Testing Harbor Freight Cement Mixer | Large Concrete Pad
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- Опубліковано 9 кві 2022
- Its been awhile since I did some concrete work so take it easy on me. Hope you enjoy! Spent about $200 in material.
Edit: for all you professional Karen’s out there who feel the need to critique every little thing about this pad, this is for you.
1) there is wire mesh, (and rebar in the corners. )
2) the wire mesh was touching the ground in the center, only because that was a high point. I made sure that the wire mesh was held slightly off the ground, and then, once some concrete was in the form I lifted it a couple times with my hands to make sure it was not on the ground.
3) the area I poured the pad has been compacted with several tons of gravel and clean fill for the last 10 years.( I was using that area for sand, so that’s why there’s a tiny surface layer of sand mixed with gravel.
4) before pouring I used a hand compacter to further tamp down the surface.
5) I do know own a Bull float long enough to do this project, so instead of spending $100+ on one, I got the job done with 2x4s that had a straight edge.
6) doing all of this work yourself is difficult and you shouldn’t expect perfect results, but for the amount of money saved it is worth it to me.
Thank you all for the positive comments, and thank you for watching!
650 - Навчання та стиль
My father bought one from HarborFreight about thirty years ago. It’s been out in the weather the entire time. It’s been through hurricanes, thunderstorms, temps in excess of 100 degrees in the summer, even a few snowy days. And it still does the job well. Minus one wheel rusting off last year with the other one might be coming off this weekend. Great purchase!!
There were two things I particularly liked about this video. 1) Seeing how to make a practical - not perfect - pad using the concrete raw materials, rather than bags. 2) Seeing that one person, with a mixer, can actually get a job done like this within the time that is practical for working with the concrete. Of course, this doesn't show how well this pad might hold up over time. But, given his intended use I suspect it will hold up well enough.
So long as the mesh isn’t exposed it’ll hold up fine. It wasn’t too wet. It’ll cure fine.
Mate it's concrete..
I did almost the exact same thing 10 or so years ago. Solid afternoon of effort and came out pretty well. Over the next 5 years in Colorado, no cracks or spalling. Good sized job for one person. Cheers
Great job on the concrete. Next time use a bucket with a pre determined amount of water so that you don't have to guess. I would also use a wheelbarrow and mix outside of your form. Mix a batch, dump it in the wheelbarrow mix another one and while that's mixing you can dump the wheelbarrow.
If you have never mixed concrete whenthey create your home i promised t wasnt a pre determined measured amount lol
You sir have never professional poured concrete......
A gauge bucket or something
How much water should be added each time?
@@alanahhall6955 you add water until you get the consistency you need
I have the same mixer. Mixed 8 pallets of 90 lbs bags, so far so good. Very happy with the mixer purchase still going strong.
My mixer looks the same its over 20yrs old. Been used about every 3 years by me, Friends, & Family. Great Value mixer!
Every time I move it I plan to build a better pull or push handle attachment.
I've had mine for about 15 years now, and still works good.!
I bought one from HF several years ago for odd jobs around the house, and at some rentals. It has worked fine. I lube everything before I start a project, including the gear around the drum. I remember this from when I was a kid in the '50's and '60's watching people use cement mixers like this one. It is a good proven design that's been around for many decades.
Good job dude, not everyone has high dollar budgets!
Thank you, and perfectly said
Awesome job!!!!!! have one of those, I bought gavel and sand already mixed. I did five good size shovels and one Portland cement. I hauled it with my trailer and loaded mixer off the trailer, saved $$& and felt very proud of the work by doing it myself. I’m sure you did so too. Cheers dude.
I have one of these I pour alot of concrete yearly and this little bad boy works great haven't had a single problem in over two years
Man that looks like a serious day's workout! Great finished product and perfect for a shed. I'm impressed that you got bulk materials .. I'm sure it save you a bunch but I use bags .. too absent minded to remember to always count scoops. Thanks for sharing .. hope project turned out well.
Awesome job on the pad, easy to stay in shape when you’re doing that kind of work without a wheelbarrow!
Thanks for taking the time to share this
looks good! good job knocking it out yourself. I am thinking of building a short concrete wall for a patio and replacing my garden trim with a concrete border. I'm glad harbor freight was a win this time.
That was a lot of work. I just did an 8' x 3' pad, mixing myself with a square shovel in a mortar tub, and it about wore me out. I wondered if the mixer made the work lighter...and it looks like yes, but not all that much. At my age I'd need 2 friends helping to do something that size, even with the mixer. Thanks for posting this up, and letting us see the mixer and just how hard this is to do.
awesome job! that is alot of work for one person to do! beautiful work!!!
