Small concrete order

[bluedog225]

Looking at all my little projects, I need about 1.63 cubic yards (44 cubic feet) of concrete in various areas of my compound. Most of it down 12” holes to set schedule 40 rigid conduit for solar arrays and some for the foundation of my deck. 4 different locations separated by about 75 yards. No easy concrete truck access to most of it.

If I figured it right, that’s about 100 sixty pound bags. No way.

I can set the posts and sonotube, and tie the steel. But lugging the concrete around….well, a man‘s gotta know his limits.

What’s the best way to do this? I don’t do any concrete work. But I’m guessing the truck is not going to wait around for an old man to hump concrete around to the various holes.

Two questions. First, is this a reasonable order for a concrete truck or is it too small? And second, do I need to go ahead and hire a contractor to handle the delivery? Or will a couple of wheelbarrows and a couple of guys from Home Depot work?

What’s the smart move here? I will note that concrete contractors are a little sketch out in my part of the country. And everyone is busy with good paying jobs.

Thanks

 

[loganb]

Either bid it out and have a contractor do the entire thing as fill in work. Or have the quickcrete bags delivered on a pallet and dropped in your driveway and hire the labor to help with it. Around here posts like that are usually done by dumping the bags directly into the hole and watering the top...no mixing ahead of time so that makes it easier to hire labor as you don't need experience, just muscle

 

[billconner]

I hate to ask because I haven't tried it but have you looked at the foam maxed for setting posts? Might work for some of what you need - posts - lessening bags.

 

[Firebrick43]

Have access to a skid steer? You could rent a concrete tote. They have a tube with a hydraulic sluice gate and many time hose to drive to the hole and place it with some precision or rent a concrete buggy?

They also make concrete mixing tubs for skid steers as well. Dump the bagged concrete in and some water and use the hydraulic motor to mix. Again has a sluice/hose to place it

 

[AC-WC]

HF used to sell a mixer that was shaped similar to a wheel barrow. Similar to this. HD rents them.

KUSHLAN PRODUCTS Electric Cement Mixer Rental 350DD - The Home Depot

Rent a Electric Cement Mixer Rental from one of our over 1,200 THD rental locations. Call your local store for same day pickup availability.

www.homedepot.com

I bought the HF to do a sidewalk, posts for the deck and repairs on pole barn posts. At the time it was $100. Maybe rent similar?
That way you can do a little at a time and just dump it straight into the holes.

 

[kyrbz]

There's typically 58 - 60lb bags on a pallet. When I buy pallets of concrete from Home Depot, I have them delivered (usually around $70). Home Depot delivery trucks arrive with a piggy back all terrain forklift and they'll set the pallets of concrete wherever I need them to. I guess I'm kinda an old dude. I switched from using 80lb bags to 60lb bags, but it's not uncommon for me to mix and pour up to 25 - 60lb bags a day with my HF mixer for "smaller" projects that I don't want to hire out.

 

[mike93lx]

Hire a local Mason. They'll either bring bulk material or more likely have a couple pallets of bags delivered, then they'll mix in a portable unit.

Its too small for a truck, but you may be able to get a batch plant to bring one of the smaller trailers. Problem is that you still need to hunp. It around

 

[rjacobs]

You arent going to get a truck with less than about 7 yards. I ran into this with a driveway extension/gate curb project. We actually went about 10ft further than I needed because the guy said "I can get 7 yards as a short load, thats the smallest they will deliver". We dumped about .25-.35 yards next to the pour and broke it out and hauled it off after the fact.

Long story short, you aint doing that small of a job with a truck from the plant.

 

[whateg01]

Doesn't eliminate ******* the bags but my brother rented one of these and said it was way easier than a wheelbarrow and mixer.

 

[bluedog225]

There's typically 58 - 60lb bags on a pallet. When I buy pallets of concrete from Home Depot, I have them delivered (usually around $70). Home Depot delivery trucks arrive with a piggy back all terrain forklift and they'll set the pallets of concrete wherever I need them to. I guess I'm kinda an old dude. I switched from using 80lb bags to 60lb bags, but it's not uncommon for me to mix and pour up to 25 - 60lb bags a day with my HF mixer for "smaller" projects that I don't want to hire out.

Nicely done.

 

[Rc_Guy]

Doesn't eliminate ******* the bags but my brother rented one of these and said it was way easier than a wheelbarrow and mixer.

