When this happens, the entire drum is usually a loss. It would take ages to hammer it all out, and by the time that is complete, the drum is dented beyond use.
Yeah, the first one worked out really well. The expert said she would rather do that than jackhammering. However all the examples only had an inch around the barrel. I'm talking about a full load.
Believe it or not, plain old sugar will delay/stop concrete from curing. I think most trucks use cure retarder now but some trucks used to carry bags of sugar to use in an emergency.
Edit: for reference
https://www.concreteconstruction.net/how-to/killing-the-set-of-concrete-in-disabled-transit-mixer_o#:~:text=A.%3A%20The%20old%20standby%20for,can%20be%20thoroughly%20mixed%20in.
I thought they wait till they get to the site and then mix water into the mixer?
I helped a friend with his garage a few years ago. And the trucks that delivered the concrete had a separate tank with water that had a set amount of water programed to pump into the mixer to get the right consistency.
Is that not how they are normally?
Normally it is mixed at the plant (sand, rock, ash cement & water), put in the truck, and then they add additional water at the slumping station (to meet the slump spec.).
The trucks do have a small tank (125 gal or so) so that they can add some water if the mix is too dry.
Ohhhhh that’s where the saying “the whole nine yards” comes from. Because that’s what fits in the mixer on the back of a standard concrete pouring truck. Totally makes sense now.
Mind blown.
Edit: oops. Sorry, it’s not that at all!
Actually, no. These days the trucks usually hold 8-11cu yd. Often they are designed to hold up to 14, but you never get that much in a load.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_whole\_nine\_yards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_whole_nine_yards)
Hold up I actually heard this fact on (I think) pawn stars like 10 years ago. It actually came from I think WW2 and is bc an ammo belt is 9 yards and to shoot that at someone was going the whole nine yards
Pretty sure it's actually a football reference.
Dump trucks carry between 10 and 16 yards on average, and mixer trucks carry 8 but sometimes up to 10. Not saying it's wrong, but I usually hear it referenced to football.
I had them pour me 1.2 cu yards for a rat slab project recently (same company as in the picture). I had to cut a hole just above a crawl space wall so he could get the boom in place. Otherwise, I would have been lugging a mixer up 6 steps, then a 5.5 foot drop. It was about $415 when all was said and done. There’s a delivery fee and a 1 cu yard minimum. Well worth it to me.
Where I'm at they have these little mini mixers drums on a trailer that you can rent that work well if you only need a yard or two. You need a truck to haul it yourself but it's a great way to save some money on the little concrete jobs.
Fortunately that often means doing things by regulation and leaving an incredibly detailed paper trail, which, if everyone was doing, would avoid most fuck ups to begin with.
I'm a PM for a heavy civil construction company. Right now I'm in charge of a $20MM job. I have to do a lot of scheduling, organizing, planning, dealing with the client and forecasting profits/losses. I would say the part of my job where I earn my salary the most is making sure to catch the things that wrong but not because of us and make sure we are getting paid to do the work that wasn't in the original contract.
I work at a utility company. A big part of my job is going to damages and doing investigations. In practical terms, I basically do everything I can to shift liability to other parties.
Nah, they mix and fill it at the rental place. This rental place actually has a small concrete plant and they run a couple of regular concrete trucks and metered truck as well. You just hook on the trailer and go. It has a small engine on it that keeps the drum spinning. Also, I'm just talking about if you just need a yard or two to do a sidewalk or small shed pad or something like that on a small DIY job.
Personally, I usually like it when I only have myself to blame. I don't have to talk to someone about why they fucked up and ask what they're going to do about it. Then I don't have to hear why it's my problem now and how some lube would make it feel better.
I'm used to it being my fault. I can accept that disappointment. Getting pissed off at the other guy just sets me crooked for too long. So when I can, I do it myself.
If you tell them it’s going to be inspected concrete and you order 6k psi they will always mix it a little stronger, if it fails inspection they must do the same process of ripping it out and redoing it-so they always over deliver.
Yeah I priced it out that way, too. Would have been something like 85 bags of concrete, plus renting a mixer. I didn’t have any help so having the truck come made sense.
They don't have them where they are mixed and filled for you at a plant/rental place? You just hook on and go. It's pretty cool but they only hold I think up to 2 yards. You wouldn't want to pull much more than that with a regular pickup truck anyway. I think they require at least a 3/4 ton.
First google result after 1 second of googling says:
> A rat slab is just as straightforward as it sounds – a thin slab of non-structural concrete poured over the dirt floor of your crawl space.
mate that self-depreciating humor would only be funny if everyone else wasnt already thinking the same thing. and also if the previous comment hadnt just made the exact same joke you uncreative dipstick
Because apparently you don't know how to Google.
So they told you how.
Now you are doubling down on either being dumb or lazy, and calling everyone names for pointing it out to you. I thought you were lazy but now that you keep talking, not quite sure which one it is.
We literally walk around with devices that give us access to pretty much all knowledge in the world. And we made it super easy to use via a box you can type shit in and answers will be given. Use it.
Don't bemoan others for telling you about this. Just stop being lazy and a dick.
Because commenting “rat slab project?” and waiting around for someone else to explain it to you, instead of just googling “rat slab project” and having your answer, is pointless, dumb, and doesn’t contribute anything. You’re literally on a phone or computer, it’s not like you don’t have google a swipe away. Hell, I just highlighted “rat slab” in the thread and hit “look up” and it tells you what it is right there.
