On Wed, 7 Mar 2001, BOB NOGUEIRA wrote:
> Okay folks, my wife came up with what she thinks is a great idea, she wants
> to buy one of those small batch concrete mixers. We have several projects
> planned that evolve concrete ( walkways, flower bed edges, dog run ) but
> having never used one, I'm not really sure as to how well they work.
> Is it feasible to pour a 3foot by 30 foot walk way using a mixer? Cost wise
> how does it compare to Ready mix or
> a bag of quickcrete?
Those mixers are good if you're doing a bunch of small batches once in
awhile. I used one for mixing mortar when I built about 200 lineal feet
of block wall at my house. It was much easier to mix and clean up as
compared to the usual way of mixing in the wheelbarrow. But I think
concrete work is a different story.
A 3 foot by 30 foot walkway, 3 inches thick is approximately 22.5 cubic
feet, or .833 cubic yards. For 22.5 cubic feet of concrete it takes 34
ninety pound bags of Ready Mix bagged concrete (90 pounds is .66 cubic
feet). How much is a 90 pound bag of Ready Mix in your area? It's almost
$3 here in Western Oregon. That's about $100 for less than a yard of
concrete, and you have to haul all that Ready Mix home. I can get a yard
of concrete delivered for $100, and I live outside the city limits.
I don't own a mixer, I borrowed it when I did my block wall. The few
occasions I've had to mix up to 30 bags of Ready Mix, I've done it by
hand, in the wheelbarrow.
My wife says don't forget to add in the cost of Advil, and beer, which
always go along with concrete work.
Regards
Martin Scarr
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