Thanks for the information including the time it took you to do it single-handedly.
I was going to buy a mixer. You made me realize I don't want to. I will call the cement truck. I admire your toughness though. Good video.
Thanks for sharing. That’s a lot of work. Been there - done that. Your effort was commendable w positive/satisfactory results. Good job!
I bought mine 9 years ago. It still works great and looks surprisingly good. It also does double duty cleaning black walnuts in the fall as well.
@Mike Smith yep. They will give you one heck of a pop knot on your head when they fall too.
@Mike Smith Cool, on the sixtyfiveford channel. he shows how to made a walnut cracker. You can also make walnut syrup. He also husk's them with a power washer. But I'm pretty sure he is the guy that taught me how to peel a bucket of potatoes with a new toilet brush and drill.
He has other simple tricks for things.
But thought you might like to make a powered walnut cracker. cleaning a milk crate full takes about a half hour with power washer.
Also heard if walnut trees drop more nuts than normal. Means it is going to be a bad winter. I only have like 6 walnut trees on my property. I never knew they were poisonous to other plant species.
Put some sand blast media, or plain sand and you can clean up rusty bolts, tools, etc.
Thanks for sharing. Just bought one of these mixers and looks like it did the job. Nice pad dude!
I have had the same mixer for years now. I got it used and it is one of the best investments in tools. Great mixer
Same here. I just finished mixing 3 yards with mine because I couldn’t get a truck to deliver the concrete to my job since I guess there is a cement shortage. I sure had no trouble Getting 21 bags of Portland at lowes.
I make my own mix with recycled crushed concrete. It’s class6 road base with some 3/4” screened rock. This stuff is way cheaper
Than getting the mud delivered and still Much cheaper than sacks of quickrete. It’s at least a
4000 PSI mix and yes I do add some surfactant for air entrainment and a water reducer for workability. Awesome mud.
I paid $75 for mine. It’s mixed 30+
Yards since I’ve had it. Not much prior I’m sure it was clean, now it looks like It’s done some work.
Thank you for the video. You answer a lot of my questions . About the mixer .
I'm doing the same thing right now just happened to run across your video. But I'm only doing a 2 ft by 4-ft poor at a time when I get mine all the way done it will be 12 ft by 56 ft I figure it'll probably take me a year to get it done but I'm in no hurry. That way I can just do a little bit when I feel like it and not have to worry about working my old 72-year-old body too hard. Good job son
Sounds like a big project. Thanks for watching
@@jeffdeshong ua-cam.com/video/knP313mrnwM/v-deo.html
Well you sold me on this mixer, thank you! Great work...
I’m impressed, you busted your butt to do this. I just did a 16X20 pad but I had them bring my concrete in on the truck, it was actually cheaper that way than buying it by the bag, and a whole lot easier. I put a 4’ block wall on 2 sides that were below grade and used this same HF mixer for my mortar and my core fill concrete on the walls, hard work but it worked great. Bought the mixer and a small generator to run it for less $ than they wanted for just a electric mixer at other places and I can’t imagine what could have made the more expensive mixers any better. 20 eighty pound bags of mortar and 200 sixty pound bags of premixed concrete and this cheap cost mixer got it done without a hitch. My only complaint was the rubber on the handle kept pulling off and eventually got thrown out in my woods out of frustration with it. No idea why I kept putting it back on after the first time it pulled off lol.
How many people did you have when finishing the 16x20 slab? I’m wanting to do a 20x25’ with a concrete truck and am curious if it’s doable with 2 guys
Great Video. You did an excellent job. Thank you from Orlando Florida
Great video. A ton of work but you made it look easy. Very nice!
I did a 9x12 at my house all by myself, which was like 1.2 yards…I was debating about buying that mixer but felt I’d rarely use it for what it cost vs renting. I rented a wheelbarrow mixer from Home Depot for 1/3 the price and it was more than 2.5x the capacity of those HF mixers…. 100% glad I did. Having the extra mixing capacity saved me a lot of labor…we’ll worth just renting. Nice work. Will be fine for a shed, may have some Spaulding but who cares, you did it yourself
Great video! Now all I need is a cement mixer…..and to grow another foot and a half!
Signed, a 5’3” women slightly envious of your wingspan 😂👷♂️
Great job. You get an A for effort. I've done a few concrete jobs. When I saw what you're undertaking, I knew it would be a chore. But not insurmountable.
Thank you, definitely a chore but worth it 👍🏻
looks good! I will be doing this next year for my patio 10x11
Nice! I'm doing this for a grill area. Thanks for sharing!