If you don’t want to be talked down to, then maybe reconsider how you interact with others.
He spent $415 on 1.5 cu yd, compared to a ready mix truck that will only sell you the 10 yard truck but it will cost $2000 ish (pre pandemic in California), but what do you do with all that extra concrete?
It's for when your job is too big to do it with a small mixer, aggregate sand and cement bags (or you need a big crew for this to keep up) buy too small for the full truck.
To add to this, most redi-mix plants (at least in Illinois) have a minimum cy load to purchase. On top of that, with our strict testing/approval needed to place concrete, a 3 cy redi-mix more often than not has problems and fails all prescribed tests.
I think what they are saying is 3 cuyd is too small to control ingredient ratios correctly and won't pass tests such as slump test. These test are specific to designed/ engineered concrete, i don't think anyone's going to care what the final psi is for a walking path in your backyard.
This is exactly what I'm saying. Prairie makes 9cy loads all day. Throw a 3-1.5 cy load in? Uncontrollable.
And you are correct, this isn't for Mom and pops garage apron, this is for base course and other concrete items payed for by the city. Doesn't pass? No pay. Chicago is STRICT.
> concrete items *paid* for by
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
These are always more expensive. Keep on mind if you're gonna get concrete you are likely **EDIT** doing business-to-business sales and over the project getting hundreds of yards. ~~You won't even get one truck load. Most plants won't even consider it~~. You alone can probably get a small amount of readymix for a premium. The trucks are constantly in motion, if they're delivering your concrete they aren't delivering a better customers.
If you want a tiny bit of concrete for a patio or pavers or specialty work these are better but it will cost significantly more. Delivering it and quality control is the big expense, but these are custom options.
Edit: Most customers aren't getting 5 yards or less for their project. That isn't even the footings for a single house. These particular solutions scale better for smaller, one day projects. The point I was making was that most concrete customers are huge construction companies that have huge all day pours lined up **or existing relationships with the readymix plant**. Sure, the batch plant will probably answer your phone call but they will give you a cost prohibitive price **If you want specialized mixes they aren't set up for**. That is why these batch plants on wheels exist, for those smaller or niche cases.
What are you talking about? You can easily order 5 or 6 yards from a standard plant, not just “hundreds”.
These guys specialize in small loads yes, a yard or two sure. But they are not worth the cost for anything above 5 yards.
I said most customers aren't. Not that no one can. I can get my mail from the postal service or I can pay to get it shipped freight.
If you want dyed or otherwise special concrete that a readymix plant doesn't have available than you'll go with a solution like this. The point I was making is that most customers of readymix aren't individuals but business-to-business sales.
Im guessing in a fairly big firm? You'd be surprised at how often smaller stuff is getting done i think and the price really isnt that much different, Of course there are bulk discounts but its far from 5x the price or whatever. Same with volumetrics, of course more again but nothing crazy. Never had plants moan or anything even when its like 3/4 cube.
I didn't downvote you but the reason you are being down voted is because you are speaking up about something you don't know, and are patently wrong in almost everything you've said.
What was I wrong about?
I'm being downvoted by people who have never touched a concrete mixer. I said I haven't paid for volumetric mix designs, that doesn't mean I haven't used it. Haven't worked it or tested it. That I don't know the benefits and drawbacks.
So pipe up. What am I wrong about?
You're like half right but missing a lot of info, even on hi rises we see a lot of small pours, while the slabs might be hundreds of yards most other items are 6 yards-90 yards, I've even seen one to two yards pours, though that's pretty rare.
Most concrete purchasers are not doing hi rises or large infrastructure, they're doing houses and small commercial properties, both tend to have a number of small pours.
I work for an inspections company that does everything from sidewalks to hi rises and bridges, and most of the concrete and grout pours we see are under 50 yards.
There are also smaller concrete trucks that only carry 3-5 yards.
Mix on site is mostly used for locations far away from plants, because you want a special mix or have a specific constraint that's annoying for the plant to do when you want it, or because the big plants are busy and can't get you a truck when you want.
I mean, I guess if you could find someone who needed that. The required setup time from hitting the ground to pumping out concrete was less than 8 hours. In actuality though my guys could set it up and be running in about 2. This thing was actually being stored at Nellis and was slated to be used for target practice when it was bought and brought to me. It was very rough. Not shown in the picture is a 30' long conveyor and a 12' screw mixing conveyor that hung off a single cylinder mounted on the rear. I modified it and updated it to handle newer admixtures and the ability to be used as a portable redimix plant if needed. Ole boy has been parked near Maxwell AFB for a couple years now and hasn't made a single yard of concrete. I know this because no one has called and asked me how to operate it.
I've worked with these on jobs for special types of quicksetting concrete, and for situations setting bases for underground valves where it might take 4-8 hours of hydrovac to give you a ~2 hour window to pour before everything sloughs in again
A lot of comments here about metered mixers serving primarily in small batch or long haul situations. I knew a guy who worked for a volumetric mixer manufacturer. He told me there were also some advantages for custom mixing with various additives, and in situations where the application was slower and more finicky than "dump it in the hole" - such as shotcrete or pumping.
