planning on pouring 8x8 pad solo

[toddt429]

I am planning on mixing and pouring an 8 x 8 x .33 (4") pad. I can buy a 4 cu. ft mixer. Do you think it is realistic for myself alone to mix and pour. I was planning on using 60 lb bags, but if time is an issue and 80lbs would be better, I can manage. my other option is to rent an 8-10 cu ft mixer. I once did a 20x020 patio solo with 80 lb bags, but i split it up into sections, something like 3x10 foot framed out sections with 1/2" boards in between. I don't want to do that this time. Your thoughts?

ps. I am only 51 years old and in good health and fair shape.

 

[Shiftless]

That’s 34 eighty pound bags. When you did the slab before, what size mixer did you use? Depending on weather and how fast you can work, the load can easily get away from you and set up before you are done mixing, spreading, and finishing. I would recruit help or perhaps get a partial load (under one cubic yard) delivered in a concrete mixer dump trailer.

 

[toddt429]

That’s 34 eighty pound bags. When you did the slab before, what size mixer did you use? Depending on weather and how fast you can work, the load can easily get away from you and set up before you are done mixing, spreading, and finishing. I would recruit help or perhaps get a partial load (under one cubic yard) delivered in a concrete mixer dump trailer.

The past project i did with a 3.5 cu ft electric mixer. I mixed 2.5 bags, poured and repeat. It all went well back then, but I was 30 years old and in my prime lol. home depot near me rents 8 and 10 cu ft mixers. do you think that would make it more realistic?

 

[Shiftless]

I don’t have any direct experience with the larger mixers. Any concrete mixing past 3-4 bags for fence posts or tiny footings, I get help. A helper and I poured a 7x7 slab 4 inches thick with a small mixer but that was in my 30s then. Now I’m 75.

 

[mike93lx]

The past project i did with a 3.5 cu ft electric mixer. I mixed 2.5 bags, poured and repeat. It all went well back then, but I was 30 years old and in my prime lol. home depot near me rents 8 and 10 cu ft mixers. do you think that would make it more realistic?

I think the amount of handling is a bigger problem than the mixer size

 

[The Cobbler]

seems like a large undertaking for one person, in my opinion.
that's a lot of heavy and somewhat time specific labour with a limited amount of workable time .

 

[chinboys]

Save your back and time... call for a load from a ready-mix truck.

I poured a 6 x8 at 4-5 inches thick some years ago with 60 80# sacks of dry mix and rented a Home Depot electric mixer.
I f'ed up and used my dual bike Kendon trailer to haul the load home 3.5 miles away.
I thought it weird when once in a while, the pickup truck would get "pulled back" as if my trailer was dragging.
The spare tire underneath the trailer had bottomed out on the various high spots or crowns on the road from my overloading the trailer's torsion springs.
It cost me a $90 replacement spare tire.

I busted my **** to mix two bags at a time for a couple of hours while trying to float the slab for a dog kennel and to get that mixer back to HD before the 4-hour rental period expired.

 

[toddt429]

I don’t have any direct experience with the larger mixers. Any concrete mixing past 3-4 bags for fence posts or tiny footings, I get help. A helper and I poured a 7x7 slab 4 inches thick with a small mixer but that was in my 30s then. Now I’m 75.

I'm only 51 and already starting to feel years of labor taking its toll. It's so frustrating when we can't do what we were once able to. Thanks for sharing your experience and advice.

 

[toddt429]

Save your back and time... call for a load from a ready-mix truck.

I poured a 6 x8 at 4-5 inches thick some years ago with 60 80# sacks of dry mix and rented a Home Depot electric mixer.
I f'ed up and used my dual bike Kendon trailer to haul the load home 3.5 miles away.
I thought it weird when once in a while, the pickup truck would get "pulled back" as if my trailer was dragging.
The spare tire underneath the trailer had bottomed out on the various high spots or crowns on the road from my overloading the trailer's torsion springs.
It cost me a $90 replacement spare tire.

I busted my **** to mix two bags at a time for a couple of hours while trying to float the slab for a dog kennel and to get that mixer back to HD before the 4-hour rental period expired.

Thank you for the advice. I have to start rethinking this and other options.

 

[Fixr]

I'm only 51 and already starting to feel years of labor taking its toll. It's so frustrating when we can't do what we were once able to. Thanks for sharing your experience and advice.