That's a lot of hard work for one guy to do alone. Well done!
Good job! I've been doing a project like this every week for the past 6 years....I'm 58....I get it. It beats you up!
4 woodshed
24 support posts
8 support beams
9 yards concrete- by hand
4) 30 foot rock walls
All landscaping on 2 acres
Pointed fireplace chimney
1) 400 sf patio
4) 15 ft x 3 ft x 2 ft planters
A 200 sf veggie garden
400 sf deck
New roof
Jacked the house
Slider
2 windows
Kitchen remodel
Bedroom remodel
New electrical
New plumbing
New furnace...
Etc.
Wow! You've been busy. I've done everything on your list except for jacking the house, the landscape stone/masonry work and I've only done two sheds. Oh, and my garden is much, much smaller. I love self sufficient people! Good job!
@@rosewoodsteel6656 Believe me...this isn't 1/2 the list! I'm burned out!! Replacing windows, sliding doors, refinishing furniture, making faux beams, TONS of landscaping...bobcat, backhoe work- French drains, PEX, a new water heater, new gas log stove, gas insert heater...and on it goes...lol
Good luck on your projects!!
Mighty impressive.
Great job young man, looks great, thank you for your videos
Thank you for the support 👍🏻
Great work ethic no small feat on your own looks great!
I just got 1 to make wax dirt in for this upcoming trapping season. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
That’s pretty cool I didn’t think that was possible with that little mixer.
Just picked up the HF mixer to do the ratwalls in my new pole barn. I figured it would be great for mortar mixing on my soon to be house addition foundation, and other misc. small projects. Great video and nice job.
Ed, have you tried mixing mortar yet? If so, how did it work?? I have same mixer but have not tried mixing mortar..
I’m impressed! Great job.
Thank you 👍🏻
Dude, I appreciate your energy and willingness to tackle the project. I have always lived by "it ain't what you make, but what you can keep". Wish I could recall the oldtimers name but can not. It has served me well. 1979 a neighbor across the road gave me a Sear/Roebuck Hobart mixer, no motor. My employer had several 1/3 yard mixers. My little mixer may have done 1/6 yard at best. I had access to good gravel, sand , as well as bag portland. I can not recall the cubic yards mixed in that machine. RediMix may have been going for $65 a yard. Does not matter as I did not have $30 to buy it, nor the sand or gravel. Portland was about $4.50 a bag. I constructed 3.5 X 3.5 inch posts from concrete to fence my 2.5 acre property, as well a 28 X 28 shop and a barn much larger. As well as more. Young, dumb and full of cum at the time. Older now, doing dry pour. Cajun boy recipe, with a few tweaks. Over $220 a yard for the powder in my area. Huge fan of Harbor Freight. Keep up the hard work.
Thank you for posting I've been wondering about mixer
Very cool. I want to add on to my shed but I also want to put a little wall around it to keep water from possibly getting in the shed. Great idea to buy the mixer and do it myself.
Thanks for the video! I just dug out (9) 12" x 3' deep Sonotube holes for a 12 x 16 shed I am building. I used a post hold digger and shovel for the holes and will be using pre-mixed bags of concrete for my pour. (The ground is sloped, that's why I am using piers.) I'll be 69, early next month, so I'm not pushing quite as hard as you. :)
Update: I got my piers in and will be framing, shortly. It took 4,800 lbs of concrete mix.
Check building code. Should be 4 ft deep. Have them inspected if you have permit.
Js
@@douglasmacomber2277 32" is the frost line in my area, Douglas. I took them down a few inches further. It was a bit of work, but the piers came out fine and the frame and floor are down. Thanks for your comments!
@@rosewoodsteel6656 mass its 48inches
I rent an auger these days. Lol
Glad it came out great!!!
@@douglasmacomber2277 Thanks!
-Not many roots, very few stones. The post hold digger worked great.
Used that same machine to set poles for a 24 x 36 pole barn. Worked surprisingly well.
How many poles you set?
@@xavisolis2115 14 on that project
I've been using that same mixer from HF for over 10 years-my dad sent it to me here in the NY Catskills. Lots of relatively small projects; from post hole fillings to propane tank pad. The way you mixed all three components must have saved you some $.
I respect you all that are using these mixers with so many bags. I'm spending the 300 for the truck.