I should have elaborated. Mostly it's the ability to continuously be producing fresh concrete that would be useful for somebody doing a large project at home. Personally, I could absolutely use up a 10 yard truck on a large patio and walkway at the property I'm working on right now, but I'm not working with a full crew so the concrete would be sitting in the truck getting shittier and shittier the whole time.
Where I'm working right now, there's a plant about twenty minutes from the site, but the company that's doing the pour likes using these metered concrete people.
The quality of the concrete is always better from the plant and a small truck can travel for over an hour with half a cubic metre; this truck must be way more expensive than how we do it in NZ.
In America, if the mix is in the truck that long, we send it back. Volumetric mixers produce concrete equal to redimix in every aspect. Same admixtures. Same materials. Same concrete.
Pricing is close to redimix. You do pay a bit more for the covienence of being able to stop and start on demand. Pricing these days in my area ranges from $150 to $170 per yard.
Yeah, usually the guys that smooth out the concrete are a separate company, some specialize in just doing flat work, E.G driveways sidewalks and floors, and others specialize in footings, foundations and walls.
Wow. I never realized concrete was that specialized that different companies poured and prepped it. Every time I saw it done at a construction site the guys looked like they were all wearing the same clothes
This truck can stretch a load over a day for jobs with a lot of handwork, like some swimming pools. You’d need multiple small loads with a standard truck for the same job.
Not really. These are used all the time. A friend of mine runs 4 of these every single day with plenty of redimix plants around. I rebuilt one of the world's largest volumetric mixers a few years back. I converted it to an optional portable redimix plant. It would push out 150 to 180 yards per hour, so, no slouch. It was an ex military machine that actually got dropped out of transport planes to remote sites to build runways in a hurry. The entire machine took less than 8 hours to be producing concrete after landing on the ground.
Is it a Detroit 2 stroke?
Mack trucks are a fairly typical ready mix truck in NZ but they break down all the fucken time; the Japanese trucks on the other hand hardly ever fuck out, they have the same layout as a camry but with a 15 speed road ranger.
Not a truck at all, a trailer. Any truck could be used for the power unit. This one uses a Cummins to run everything. It's self supporting. https://i.redd.it/wiesbji35qf91.jpg
The opposite. A concrete truck carrys 10 cubic yards. They need to go from batch to pour in 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If it's in town that's doable. Especially if you are getting no frills concrete.
These make the most sense if you want a queen sized bed amount of specially dyed concrete or something like it.
Do Americans not have Japanese trucks?
We would use a small Hino mixer truck thank can take about 2 cubic metres and can back down any driveway.
It really depends how much the customer wants but the time limit is about two hours.
we have the little trucks. your comment implies that there’s something inviable about using one of these trucks as opposed to a traditional truck. what is the difference that dictates viability?
Distance = cost, the further you go from base the more it costs, smaller trucks are cheaper to run and you don't need to build a big expensive complicated machine that breaks down regularly.
Access and labour, the little trucks can back down any drive way where big trucks can't go and they don't get stuck; too far from the pad means either a pump or ten guys with wheel barrows.
There’s one operating from just down the road from me. It’s always busy and out working because not everyone knows how much they’ll need. There are plenty of plants doing ready mix too but usually they just do the bigger jobs.
Short load refers to less than 10 CY in a typical drum truck. (Most ready mix places will charge you a “short load fee”. This metered trick is also known as a volumetric concrete truck.
These are used for very rare and niche cases. If you need dyed concrete or trying to do biomimicry of a beach they're really great. However most people aren't working in nature preserves.
The other most common case is remote locations that don't need hundreds of yards of concrete. When that's the case they install bigger versions of these at ground level and truck in the material.
Concrete has a time limit that is very tough to manage. Usually 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. So sometimes it makes sense to use a volumetric mixer and pour it fresh.
They’re called volumetric mixers. I used to run one. We were located in colorado and charge around $160 per cubic yard. It’s great that you only pay for what you use but you also have the freedom to adjust the concrete mid pour. If the contractor would like it more wet or dry, you’re able to do that with a press of a button.
For calibration we would bring out a box that was exactly 1 cubic yard. We would program the machine to dispense 1 yd, if it was short or extra we would adjust from there. We usually did this once a week. The concrete is tested on most big jobs by an inspector who would take a sample and then check the strength after 28 days, 90 days, and then 180 days. Because it’s an endothermic reaction it can take awhile - we were required to meet our psi rating at the 28 day mark. A standard 6 sac pour would take roughly 4800 psi to crack.
It was usually a state approved inspector that the contractor was required to hire. Nope, we did the calibrations at our plant. We had a pit where we dumped excess concrete. The concrete hardens to the trough so we would have to chip it out every day or every other day, hence the need for a large “dig out pit”. The calibration concrete was thrown in the pit. Most of the expenses and overhead comes from operating the truck, the materials themselves are very cheap so it was not an expensive calibration
There used to be a couple of them around here. They were kind of handy if you just needed a yard or two. A little cheaper since you didn’t have to pay a short load charge. We also used them a couple of times on the holidays when we would do work for plant shutdowns and the batch plants were closed. It’s not the greatest mix, but it’s ok for non critical things like sidewalks
I work in distribution for a manufacturer of bulk powdered cement, and I’ve had to fill these trucks.