At 51, you are out of bulletproofness. You can still do a whole lot if you are smart about it, but doing this job by yourself is not smart. It's very hard, heavy, somewhat skilled work that has to go fast. All it takes is for one thing to go wrong and you will have an injury that will limit you for the rest of your life. Either get experienced strong help (preferably 2 helpers), or go ready mix. Smart money is on doing both, or maybe just hiring it out.

 

[TurnipTruck]

At the same age, I dumped 42 80-lb bags into six 12” sonotubes using one of the chinese 2bag mixer and it took 7 hours, with no finishing like a slab would require.
See if you can rent one of those new MudMixers. They are closer to a continuous process instead of the batch process like a rotary mixer.

 

[toddt429]

At the same age, I dumped 42 80-lb bags into six 12” sonotubes using one of the chinese 2bag mixer and it took 7 hours, with no finishing like a slab would require.
See if you can rent one of those new MudMixers. They are closer to a continuous process instead of the batch process like a rotary mixer.

Thank you. I'll look into those.

 

[vavet]

Post your location, maybe there is GJer with a free afternoon who wouldn’t mind helping.

 

[toddt429]

At 51, you are out of bulletproofness. You can still do a whole lot if you are smart about it, but doing this job by yourself is not smart. It's very hard, heavy, somewhat skilled work that has to go fast. All it takes is for one thing to go wrong and you will have an injury that will limit you for the rest of your life. Either get experienced strong help (preferably 2 helpers), or go ready mix. Smart money is on doing both, or maybe just hiring it out.

Thank You for being a voice of reason.

 

[TurnipTruck]

I’m seriously pondering buying one for myself since I can’t find any to rent around here.

 

[PCustoms]

34+ bags, mixed 2 at a time, plus finishing solo at 51?

LOL.

 

[PCustoms]

I’m seriously pondering buying one for myself since I can’t find any to rent around here.

These look useless/too slow in every video I see. Certainly not fast enough to pour a slab

 

[toddt429]

Post your location, maybe there is GJer with a free afternoon who wouldn’t mind helping.

I have good neighbors here that would help if asked. I just hate asking for help. its funny, i have no problem helping others but wont award myself the same luxary. I guess part of aging is learning how to suspend the ego.

 

[toddt429]

34+ bags, mixed 2 at a time, plus finishing solo at 51?

LOL.

I knew I should have had kids! Lol

 

[The Cobbler]

When I had my garage floor pad poured ( by my friend) , I took a trowel & tried to move a bit of concrete... I was hit with a block wall almost. My friend was moving a wheelbarrow load between his legs with his boots. ( well, not really, but it was a large pile)
That's when I sort of realized age is catching up.
Concrete is hard work, and if you're not used to it, It can become overwhelming real fast .

 

[Fixr]

Thank You for being a voice of reason.

Actually, voice of experience because I should have used more reason.

 

[Fixr]

Actually, voice of experience because I should have used more reason.

A young, strong person with significant concrete experience would be well worth several cases of nice beer.

 

[LXCam]

You only need a yard so I suggest calling around to some of the local equipment rental yards and see if they have a towable pre-mix - mixer.

Like these:

https://www.cart-away.com/trailers-buggies/

Product

What you want to do isn't a big deal when you have the experience to do it properly. As-is it'll be a bit of work for you to place, screed and finish it by yourself. You might as well make the mixing part easier plus it'll probably cost about the same if you were to buy pre-mix bags.

If you do decide to use pre-mix bags, do yourself a favor and pick up a couple bags of portland cement and add one shovel full for each bag of pre-mix. It'll make it stronger but more importantly it'll give you some cream to get a decent finish. Your typical bagged pre-mix can turn out grainy / sandy since it only has enough cement to reach its PSI rating and thats it. BTW, a 90lb bag does basically 1cuft.

 

[toddt429]

A young, strong person with significant concrete experience would be well worth several cases of nice beer.

I think I'll put the word out in the neighborhood. I'll toss a brisket on the smoker and fill the fridge.

 

[Fixr]

I think I'll put the word out in the neighborhood. I'll toss a brisket on the smoker and fill the fridge.

You are not entirely lacking in wisdom, grasshopper.

 

[LOW1]

When you add up the cost of renting or Buying the mixer plus the cost of the bags and the brisket and beer would it not be cheaper to just buy redimix off the truck? If the truck can get to the spot I would go that way.

