Hand mixing vs drum mixer on my last job in Cleveland

I was laying block on a retaining wall last August and ran out of mud halfway through the morning. The drum mixer from the rental place was such a pain to clean out between batches. Hand mixing on a board just felt more controlled, even if my arms were screaming by lunch. Anybody else prefer the old way for small jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_grant345d ago

Max's buddy Mike had the right idea. That dried mud inside the drum is a pain, and it always seems to chip off in chunks later and mess up your next batch. Hand mixing might be slower, but you control the consistency way better, especially for small stuff like block. Half the time with a drum you end up with mud that's either too stiff or too wet because you're hurrying to clean it. Plus, you don't have to listen to that loud motor grind away all morning.

max2235d ago

My buddy Mike tried using a drum mixer on a block job last fall and spent more time chipping dried mud off the inside than actually mixing. He went back to hand mixing after that and said his arms hurt less than his patience did.

robert6595d ago

And my buddy Steve had the exact same thing happen with a drum mixer on a small patio pour, just like @claire_grant34 said, that dried mud was a beast to chip out and ruined his whole afternoon. He swears by a wheelbarrow and hoe now, says it's the only way to keep a consistent mix and not want to throw the mixer in a lake.