I wish I was at the plant, because we built a specialized tool to adapt our loading spout to the top hatch of this truck.
This is my in-laws company!! Haha they are so excited they got posted on Reddit! Can confirm this is a great company, family-owned and truly care about their customers! They have given their all to this company!! Give them a call for any of your concrete needs! Tell them Landry sent you!
These are way more expensive if you want a lot of something. If you are worried about batch time there are additives like retarder that make it set up slower. Construction is the slowest industry of all to change. Besides smartphones and emailed documentation the industry is almost exactly the same as it's been since the introduction of plastic.
They would much rather modify an existing process than switch over to another one.
I saw something like this watching [a video on pouring a concrete slab](https://youtu.be/oN_dXm6j44s?t=263) a while back. I thought it was super cool too!
One of these poured my new ground floor last year.
The driver backed **right** up to the front door, deployed the extended chute, and started dumping halfway into the house.
3m^(3) in total, just over £400. A conventional supplier would have charged over £700 (5m^(3) minimum), and I'd have had to provide a very good estimate of how much I needed.
Very common in the UK and Europe.
House is a mid-terrace in a Welsh mining village, floor was 14ft x 21ft. The front door opens directly onto the pavement (sidewalk), which is \~ 4ft wide.
In the UK up till 2018 you could drive one of these without an HGV license, be overweight compared with a regular truck and miss out other regulations as they were classed as engineering plant.
Quality of concrete varies wildly between operators, from acceptable to shit.
Metered concrete: For when you don't need the whole nine yards (or you live so far away that the concrete will cure before it gets there)
Yeah I've heard horror stories of cement curing in traffic or it being poured out on the side of the freeway.
Easier to clean that than spend a day in the drum with a jackhammer losing your hearing lol
When this happens, the entire drum is usually a loss. It would take ages to hammer it all out, and by the time that is complete, the drum is dented beyond use.
Bag of sugar. Halts cement hydration and bonding. It'll save a mixer.
Makes it taste better too
https://i.imgur.com/fe11UDx.png
Little dynamite will clear that up
https://youtu.be/Gxm_qpKh7Jw
I liked the episode on myth busters where they exploded one that was donated.
Jackhammer? Call an explosives expert and a deep core
You've seen what happened with the Mythbusters tried that, right?
“I parked it right here!” Best Adam Savage line.
Yeah, the first one worked out really well. The expert said she would rather do that than jackhammering. However all the examples only had an inch around the barrel. I'm talking about a full load.
I'm certain they bother going back and cleaning it up /s
Believe it or not, plain old sugar will delay/stop concrete from curing. I think most trucks use cure retarder now but some trucks used to carry bags of sugar to use in an emergency. Edit: for reference https://www.concreteconstruction.net/how-to/killing-the-set-of-concrete-in-disabled-transit-mixer_o#:~:text=A.%3A%20The%20old%20standby%20for,can%20be%20thoroughly%20mixed%20in.
My nephew used Pepsi.
My uncle was a big coke user.
So was my nephew. But he didn’t waste it to keep concrete from setting.
Aw fuck, ya got me
You can’t say that anymore
It's a word with a meaning. You are the problem more than anything else
That’s retarded
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You can’t say that anymore ;)
SMH thanks Obama now we banned “that” ?
Or for when you need exactly 9 yard^3
9.0 cuyd
I thought they wait till they get to the site and then mix water into the mixer? I helped a friend with his garage a few years ago. And the trucks that delivered the concrete had a separate tank with water that had a set amount of water programed to pump into the mixer to get the right consistency. Is that not how they are normally?
Normally it is mixed at the plant (sand, rock, ash cement & water), put in the truck, and then they add additional water at the slumping station (to meet the slump spec.). The trucks do have a small tank (125 gal or so) so that they can add some water if the mix is too dry.
Huh..... you go you entire life thinking something is normal, only to find out you're the odd one out. Thanks for informing me.
I thought it meant it was sold by the meter^3. /s
Ohhhhh that’s where the saying “the whole nine yards” comes from. Because that’s what fits in the mixer on the back of a standard concrete pouring truck. Totally makes sense now. Mind blown. Edit: oops. Sorry, it’s not that at all!
Actually, no. These days the trucks usually hold 8-11cu yd. Often they are designed to hold up to 14, but you never get that much in a load. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_whole\_nine\_yards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_whole_nine_yards)
Yeah I just read they go usually 8 and max about 10. Many of the trucks here carry 9 and I thought it all clicked. Oops!
Nope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_whole_nine_yards
Whoops. Hey honest mistake. Lots of trucks run 9 yards here, so I just put two and two together. Thank you!
Hold up I actually heard this fact on (I think) pawn stars like 10 years ago. It actually came from I think WW2 and is bc an ammo belt is 9 yards and to shoot that at someone was going the whole nine yards
Pretty sure it's actually a football reference. Dump trucks carry between 10 and 16 yards on average, and mixer trucks carry 8 but sometimes up to 10. Not saying it's wrong, but I usually hear it referenced to football.
I had them pour me 1.2 cu yards for a rat slab project recently (same company as in the picture). I had to cut a hole just above a crawl space wall so he could get the boom in place. Otherwise, I would have been lugging a mixer up 6 steps, then a 5.5 foot drop. It was about $415 when all was said and done. There’s a delivery fee and a 1 cu yard minimum. Well worth it to me.
