable the foundation will be. After all, with the instability of the base, the capacity may fall during operation, disabling the other elements of the unit.

Therefore, the manufacture of the base is an important stage of assembly, which must be approached responsibly and carefully. The base for a home-made concrete mixer can be made of a bar with a section of 150x150 mm. This bar will provide the required reliability. Bars with each other can be stapled using a spike joint. That is, a thorn is cut out in one of the bars, and an eyelet is made in the other. Moreover, the size of the eyelet must exactly match the size of the spike for a reliable connection of parts. Additionally, the elements are fastened with screws. Such a connection will be very durable and will withstand a considerable weight of the concrete mixer, mortar.

However, the metal frame in the manufacture of this unit will be most appropriate. In addition, it is easier to attach wheels to metal. Expected long-term use of a concrete mixer is more likely with a metal base than wood. After all, the tree is more susceptible to destruction. Although it is better to paint the metal parts of the concrete mixer after the final assembly to protect against corrosion.

Practical recommendations

Scheme homemade concrete mixers from the barrel.

The welding machine, which is used to connect metal parts in the frame, can be replaced with bolts. At the same time, the reliability of a bolted joint is no worse than a welded one. In addition, the welding machine may not be available, or there may be no skills to work with it.

For the base it is necessary to cut off several pieces from a channel or a corner. The dimensions of the segments depend on the size of the capacity that will be used. It should be noted that the angle of inclination of the attached container should be approximately 30 degrees. Standard sizes that comply with these conditions are 55 cm (2 pcs.), 70 cm, 78 cm, 80 cm, 81 cm, 85 cm (1 pc of each size). The assembly of the base starts from the inside of the frame. Two parts of 55 cm are welded to 70-centimeter lengths. Two more parts are assembled according to the size of the engine, which will also be fixed on the base.

The shelves on which the gearbox will be mounted are cut off from the corner and welded to the base legs so that the gearbox shafts and the tank shaft are in the same plane. In order for the electric motor to hold tight, it is necessary to make holes in these shelves for bolting. The pulleys of the gearbox and motor must be in the same plane. This must be carefully followed. If this condition is not met, the motor will experience overload. Electric motor dismantled from the washing machine.

In order to be able to turn the unit on and off, it is necessary to install a packet switch. It is most often connected via a capacitor. Instructions for its use are included with fasteners for purchase.

The outer base is similar. On it it is necessary to provide a handle device, with the help of which the ready solution will be thrown from the container into the buckets. For the handle the pipe or channel will approach. Instead of the handle, you can provide a turning device. It can be arranged by applying two gears, one of which is attached to the wheel or rotary knobs. In addition, set the limiters that allow you to lock the wheel in one of the provisions: the mixing of the solution or its fence. Turning the wheel, the gear, which is mounted on the container, turns it and the solution flows into the bucket.

It is necessary to attach the wheels to the bottom of the base on one side. For their attachment to the frame, you can use a rod of metal or reinforcing rod with a diameter of at least 45 mm. In this case, the sharp edges of the rod must be treated from chipping and sharp edges. This will protect the user of the unit from damage when moving the concrete mixer around the site or construction site, and also to put on the wheel without difficulty.

Continuing the workflow

Drawing gravitational agitators.

Next, you need to prepare the container in which the concrete solution will be mixed. As it can use the tank from an unnecessary washing machine. Only the tank should be from the washing machine, which was loaded vertically, and the type of rotation was activator. Next, the tank must be removed from the washing machine. After that, put the plug on the drain hole. After removing the activator, which is no longer useful, install the shaft of the desired size. Pre-welded blades on this shaft.

Moreover, it is very important that these blades are symmetrically opposite each other. To achieve this for sure, these blades are attached to a metal strip. And then the resulting structure is fixed inside the tank. The blades can also be made of metal strip.

If the working blades are shifted with respect to each other, then during work lateral runout may occur, the solution will not be kneaded, and the tank will be subjected to additional destructive load.

A metal ring is put on top of the container, which will allow attaching it rather rigidly to the base.

After the container is fixed, the gearbox and the engine are installed, between which the belt is tensioned, the concrete mixer is considered assembled with its own hands.

In addition, the engine and gearbox should be placed in a protective box, which will prevent the concrete solution or its composite components from entering the concrete mixer elements.

However, if the washing machine has a robust housing, in order to make a concrete mixer, it is not necessary to dismantle the tank and the engine from it. It is possible to seal the drain hole in the tank, execute it and fix it inside the blade after the activator has been removed and the shaft has been installed. The container is located in the housing of the washing machine. Such a home-made concrete mixer will not be equipped with a turning mechanism for unloading. Ready concrete solution can be pulled out with a trowel. However, all other parts (engine, switch, gearbox) are already protected by the housing and do not need additional equipment.