Our son and I did 39-80lb bags in a hour with this.

 

[carlaisle]

Move the bags of concrete and mixer with your truck/garden tractor/whatever and do the mix and pour at each location. Depending on the height of your tailgate you won't even need to lift the bags. You can rent a mixer or buy. If you don't have an ongoing need for it, sell it when you're finished and call the difference between the purchase and sale price your rental fee.

 

[reader2580]

Some equipment rental places sell ready mix concrete in 1/4 yard to 1 yard quantities. They either load the ready mix into a mini cement mixer trailer, or into an open trailer that tilts to dump the concrete. They may require a 3/4 ton vehicle to tow a full yard.

 

[Jim greengo]

Looking at all my little projects, I need about 1.63 cubic yards (44 cubic feet) of concrete in various areas of my compound. Most of it down 12” holes to set schedule 40 rigid conduit for solar arrays and some for the foundation of my deck. 4 different locations separated by about 75 yards. No easy concrete truck access to most of it.

If I figured it right, that’s about 100 sixty pound bags. No way.

I can set the posts and sonotube, and tie the steel. But lugging the concrete around….well, a man‘s gotta know his limits.

What’s the best way to do this? I don’t do any concrete work. But I’m guessing the truck is not going to wait around for an old man to hump concrete around to the various holes.

Two questions. First, is this a reasonable order for a concrete truck or is it too small? And second, do I need to go ahead and hire a contractor to handle the delivery? Or will a couple of wheelbarrows and a couple of guys from Home Depot work?

What’s the smart move here? I will note that concrete contractors are a little sketch out in my part of the country. And everyone is busy with good paying jobs.

Thanks

Can you get a concrete trailer in there?

 

[LopezBart]

My dad bought one of those inexpensive electric concrete mixers 30 years ago or so... I don't know how many people have borrowed it for various small projects. I poured the perimeter footing for our pump hose with it; I used pit run out of our truck + cement and set & filled blocks on that. Yes, it's work, but shoveling the pit run and the cement avoids lifting 80lb bags, so it's not too bad.

 

[kyrbz]

The concrete bollards I posted earlier were to block off the parking lot of a property I'm renovating. The HF mixer has got me through a lot of the smaller projects regarding this property, but eventually when I'm living there, I'd like to turn my attention to landscaping the property and have a lot of things I'd like to do with concrete. Been thinking a lot about if I wanted to up my concrete game, what mixer I might go with. A lot of the things I want to do would be cast in molds. Was kinda looking at these two mixers. Watching Mud Mixer vids it seems like there's a fair amount of waste initially getting the mix right and there seems to be occasional jams of aggregate in the screw mixer tube. Maybe I'm leaning towards the Imer 120 because it seems more versatile with the materials it mixes well and seems capable of more control over the mixture. Not so long ago I picked up a HF Bauer cordless mixing drill. If I'm mixing maybe 4 bags or less, it's way easier to break out and clean up the mixing drill than cleaning the HF drum mixer.

 

[couch67]

order from company that mixes onsite, on the truck. A bit more per yard, but they mix exactly what you need. Most of the guys around here can also provide the labor to get it where you need it.

 

[bluedog225]

Can you get a concrete trailer in there?

Not sure. If you mean a tow behind mixer, yes, If it’s dry could get pretty close to half of it. But still rough.

 

[bluedog225]

The concrete bollards I posted earlier were to block off the parking lot of a property I'm renovating. The HF mixer has got me through a lot of the smaller projects regarding this property, but eventually when I'm living there, I'd like to turn my attention to landscaping the property and have a lot of things I'd like to do with concrete. Been thinking a lot about if I wanted to up my concrete game, what mixer I might go with. A lot of the things I want to do would be cast in molds. Was kinda looking at these two mixers. Watching Mud Mixer vids it seems like there's a fair amount of waste initially getting the mix right and there seems to be occasional jams of aggregate in the screw mixer tube. Maybe I'm leaning towards the Imer 120 because it seems more versatile with the materials it mixes well and seems capable of more control over the mixture. Not so long ago I picked up a HF Bauer cordless mixing drill. If I'm mixing maybe 4 bags or less, it's way easier to break out and clean up the mixing drill than cleaning the HF drum mixer.

You’re going to make me spend money I can’t afford.