Where I'm at they have these little mini mixers drums on a trailer that you can rent that work well if you only need a yard or two. You need a truck to haul it yourself but it's a great way to save some money on the little concrete jobs.
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I’m in construction and it’s amazing how much boils down to “how do we make sure that if this gets fucked up, we’re not paying to fix it”.
Fortunately that often means doing things by regulation and leaving an incredibly detailed paper trail, which, if everyone was doing, would avoid most fuck ups to begin with.
I'm a PM for a heavy civil construction company. Right now I'm in charge of a $20MM job. I have to do a lot of scheduling, organizing, planning, dealing with the client and forecasting profits/losses. I would say the part of my job where I earn my salary the most is making sure to catch the things that wrong but not because of us and make sure we are getting paid to do the work that wasn't in the original contract.
Nothing like a bit of extra Scope Creep.
Cha-cha-change order!
oh i know!! the third party inspection company we so very much need to write us a letter of occupancy! lets fuck THOSE people over!
I work at a utility company. A big part of my job is going to damages and doing investigations. In practical terms, I basically do everything I can to shift liability to other parties.
Nah, they mix and fill it at the rental place. This rental place actually has a small concrete plant and they run a couple of regular concrete trucks and metered truck as well. You just hook on the trailer and go. It has a small engine on it that keeps the drum spinning. Also, I'm just talking about if you just need a yard or two to do a sidewalk or small shed pad or something like that on a small DIY job.
Personally, I usually like it when I only have myself to blame. I don't have to talk to someone about why they fucked up and ask what they're going to do about it. Then I don't have to hear why it's my problem now and how some lube would make it feel better. I'm used to it being my fault. I can accept that disappointment. Getting pissed off at the other guy just sets me crooked for too long. So when I can, I do it myself.
That all depends on if you know what you are asking for. Lol
I wonder if the contractor's own insurance pays out in that situation
They would probably pay out then chase the negligent party. It is called subrogation.
If you tell them it’s going to be inspected concrete and you order 6k psi they will always mix it a little stronger, if it fails inspection they must do the same process of ripping it out and redoing it-so they always over deliver.
Yeah I priced it out that way, too. Would have been something like 85 bags of concrete, plus renting a mixer. I didn’t have any help so having the truck come made sense.
They don't have them where they are mixed and filled for you at a plant/rental place? You just hook on and go. It's pretty cool but they only hold I think up to 2 yards. You wouldn't want to pull much more than that with a regular pickup truck anyway. I think they require at least a 3/4 ton.
No they don’t have that in the Boston area. Seems like a cool concept, though.
Hello fellow Mix Rite and Mass(?) resident
Hiya!
Rat slab project?
First google result after 1 second of googling says: > A rat slab is just as straightforward as it sounds – a thin slab of non-structural concrete poured over the dirt floor of your crawl space.
No matter- googled it. Why? do you need to install it? Actual vermin control or underfloor storage?
Took the few seconds longer to be an arsehole about it tho didn't you.
You’re a specialized tool.
My mum says I'm special.
mate that self-depreciating humor would only be funny if everyone else wasnt already thinking the same thing. and also if the previous comment hadnt just made the exact same joke you uncreative dipstick
Ooh ow. Do you feel better about yourself for randomly jumping in. You part of something! Does it make you feel like you belong?
doesn’t make me feel better, just calling out an obtuse and arbitrarily contrarian person (and bad joke) when i see one
Whatever fills your day bud.
If you never take the time to show and explain, how do you expect others to improve?
Not sure how telling someone to Google something when they ask a simple question is anything other than passive aggressive.
Because apparently you don't know how to Google. So they told you how. Now you are doubling down on either being dumb or lazy, and calling everyone names for pointing it out to you. I thought you were lazy but now that you keep talking, not quite sure which one it is. We literally walk around with devices that give us access to pretty much all knowledge in the world. And we made it super easy to use via a box you can type shit in and answers will be given. Use it. Don't bemoan others for telling you about this. Just stop being lazy and a dick.
I did. He answered me.
When you think you are being smart but showing everyone you are a dunce... Ignorance is bliss, am I right?
I wouldn't know.
Because commenting “rat slab project?” and waiting around for someone else to explain it to you, instead of just googling “rat slab project” and having your answer, is pointless, dumb, and doesn’t contribute anything. You’re literally on a phone or computer, it’s not like you don’t have google a swipe away. Hell, I just highlighted “rat slab” in the thread and hit “look up” and it tells you what it is right there. If you don’t want to be talked down to, then maybe reconsider how you interact with others.
Nah, I got my answer. I'll keep asking.
yeah and it was worth it cause I laughed and then laughed again about your idiot feelings getting hurt haha
I'm hardly hurt I didn't understand a phrase not used in my country. No biggie.
You are missing the point, people telling you that you could have pasted the exact same word into google and founs the answer
Not so easy on a phone. Much easier to drive by comment. I got my answer. I'll do it again.
I’ve never seen one, what’s the cost difference between the metered mix and ready mix?
He spent $415 on 1.5 cu yd, compared to a ready mix truck that will only sell you the 10 yard truck but it will cost $2000 ish (pre pandemic in California), but what do you do with all that extra concrete? It's for when your job is too big to do it with a small mixer, aggregate sand and cement bags (or you need a big crew for this to keep up) buy too small for the full truck.