I have a mixer but used a truck delivery to pour my slab- it's more cost effective & quicker with the aid of a friend. I didn't think it could be done with a little mixer. Hats off to you for doing it with a mixer but it's much harder. Cost me $300 to do a 3.3x3.3x 0.15m slab + $100 for the reinforced mesh. Great effort doing it on your own - where are your mates? 🤗
Good Job! I wanted to add concrete to my pool deck this year, so I bought a mixer (Lowes) and used bags of Sakrete. I ended up pouring 60' X 7' which was nearly 300 60Lb bags. I did it by myself, breaking it up into 8 - 12 ft sections (Staying with existing control joints) doing 1 section a day. It took a few days of hard work but the end result was worth it. Yes, I probably could have had a truck deliver it, but sometimes it isn't the best option all around (Location, manpower, etc...) My advice, and something I seen in your video, is to try to plan ahead. Have your mixer and materials in a central location to reduce your movements, use a wheel barrel to transport. If using bags, have a trash can near your work area to collect the bags immediately
300 bags? Good lord. My lower back was pissed at me when I used 36 bags for a sidewalk.
Been using that same mixer for years, was literally just using it again today. Make sure to put some grease on the gear once in awhile and it'll last forever.
I made a chute for mine. About a 5' piece of roofing metal cut and sharp edge rolled, it'll fit in the bracing on the frame and definitely helps.
When i stop the motor, i rotate the fins the the 3/9 o'clock position and bust the bag. Definitely a finger saver. A trash can full of water, a gallon paint can for measuring water, and another trash can for the empty bags of concrete and you're set!
Bad ass work and by yourself is an inspiration to my diy pad.
Thank You for posting. I have had my HF mixer for a while, but I haven't really used it for something big until now. I'm about to start a patio project about 2 or 3 times the size of your pad, but I will be doing it in segments for design and ease of pouring it. Maybe I'll post it.
Damn bro, watching you work is making my back hurt. Very impressive!
I much prefer the type with motor on the back. They don’t have a ring gear to get chewed away by grit and sand. They can also be used at low level (less height to shovel the aggregate) or can be popped on the supplied stand for tipping into a wheel barrow.
An inspiration. This is the first video I've seen of anyone doing a pad this large all on their own! hardcore, dude!
Thank you 👍🏻💪🏻
Yeah. I’ve done a 3 yrd pour 10x30 slab by myself, but that was with a truck. I couldn’t imagine doing that with a mixer. Basically an 1/8 of a yard per pour. What is that, a yrd and a quarter or so?
@Charles McKinley It's just a shed. He's not building Buckingham Palace.
It’s not a launch pad for the space shuttle is the one is use.
You can’t tell from this video how much slope it has. Gimme a break.
You worked your Ass off. 👍🏽 That’s a lot of work doing it solo. You’re a one man gang. When I used to help my dad years ago I wish he would have had any damn cement mixer. Lol My dad was no joke. Shit he’d mix cement in a wheel barrel or on a flat surface. Like a driveway. He could do it all. He built our house from the ground up. After clearing trees on the lot. I learned a few things. Like making sure I had my ice chest with my favorite refreshment. I’m not hating either. Here are some tips position your mixer out of the zone and next to your rocks & sand. If you have a wheelbarrow that would work too. If your mixer is unable to dump into the wheelbarrow due to the lack of height of the mixer u can place it on blocks to raise it up. Start at the farthest point. One more idea. Bend a piece of rebar in the shape of the letter J. That tool will be used to lift up your wire mesh from the ground. I tip my cap to you for a job well done 👍🏽
I'm planning to pour a pad 12 x 16. Your layout suggestions are exactly how I would do it. Additionally, I am going to pour it into rectangular sections as opposed to just pouring the concrete. it will make it easier to screed if you are on your own.
@@jbbadvet That’s right. Are you a 1 man gang too? 😂 I’m like my dad. He wouldn’t wait for anybody to help him. If he did he wouldn’t have finished any planned project that day. He didn’t mess around. He’d say I was burning daylight by the time I showed up. Maybe so. But I definitely showed up with my ice chest and ready to get busy. 😂 I’m the same way. If I get some help fine, would be easier. But if not oh well gotta get busy. Good Luck. Handle your business. 👍🏽
Well done sir 👍🏼🤩💪🏼
Nice job hard work 💪 but paid off looks amazing 👏
I had considered doing it that way but after 2:43 seconds I was convinced to go ahead and just use bags. :)
Great Job! Congrats on hitting 1K!!
Thank you!
WOW, you did that by yourself! thats awesome!
Hats off to you doing this job alone…. Well done!
Thank you! 👍🏻💪🏻
But definitely impressed you did all that at once! and even more impressed you saved your camera at 13:35
Great video , very inspiring. I need to do 2 pads that same size and was wondering if it was possible. Thanks for the video.
