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About ten years ago I bought an old diesel powered cement mixer. This mixer is really top quality and built like a tank. There was just one problem! The diesel motor was a crank start. It was not real practical to use as it had no clutch between the motor and the barrel meaning it was always turning. No problem if you are shoveling in cement, sand and stones but if trying to empty bags of premix it was a real pain. My first attempt was to pull the diesel motor and put a right angle gearbox drive in and drive it with the pto off my tractor. That work but I always had to go to the cab to turn on the pto or shut it off. I didn't want to convert it to electric as #1. I have an electric cement mixer. #2. I wanted to be able to take it to remote places to use to set posts in concrete without having to drive back and forth.
So I converted it to hydraulic drive for the barrel and while I was at it I made it so I could tip it with a hydraulic cylinder. That was by far the best part in my mind. With 400lbs of concrete in the barrel tipping it was a little tricky when trying to pour the concrete into a bucket for instance. Now with a push of a little lever I can tip the barrel with very good control while placing a bucket in the right spot. If you work alone much you know how hard that can be sometimes.
I did the conversion in a manner that enables me to use a small electric motor and hydraulic pump if I am close to electricity or if the need arises I can connect it to my tractor hydrulics or my excavator if at a remote place on the farm. I had all the needed components in my shop so I didn't have to buy anything. It took about half a day to do the conversion. The hose situation is a little messy right now as I just used what I had already made up in order to test everything. Now that I am sure it works as hoped I will make up correct length hoses and such to clean it up.
This is a towable concrete mixer and really heavy so losing the heavy diesel and cutting off the big box that housed it reduced the overall weight quite a bit.
There was machining involved making the couplers and motor mounts, etc..
So I converted it to hydraulic drive for the barrel and while I was at it I made it so I could tip it with a hydraulic cylinder. That was by far the best part in my mind. With 400lbs of concrete in the barrel tipping it was a little tricky when trying to pour the concrete into a bucket for instance. Now with a push of a little lever I can tip the barrel with very good control while placing a bucket in the right spot. If you work alone much you know how hard that can be sometimes.
I did the conversion in a manner that enables me to use a small electric motor and hydraulic pump if I am close to electricity or if the need arises I can connect it to my tractor hydrulics or my excavator if at a remote place on the farm. I had all the needed components in my shop so I didn't have to buy anything. It took about half a day to do the conversion. The hose situation is a little messy right now as I just used what I had already made up in order to test everything. Now that I am sure it works as hoped I will make up correct length hoses and such to clean it up.
This is a towable concrete mixer and really heavy so losing the heavy diesel and cutting off the big box that housed it reduced the overall weight quite a bit.
There was machining involved making the couplers and motor mounts, etc..
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