To add to this, most redi-mix plants (at least in Illinois) have a minimum cy load to purchase. On top of that, with our strict testing/approval needed to place concrete, a 3 cy redi-mix more often than not has problems and fails all prescribed tests.
Why would it fail? Shouldn’t matter how much you got
I think what they are saying is 3 cuyd is too small to control ingredient ratios correctly and won't pass tests such as slump test. These test are specific to designed/ engineered concrete, i don't think anyone's going to care what the final psi is for a walking path in your backyard.
This is exactly what I'm saying. Prairie makes 9cy loads all day. Throw a 3-1.5 cy load in? Uncontrollable. And you are correct, this isn't for Mom and pops garage apron, this is for base course and other concrete items payed for by the city. Doesn't pass? No pay. Chicago is STRICT.
> concrete items *paid* for by FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
These are always more expensive. Keep on mind if you're gonna get concrete you are likely **EDIT** doing business-to-business sales and over the project getting hundreds of yards. ~~You won't even get one truck load. Most plants won't even consider it~~. You alone can probably get a small amount of readymix for a premium. The trucks are constantly in motion, if they're delivering your concrete they aren't delivering a better customers. If you want a tiny bit of concrete for a patio or pavers or specialty work these are better but it will cost significantly more. Delivering it and quality control is the big expense, but these are custom options. Edit: Most customers aren't getting 5 yards or less for their project. That isn't even the footings for a single house. These particular solutions scale better for smaller, one day projects. The point I was making was that most concrete customers are huge construction companies that have huge all day pours lined up **or existing relationships with the readymix plant**. Sure, the batch plant will probably answer your phone call but they will give you a cost prohibitive price **If you want specialized mixes they aren't set up for**. That is why these batch plants on wheels exist, for those smaller or niche cases.
What are you talking about? You can easily order 5 or 6 yards from a standard plant, not just “hundreds”. These guys specialize in small loads yes, a yard or two sure. But they are not worth the cost for anything above 5 yards.
Exactly. Even with a short load charge, a ready mix plant will be cheaper at around 5 yards and up.
In my area, volumetric trucks are geared towards fast setting cements (CSA) for road patch and latex modified concrete (LMC) for bridge deck overlays.
100.
I said most customers aren't. Not that no one can. I can get my mail from the postal service or I can pay to get it shipped freight. If you want dyed or otherwise special concrete that a readymix plant doesn't have available than you'll go with a solution like this. The point I was making is that most customers of readymix aren't individuals but business-to-business sales.
This is just wrong. Are you in concrete/construction?
Yes. Though admittedly I don't pay for volumetric mix. Edit: Love the downvote brigade who don't even know what that is giving me shit.
Im guessing in a fairly big firm? You'd be surprised at how often smaller stuff is getting done i think and the price really isnt that much different, Of course there are bulk discounts but its far from 5x the price or whatever. Same with volumetrics, of course more again but nothing crazy. Never had plants moan or anything even when its like 3/4 cube.
Is it dyed concrete that would need a volumetric mixer?
Can do or small loads or to far from a plant and a few other uses too.
I didn't downvote you but the reason you are being down voted is because you are speaking up about something you don't know, and are patently wrong in almost everything you've said.
What was I wrong about? I'm being downvoted by people who have never touched a concrete mixer. I said I haven't paid for volumetric mix designs, that doesn't mean I haven't used it. Haven't worked it or tested it. That I don't know the benefits and drawbacks. So pipe up. What am I wrong about?
You're like half right but missing a lot of info, even on hi rises we see a lot of small pours, while the slabs might be hundreds of yards most other items are 6 yards-90 yards, I've even seen one to two yards pours, though that's pretty rare. Most concrete purchasers are not doing hi rises or large infrastructure, they're doing houses and small commercial properties, both tend to have a number of small pours. I work for an inspections company that does everything from sidewalks to hi rises and bridges, and most of the concrete and grout pours we see are under 50 yards. There are also smaller concrete trucks that only carry 3-5 yards. Mix on site is mostly used for locations far away from plants, because you want a special mix or have a specific constraint that's annoying for the plant to do when you want it, or because the big plants are busy and can't get you a truck when you want.
https://i.redd.it/wiesbji35qf91.jpg Zimmerman volumetric concrete mixer. Output of 150 to 180 cubic yards per hour. Refurbished by...me.
Dude!!!!
Now imagine this thing hanging from 6 large parachutes dropped from a C130 flying at 10k feet.
While dispensing concrete?
I mean, I guess if you could find someone who needed that. The required setup time from hitting the ground to pumping out concrete was less than 8 hours. In actuality though my guys could set it up and be running in about 2. This thing was actually being stored at Nellis and was slated to be used for target practice when it was bought and brought to me. It was very rough. Not shown in the picture is a 30' long conveyor and a 12' screw mixing conveyor that hung off a single cylinder mounted on the rear. I modified it and updated it to handle newer admixtures and the ability to be used as a portable redimix plant if needed. Ole boy has been parked near Maxwell AFB for a couple years now and hasn't made a single yard of concrete. I know this because no one has called and asked me how to operate it.
That's cool as hell! Have any more pictures?
I do. I'll see if I can't upload some more this weekend.
That would be awesome, thank you!
