3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

I've had this machine for almost 5 years and used it from time to time. It's very reliable machine despite of being kept outside with only a tarp over.

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

I have been adding on to my concrete deck and this mixer doe's a fine job.

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

yes its noisy its a concrete mixer !
quieter than diesel truck ripping up your yard lol
easy to assemble if your crafty
will mix 2 80lb bags at once but will splash a little
i mixed 3840lbs of quikrete in less than 2 hours with everything right at hand
i did put a foot long board on handle end to make a lil more stablke but took it off for storage
look for discount codes and you can save big and get shipped to your door

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

As a retired professional builder I wanted pour a new patio 10 x 45 ft. for myself. I didn't want to use Ready-Mix or pre-mixed bags which are now too expensive. I purchased this mixer, rock, sand and cement. I mixed all 6 yards with this mixer - it worked perfectly and never slowed once. Some reviews complain difficulty in assembly, but I feel anyone with basic mechanical abilities should be able to assemble it without any trouble. An assembly tip - put the gasket between 2 pieces of plywood overnight to flatten which will ease assembly.

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

FYI I put 2 66lb bags of premix concrete and it handled it fine, so if your making the concrete wet I would go 2 bags and if its going to be on the dry side I feel it will handle 3 bags.
I picked this unit up for the sale price of 199.00 and it took a couple hours to put together as I did not bother with instructions as I do a lot of assembly so it was not too difficult. I had it in the garage for about 2 weeks and figured I wouldn't use it this year but I deicided on the spur of the moment to do concrete today and found it was a great machine so far I did 15 66lb bags of premix concrete just add water, I was able to do it and pour my footings in a couple hours the niegbour came over and was impressed with it. I feel it mixes the concrete pretty fast compared to the rentals I has used in the past, I was not too keen on the design when I assembled it but seems to work great for me. I have been poundering getting a small one untill I can build a large one for my bobcat for bigger jobs but I feel this one can handle a few big jobs. I read some of the reviews on them and would have said no to purchaning one but I decided to get one and try it I took the extended service plan for 38.00 for piece of mind but I have to say that it is power equipment and when people complain its too loud I have to give my head a shake and say what are these guys on. I think for the price I bought it at is was a good deal and I am vary happy so far. I have not had any issues with the power tools I have purchased so far from Harbor Frieght.

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

I initially purchased this mixer to do a handful of sidewalks and small jobs. I ended up using it to wash stone to be used in a wastewater treatment plant. This thing ran all day, every day, literally for weeks. With the drum at a slight tilt it will give a good mixing process for concrete. Tilt the drum all the way sideways and it will easily dump its contents right where you want it. It dumps at a good height either into a wheelbarrow or straight into a concrete form such as a sidewalk. Keep in mind, the 3.5 cu ft is the volume of the drum, not the drum's mixing capacity. plan on mixing a couple bags at a time in this and you'll do fine. For large jobs, obviously order ready-mix locally. For smaller jobs this will do the trick nicely. I added two pneumatic tires and a hitch for moving the mixer around outside with my mower. This was the only changes I'd say it needs to be better than it already is. If you need to mix small amounts of concrete for sidewalks, etc, get one of these. You won't be sorry.

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

I bought mine back in 1999. We have poured steps, mixed over 50 bags on motar to layed over 6 tons of flat stone. Poured 1000 foot of walk way,poured concrete pads for hot tubs,built fire pits.

This mixer has been a great tool for us at home and on the job.

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

This is a great machine! Like all Harbor freight tools, many people are skeptical about the quality. This however is a great mixer! I bought this with a cupon for the $20 more than the price that it would have costed to rent a mixer for the day from a local hardware store. I mixed a little more than 3.5 tons of concrete in one day, and the mixer kept on going. I did (2) 60 lb bags at a time (accidently purchased 60lb bags instead of 80 lb) and it had no problem. Because of how well it worked with the 60 lb bags I believe it should handle (2) 80 lb bags without any issues.

The install was a little time consuming and difficult, but there is a great video on you tube of someone assembling it, which I found to be a great help!

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

I decided I needed an inexpensive mixer for small projects. I didn't want to invest a lot for occassional use. I read the reviews and took a chance on this mixer. I am very glad I did. It works great.

Yes, the instructions are terrible. Use the exploded views at the back and measure the lengths of the bolts. And watch the Utube video.

When I first got it together it did not turn easily and made a lot of noise like in the Utube video. The drive gear was not exactly centered on the slots in the barrel.

I had 4 big washers "left over". I eventually figured out that some number of these go on the main shaft that the barrel turns on. I noticed that by adding washers the gear became centered and the machine rotated easily and made very little noise. It was quite smooth in fact. That is the secret to making this baby work great, and quiet, and reduce wear on the barrel slots. Mine came with 6 such washers and 5 turned out to be the magic amount. Too bad they don't mention this in the instructions.

I used 3M 90 spray adhesive to attach the gasket. Worked like a charm.

I used 1/4" bolts to attach the motor bracket clamp instead of the supplied bolts. I agree with the Utube guy that the supplied bolts look skinny.

The holes in the supports that rotate the drum are for oil. No need for grease fittings. Just put in a few drops of gear oil.

My electrical box supports were also broken from shipping. I added screws through the front of the housing into the holes in the corners of the box. Measure carefully if you do this.

2 hours to put together, and another couple by the time I got the eletrical together and had figured out the washer thing.

I mixed up 9 bags and it worked great. It is not noisy at all. Very smooth. I think one bag at a time is the way to go.

I cleaned it up like new when I was done. I think it should last a long time. I am very pleased with this purchase.

Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

First off, I have to say I don't use this for mixing cement. I am a hardcore gardener and mycologist (mushroom grower). For over 5 years now, I have used this mixer for mixing my own custom organic garden soils and mushroom growing substrates that I sell online. Each mixed batch weighs between 30 to 70lbs after hydrating so it can handle repeated mixing of pretty heavy loads in my experience.

I have put a lot of hours on this machine, using it about every other day and it has worked nearly flawlessly. The only problem I had was that the belt that drives the mixer came off the pulley twice, but I'm pretty sure this was my fault. I don't think I had the belt tension adjusted properly and/or didn't tighten the bolts down tight enough. After the second time the belt came off (about 3 years ago) I took the time to line up the pulleys and belt until everything looked perfect and tightened the heck out of the bolts. Since then, no problems. So make sure you line up and tighten everything down right the first time. I'm lucky I didn't snap the belt! I also put a blob of grease on the teeth that spin the cylinder and it made the machine run a little quieter.

All-in-all I have nothing negative to say about this mixer. Hopefully I get many more years of use out of it. My only concern is where I would find a replacement belt if I ever need one, but I guess I'll worry about that if and when I ever need to.