Using a Portable Cement Mixer

Small portable electric cement mixers are suitable for completing many types of small scale building work. Their uses include preparing concrete for installing fence posts, building garden walls and laying garden paths. An electric cement mixer will ensure that the concrete is well mixed and will not dry out too quickly. They cannot however keep the concrete in a condition where it is ready to be used for long periods of time. You will need to have some idea how much concrete you will need to complete specific tasks in order to avoid situations where too much concrete has been prepared and you are not ready to make use of it all.

There are many different ways you can mix concrete to provide varying levels of strength. You should find what kind of mix you will require and then obtain the correct amounts of cement, sand and water before beginning any work. The consistency of the mix can be affected by the way the materials are added into the cement mixer. One method you can use is to first add three quarters of the water needed for your mix and then half of the sand or aggregate. You will then add all of the cement followed by the remaining half of the sand and finally the rest of the water. This will generally provide good consistency for a medium strength mix such as C20 which can be used when building garden walls, installing fence posts or other small jobs in your home or garden.

Pricing

These devices can be purchased from suppliers relatively cheaply in building stores or over the internet. Replacement cement mixer parts are also widely available and it is worth shopping around before committing to buy anything. There are various respectable companies who produce these machines so you can choose something like a belle cement mixer or another brand name product and still pay a reasonable price. A mini belle cement mixer will start at around £250 or $400. If you would like to pay the lowest possible amount then you can approach a hire company or a buy a used cement mixer instead. If you will not need one again in the future then used cement mixers can easily be sold on to someone else when you have finished using them. You can use the internet or local papers to offer your cement mixer for sale and should be able find a buyer relatively quickly.

Belle Cement Mixers

The range of Belle mixers is suited to DIY users, small builders and large construction companies. The range included petrol, diesel and Belle electric cement mixer options.

The belle 130 cement mixer or Minimix 130 is a small lightweight device designed for home building projects as well as other light professional use. It has a drum with a mixing output of 90 litres which is enough to fill a wheelbarrow. The machine still remains small enough to fit into the boot of a car. This Belle mixer is fitted with a full direct drive motor.

The next model up is the belle Minimix 150 which is designed for small to mid-sized building projects. The belle 150 cement mixer is one of the most popular models in the UK. This device is lightweight and portable and can be used with or without a belle cement mixer stand. When the stand is used the mixer can dispense its 90 litre mixing output straight into a wheelbarrow by being tipped. This model is available with either an electric or petrol motor.

The Belle Maxi Mixer is used on large building projects and is designed to withstand the wear and tear to be expected on a large construction site while being used by professional builders. Electric or petrol powered mixers are available. This machine features hand wheel tipping and can be loaded or tipped at either side for greater speed and ease of use. The mixing output is 90 litres.

Belle also produces mixers which can be towed behind a vehicle on the road. These make up the Tract Mix range. They are designed for high performance and safety while being used or towed. These mixers are available with mixing outputs of either 150 or 200 litres and are fitted with advanced features to increase both durability and safety.

The Premier XT range represents the most recent versions of the popular Premier mixers. They are designed for extreme durability and can deal with the most demanding construction site conditions and usage. There are four drum sizes available which allow for the mixing of various batches of cement. The mixing outputs for the mixers in the Premier XT range are 110, 160, 180 or 200 litres.

Belle also produce another mixer which is designed for general DIY as well as professional use. This is the Tubmix 50 which can mix many building materials including cement, mortar, paint and tile adhesives. This device has a 50Kg mixing output.

Pricing

The range of Belle mixers will suit budgets both large and small. The belle 130 cement mixer can be purchased new for around £220 with the belle Minimix 150 cement mixer starting at £300. Next are the Tubmix 50 and the Maxi range which are both priced from just under £400. With the added ability to be road towed the Tract Mix range starts at £1500. The very durable Premier XT mixers are more expensive again and can be purchased from £2000. Many suppliers also provide belle cement mixer parts. It will be a good idea to shop around online for any belle cement mixer spares you may require in order to find the best deals.

Types of Cement Mixer

In general you have the choice of using a small portable cement mixer, a larger stationary one or for the largest construction sites a cement mixer truck can be utilised. The small or ‘mini’ devices are best suited to DIY or other small building jobs. These may include building garden walls and patios or securing fence posts into the ground. An electric cement mixer will be the most common type currently used but an older diesel or petrol cement mixer may still be seen. A mini belle cement mixer is an example of a popular brand name device that is commonly used in small construction projects and many DIY jobs. These electric cement mixers are very mobile and can be moved either by hand or by using a vehicle to tow them. They can be purchased relatively cheaply from new or as used cement mixers. It is also easy to sell a used cement mixer to someone else if you will no longer need it.

A stationary concrete mixer will often be seen on a larger construction site. These devices are not designed to be mobile and so tend to be used where quantities of cement need to be mixed in one place for a length of time. A lot of the time these mixers will be used to dispense concrete into moulds when creating pre-casting process for large construction projects. There is a large range of both mobile and stationary cement mixers for sale and the internet is a good place to begin looking.

Transportation by Truck

A large concrete mixing truck will be used on the biggest construction projects and also on smaller ones that require the delivery of large quantities of concrete. These trucks store the concrete in a rotating drum which is located on the back of the vehicle while it is on route from the production plant to the site where the concrete is needed. The drum allows the concrete to be mixed continuously using a spiral blade until it needs to be poured. The blade has a very interesting design as it can be used to keep the concrete inside the vehicle as well as discharge it when necessary. When in transport the blade is rotated in one direction and this ensures that the concrete is constantly pushed further into the drum. When the concrete is ready to be used the blade begins to spin in the opposite direction then which will expel the concrete from the vehicle. A chute is then often used to guide it to its final destination where it will set. Where more precision placement of the concrete is required then a pump may be used to dispense it. This will also have a longer reach than a concrete chute.