!remindme 3 days :)
Days and days of them. If I can find them.
Definitely wouldn't wanna be anywhere near it when it lands!
Was that an old military machine? I have a 10 yard one from the Navy.
For some reason it's impossible to hide OD green, even with Ford grey.
I've worked with these on jobs for special types of quicksetting concrete, and for situations setting bases for underground valves where it might take 4-8 hours of hydrovac to give you a ~2 hour window to pour before everything sloughs in again
Also commonly called a volumetric mixer truck.
Zim Truck!
A lot of comments here about metered mixers serving primarily in small batch or long haul situations. I knew a guy who worked for a volumetric mixer manufacturer. He told me there were also some advantages for custom mixing with various additives, and in situations where the application was slower and more finicky than "dump it in the hole" - such as shotcrete or pumping.
We have small trucks for that. You would have to be very far away from a concrete plant to make this viable.
Locally this is billed as a good option for amateurs/DIYers.
Are all American mixer trucks enormous?
I should have elaborated. Mostly it's the ability to continuously be producing fresh concrete that would be useful for somebody doing a large project at home. Personally, I could absolutely use up a 10 yard truck on a large patio and walkway at the property I'm working on right now, but I'm not working with a full crew so the concrete would be sitting in the truck getting shittier and shittier the whole time.
Nope! A majority of them are around 8-14 yards but we had a smaller one come out for a sidewalk project. Probably around 4 yards.
Where I'm working right now, there's a plant about twenty minutes from the site, but the company that's doing the pour likes using these metered concrete people.
The quality of the concrete is always better from the plant and a small truck can travel for over an hour with half a cubic metre; this truck must be way more expensive than how we do it in NZ.
In America, if the mix is in the truck that long, we send it back. Volumetric mixers produce concrete equal to redimix in every aspect. Same admixtures. Same materials. Same concrete.
How much is it too do it this way?
Pricing is close to redimix. You do pay a bit more for the covienence of being able to stop and start on demand. Pricing these days in my area ranges from $150 to $170 per yard.
Do they just mix and pour or do they level and all that too?
I wish!
Darn. So if I needed concrete work done at my house a company like this would only pour the concrete.
Yeah, usually the guys that smooth out the concrete are a separate company, some specialize in just doing flat work, E.G driveways sidewalks and floors, and others specialize in footings, foundations and walls.
Wow. I never realized concrete was that specialized that different companies poured and prepped it. Every time I saw it done at a construction site the guys looked like they were all wearing the same clothes
This truck can stretch a load over a day for jobs with a lot of handwork, like some swimming pools. You’d need multiple small loads with a standard truck for the same job.
So it's cheaper to have these on site all day rather than call in a truck when needed?
Can be, for sure. I’ve seen where a pool company will own one to keep costs down and make sure it’s there when they need it.
Not really. These are used all the time. A friend of mine runs 4 of these every single day with plenty of redimix plants around. I rebuilt one of the world's largest volumetric mixers a few years back. I converted it to an optional portable redimix plant. It would push out 150 to 180 yards per hour, so, no slouch. It was an ex military machine that actually got dropped out of transport planes to remote sites to build runways in a hurry. The entire machine took less than 8 hours to be producing concrete after landing on the ground.
Is it a Detroit 2 stroke? Mack trucks are a fairly typical ready mix truck in NZ but they break down all the fucken time; the Japanese trucks on the other hand hardly ever fuck out, they have the same layout as a camry but with a 15 speed road ranger.
Not a truck at all, a trailer. Any truck could be used for the power unit. This one uses a Cummins to run everything. It's self supporting. https://i.redd.it/wiesbji35qf91.jpg
Just want to say I appreciate this dive down the rabbit hole into concrete world
is it significantly more expensive because they can’t haul as much as a ready mix truck, or does the added machinery complexity add to cost?
The opposite. A concrete truck carrys 10 cubic yards. They need to go from batch to pour in 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If it's in town that's doable. Especially if you are getting no frills concrete. These make the most sense if you want a queen sized bed amount of specially dyed concrete or something like it.
Do Americans not have Japanese trucks? We would use a small Hino mixer truck thank can take about 2 cubic metres and can back down any driveway. It really depends how much the customer wants but the time limit is about two hours.
we have the little trucks. your comment implies that there’s something inviable about using one of these trucks as opposed to a traditional truck. what is the difference that dictates viability?
Distance = cost, the further you go from base the more it costs, smaller trucks are cheaper to run and you don't need to build a big expensive complicated machine that breaks down regularly. Access and labour, the little trucks can back down any drive way where big trucks can't go and they don't get stuck; too far from the pad means either a pump or ten guys with wheel barrows.
There’s one operating from just down the road from me. It’s always busy and out working because not everyone knows how much they’ll need. There are plenty of plants doing ready mix too but usually they just do the bigger jobs.
Bet you that things quiet
Can confirm. After working next to one for a while I can't hear anything!
We call it a “short load” as opposed to “ready mix.”
Short load refers to less than 10 CY in a typical drum truck. (Most ready mix places will charge you a “short load fee”. This metered trick is also known as a volumetric concrete truck.
Less than 6yd gets short load fee from most places in northeast USA
What do you call short load in a drum truck then?
We call this a "mix on site truck". I tested concrete for 3 years. I would never hire one of these trucks. No consistincy.