Man thats a nice little small mixer👍
I used one for setting 75 posts on a project, then followed up with filling hollow blocks on a retaining wall. I figured out how much of each I needed for a 140 pound batch (seems to be it's limit) and had buckets with lines inside to show how much of each material for the batch (had one for each of cement, gravel, sand and water). As one batch mixed I would prep the next batch. Worked slick. The only problem I had was the pully for the drive gear shaft loosened up and fell off. I actually found the shaft key on the ground and put it back together. Been perfect ever since.
Nice work. Perfect for a shed.
Nice work! And thanks for noting how much of each you used for that size pad. That really makes it simple to scale up or down if we want to do it the same way you did.
Glad I can help
Nice job man. The pad looks like it'll last a long time.
Good job that's a lot of work but you'll have a nice pad to enjoy for years. 👍
I have to pour small pads for equipment to set on. I used to form a 5x5 with 2x4 lumber which usually required 12-14 80# bags of concrete mix. I had to bring the mixer, a barrel of water, and a generator for electricity. Materials cost around 100-130$. Usually took well over an hour to do it.
Now I call the truck. 1.25 yds delivered cost 300$, and is enough to do an 8x8 with 2x6 lumber in 15 minutes. Plus I don't have to carry mixer, water, or generator.
Great job. I'm getting ready for another project like this as well. But I will use a bucket to add my mix to the mixer and a wheel barrel to pour the concrete, leaving the Mixer outside the form.
Seems like a really great workout. ;-) Great job. I'm thinking of trying my hand at this in my backyard to build a slab for a Gazebo. We'll see if that actually comes to fuition.
You're the man bro, I've seen many videos on this because I need to do one but, this is the the videos that taught me I can actually do this, and by myself if I want to (peace of cake with a 2nd set of hands), getting high quotes (up to $7000 for something smaller).
Thank you 💪🏻 really appreciate it! And wow I didn’t expect it to be that high!
Thank you for sharing this video man. Looks good to me I'm ready to start mixing mud bro
for one man you did real good
Works pretty good, after 70 ish pallets of concrete thou the drive gear started skipping on the barrel some. Still under warranty thou so #2 gonna get worked to
I have this same mixer. First thing I did was replace the wheels. I actually ran a rod to widen the wheel base and installed larger wheels.. much easier moving it around.. also, most yards sell a concrete mix so you don’t have to mess it mixing rock and sand.. fortunately I have a tractor with a 1/4 yrd bucket so I mix enough loads to fill bucket.. overall, I’ve mixed a ton of concrete in this unit and it’s worked very well..
What size wheels did you add?
@@VMa-mq3pm 8” solid wheels. Got them at HF…
@@bman6502 thanks
Dad always gave the ground and forms a good soak so it wouldn't suck water from the concrete. Always float with wood and let set until water releases on top before finish trowel. Real buster job.
Who’s Dad? Your Dad? My Dad? Someone named Dad? Who’s Dad
Heck yeah amigo great work 👍
Nice job. Thanks for sharing
This is exactly what I wanna do! About 5 hours, good estimate for how long it could take me to mix and pour out with a mixer!
Great job hello from Bigspring Texas
Thank you for this video. This is how I want to do it.
Awesome job 👍 congrats & well done . ⚾️
I like the idea of the mixer in the middle less work I see, ✌️🇬🇧
Thx for the Video ! great job !
Well done. Nice job
Smart man! You might be the first one I've seen who actually put the mixer inside the form to start with. Its hard enough work without adding a wheelbarrow to the mix. Had you started at the back, you could have finished at the front by pouring over the 2x4. But....overall good job!
Thank you, definitely should of started from the back, I just wasn’t thinking properly lol.
I mixed 225 80 pound bags of cement for my cabin foundation with one. It was worth every penny. I also have a scar on my index finger knuckle from snagging the end of a bolt while moving it as a nice reminder.
Outstanding achievement 😎
Bro! You're a beast!. I'm excavating the 17x20 and 17x35 parking pads I'll be doing. You've inspired me lol. Going to be using the same mixer. Using buckets seemed pretty effective. The paw prints was the finishing touch. Respect 👍🏻
Really appreciate it 👍🏻💪🏻
i recommend the large mixer with no reservations.. i poured 30000 lbs of quick crete for footings, block wall, and concrete pad 20 by 15.. no issues.. i always rinse it out good and oil bearings.
To years later . . .
Just finished my shed base I have decided the harbour freight is not up to big jobs and now I'm too old to do anything else . . .how time flies
great job keep up the great work
Thank you 👍🏻
Awesome job
4 of these slabs would make a great 20x24 garage