Having someone around to help finish would be nice.

 

[PCustoms]

When you add up the cost of renting or Buying the mixer plus the cost of the bags and the brisket and beer would it not be cheaper to just buy redimix off the truck? If the truck can get to the spot I would go that way.

Having someone around to help finish would be nice.

You priced readimix lately?

.8 cuyds isn't going to be cheap....

 

[toddt429]

When you add up the cost of renting or Buying the mixer plus the cost of the bags and the brisket and beer would it not be cheaper to just buy redimix off the truck? If the truck can get to the spot I would go that way.

Having someone around to help finish would be nice.

I'll call tomorrow, but I think less than 1 yard would be expensive with the delivery.

 

[JeepYJ]

Good luck with delivery for a small amount. The local companies won’t make residential deliveries on weekdays and only on Saturday if they have a driver available and the weather is good.

 

[ConCretin]

See if anyone in your area has a volumetric mixer. This is a concrete truck that carries all the required materials to mix concrete but batches the concrete in whatever volume you need on a per job basis. This is usually cheaper than conventional ready mix where the concrete is batched at a plant and sent out to one job at a time.

If you use bagged mix, be advised that the allowable mix water to achieve the advertised strength is very low and will result in a stiff mix that will be difficult to work with. The strength will drop rapidly if excess water is used to achieve a more workable mix.

 

[The Cobbler]

we have 2 small batch concrete company's here. a cart you pull behind your truck ( or car) and holds a meter of concrete for a bit more than the big guys charge. but you don't have the underload charge , and it's not a perfect solution in some cases as the concrete settles a bit in the cart as it bounces around. but for smaller jobs, it works fine

 

[Fixr]

I'll call tomorrow, but I think less than 1 yard would be expensive with the delivery.

As far as I can tell, the standard deal for small quantities is that you pay extra for the part of the load you don't get, as in 1 yard costs more than 8 yards. But it seems that in some places there are small load options that don't cost more total dollars than a full load.

 

[PCustoms]

we have 2 small batch concrete company's here. a cart you pull behind your truck ( or car) and holds a meter of concrete for a bit more than the big guys charge. but you don't have the underload charge , and it's not a perfect solution in some cases as the concrete settles a bit in the cart as it bounces around. but for smaller jobs, it works fine

Hmmm......

Last time I talked to the local finishing crew I think the plant wanted well upwards of $150/cuyds, plus fees for short loads, repositioning truck etc.

I wonder if I can "get my own" at the batch plant?

Having a concrete carts could be a good business....

 

[The Cobbler]

But it seems that in some places there are small load options that don't cost more total dollars than a full load.

I am pretty sure here it's 3 meter minimum. unless you're over the truck capacity of 9 meters, and you ask for the additional at the time of order. if you are close to 9 meter, and not sure you order 9plus meters and if you need another meter or so they send it at the per meter price

 

[The Cobbler]

Having a concrete carts could be a good business....

they seem to go steady when it's the season .

 

[Fixr]

I am pretty sure here it's 3 meter minimum. unless you're over the truck capacity of 9 meters, and you ask for the additional at the time of order. if you are close to 9 meter, and not sure you order 9plus meters and if you need another meter or so they send it at the per meter price

It occurred to me after my last post that if you have a place for it, it might make more sense to order whatever amount has the lowest total dollar cost, and just have the excess dumped over a bank or something. I remember one job where we did that, and scooped rough steps into it that made it much safer to get down to the river.

I can't think of how I could make that work on my property. Too bad, because I could use 3 small slabs.

 

[PCustoms]

Meters?

Oh right....

 

[nitroracer20]

My vote is a mudmixer, but with an extra helper. Ive run many yards through them. Slow and steady. Youll get about 1 yard mixed / poured per hour. Its too much for one person alone to mix, pour and finish 1 yard of flatwork. Especially a with a drum mixer. Atleast working like a gentleman.

 

[Fixr]

Meters?

Oh right....

One metric approximate measurement that is a close enough interchange for Freedom Units, at least in home gamer quantities. Meters/yards? Eh, close enough. My Greek uncle Mediocrates taught me that.

 

[The Cobbler]

Value of 1 cubic meter is approximately equal to 1.308 cubic yards. So, to convert cubic meters to cubic yards, we have to multiply the given value by 1.308 cubic yards.