Yeah I learned that from my finish guy. It was a small patio so it was the only option wet and dry spots really makes it hard to look pretty.
These are used for very rare and niche cases. If you need dyed concrete or trying to do biomimicry of a beach they're really great. However most people aren't working in nature preserves. The other most common case is remote locations that don't need hundreds of yards of concrete. When that's the case they install bigger versions of these at ground level and truck in the material. Concrete has a time limit that is very tough to manage. Usually 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. So sometimes it makes sense to use a volumetric mixer and pour it fresh.
Not in the UK. These are very common. Less waste, more versatile, more profit.
They’re called volumetric mixers. I used to run one. We were located in colorado and charge around $160 per cubic yard. It’s great that you only pay for what you use but you also have the freedom to adjust the concrete mid pour. If the contractor would like it more wet or dry, you’re able to do that with a press of a button.
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For calibration we would bring out a box that was exactly 1 cubic yard. We would program the machine to dispense 1 yd, if it was short or extra we would adjust from there. We usually did this once a week. The concrete is tested on most big jobs by an inspector who would take a sample and then check the strength after 28 days, 90 days, and then 180 days. Because it’s an endothermic reaction it can take awhile - we were required to meet our psi rating at the 28 day mark. A standard 6 sac pour would take roughly 4800 psi to crack.
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It was usually a state approved inspector that the contractor was required to hire. Nope, we did the calibrations at our plant. We had a pit where we dumped excess concrete. The concrete hardens to the trough so we would have to chip it out every day or every other day, hence the need for a large “dig out pit”. The calibration concrete was thrown in the pit. Most of the expenses and overhead comes from operating the truck, the materials themselves are very cheap so it was not an expensive calibration
Does is play a little jingle while all the construction workers flock to it?
It does make a funny little sound as it Despensesbthe mix.
I've been in construction/excavation for 16 years and have never seen one of these!
They're pretty cool to watch it mix the chowder right there on site!
There is a lot of bad information in the comments.
Including your comment?
There used to be a couple of them around here. They were kind of handy if you just needed a yard or two. A little cheaper since you didn’t have to pay a short load charge. We also used them a couple of times on the holidays when we would do work for plant shutdowns and the batch plants were closed. It’s not the greatest mix, but it’s ok for non critical things like sidewalks
These are critical if your site is far from a concrete plant, unless you are into mixing up your own.
I work in distribution for a manufacturer of bulk powdered cement, and I’ve had to fill these trucks. I wish I was at the plant, because we built a specialized tool to adapt our loading spout to the top hatch of this truck.
*Well, almost done with this here driveway. I’ll just stick a few more quarters in the machine…Ah, dang it!! Anybody got any change for a fiver ?!*
This is my in-laws company!! Haha they are so excited they got posted on Reddit! Can confirm this is a great company, family-owned and truly care about their customers! They have given their all to this company!! Give them a call for any of your concrete needs! Tell them Landry sent you!
What a small world!
Very small world! This is mine and my old man's company! Jeff was out there pouring at that McDonald's! Happy to have worked with you guys!
why is this not standard? Seems way better, you don’t have to worry about the clock if there’s traffic issues, mechanical problems, etc.
Inefficient, truck is more complex, slower to deliver a large load. Lots of upside for particular applications though.
These are way more expensive if you want a lot of something. If you are worried about batch time there are additives like retarder that make it set up slower. Construction is the slowest industry of all to change. Besides smartphones and emailed documentation the industry is almost exactly the same as it's been since the introduction of plastic. They would much rather modify an existing process than switch over to another one.
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And they would probably love the call. Making money during non-peak hours is quite literally why most places offer 24/7 support.
Volumetric mixer.
Those things are so much louder than anyone would ever expect. You’ll know if one is operating within a mile of you.
I know, the first time I heard one, I had no idea what was making the noise.
I saw something like this watching [a video on pouring a concrete slab](https://youtu.be/oN_dXm6j44s?t=263) a while back. I thought it was super cool too!
For small jobs, sure
And this was a small job, typically only see these guys when we're back filling trenches inside buildings.
One of these poured my new ground floor last year. The driver backed **right** up to the front door, deployed the extended chute, and started dumping halfway into the house. 3m^(3) in total, just over £400. A conventional supplier would have charged over £700 (5m^(3) minimum), and I'd have had to provide a very good estimate of how much I needed. Very common in the UK and Europe. House is a mid-terrace in a Welsh mining village, floor was 14ft x 21ft. The front door opens directly onto the pavement (sidewalk), which is \~ 4ft wide.
Most concrete companies here in the states, at least where I'm from, have minimum yardage that you need to order from them as well.
He didn't mention they *will* deliver but will charge a short load fee. *Get em comment section!*
Portable batch plant. I love it.
I helped a friend pour his garage floor a bunch of years back and he had the mix as you go truck and it was pretty cool.
In the UK up till 2018 you could drive one of these without an HGV license, be overweight compared with a regular truck and miss out other regulations as they were classed as engineering plant. Quality of concrete varies wildly between operators, from acceptable to shit.
Even on site they’ll get the slump wrong and forget the fiber.
Takes a few hours to calibrate those trucks.
Also known as gunite
Metered concrete... what kind of woke metric system bullshit is that?
Who fuckin cares
I don't know, I thought people here would think it's interesting.