 

[bluedog225]

There's typically 58 - 60lb bags on a pallet. When I buy pallets of concrete from Home Depot, I have them delivered (usually around $70). Home Depot delivery trucks arrive with a piggy back all terrain forklift and they'll set the pallets of concrete wherever I need them to. I guess I'm kinda an old dude. I switched from using 80lb bags to 60lb bags, but it's not uncommon for me to mix and pour up to 25 - 60lb bags a day with my HF mixer for "smaller" projects that I don't want to hire out.

I need to do something much like those. Any tips or just go for it with geometry? And what did you use for a release agent?

 

[Rc_Guy]

Watching Mud Mixer vids it seems like there's a fair amount of waste initially getting the mix right and there seems to be occasional jams of aggregate in the screw mixer tube.

I watched one youtube video on the mixer and set the water setting to what they guy suggested and had no waste and didn’t even think there would be jams but I suppose with rocks it could jam, never did for the 39 bags I did though.

And, for the half a dozen times I have mixed concrete mix for myself I would just rent.

 

[kyrbz]

I need to do something much like those. Any tips or just go for it with geometry? And what did you use for a release agent?

When I first started do some concrete mold stuff, I bought a mold release called A+ Form Release and fiberglass additive from a local concrete supply business. The mold release was kinda like a thick oil that I rolled on the molds. I‘m not really using the A+ anymore but rather sealing the mold with a siloxane based sealer and found it to work just as well, you only have to apply it one time, and I think it helps get a little more mileage out of the molds. One thing that I found that makes a big difference is not disassembling the mold too early. Waiting 2 or 3 days, the mold comes off a lot cleaner than 1 day. I still use the fiberglass additive for things I make in molds. For each of those bollards, it’s just very small handful of fiberglass per bollard. I mix it in early in the mixing process. It seems like it makes the mix wetter when you mix it in, so I add it while the mix is a little on the dry side. If you’re planning on doing any mold work, a ******** is highly recommended. It’s not uncommon that I fill a mold up to the top and when I vibrate the concrete level will drop several inches. It doesn’t take much vibration for smaller molds. Too much vibration causes water to rise to top and sand sink to bottom of mold. I just kinda winged the geometry on the bollards. I made 2 sides first (plywood with 2x material around the perimeter. When I cut and fit the next 2 sides, I found I needed to make bevel cuts around the perimeter of the first two sides for everything to fit together right. Off the top of my head, I’ve forgotten the exact dimensions of the bollards, but I think the base is about 24”sq x 24”tall. It took 7 - 60lb bags for each bollard. I‘m by no means a concrete expert. Just gradually learning what works for me with each project.

 

[txvwnut]

Mudmixer is the way to go, you'll be done before you get started. For what the OP is wanting to do this is the perfect machine for the job.

 

[Old tool guy]

or into an open trailer that tilts to dump the concrete. They may require a 3/4 ton vehicle to tow a full yard.

That’s not a good idea. The vibration of traveling tends to make the aggregate separate out of the mix.

 

[reader2580]

That’s not a good idea. The vibration of traveling tends to make the aggregate separate out of the mix.

The projects I did with the open trailers seem to be holding up just fine. I was only hauling maybe two miles. I definitely wasn't building a skyscraper where the concrete has to match specs perfectly.

The rental company that I got the ready mix in open trailers is long gone. I prefer the mini concrete trucks that another equipment rental place uses.

 

[RPH]

What about pouring the bags dry. It will pull moisture out of ground or pour a bucket of water into it. Been done many times and has proven to be functional.

 

[bluedog225]

What about pouring the bags dry. It will pull moisture out of ground or pour a bucket of water into it. Been done many times and has proven to be functional.

I’ve sent many fence posts in coarse sand. I think in many ways it works better than concrete because wood will inevitably crack concrete and then hold water in that gap promoting rot.

The downside being that the uplift resistance is not as great.

Pouring dry concrete mix into a hole and letting it harden with moisture wouldn’t seem to provide much more support or uplift protection, than pouring in sand and a few rocks.

 

[Jim greengo]

Not sure. If you mean a tow behind mixer, yes, If it’s dry could get pretty close to half of it. But still rough.

Some of the rental places around omaha have little dump trailers that carry close to a yard of concrete.

 

[PCustoms]

What about pouring the bags dry. It will pull moisture out of ground or pour a bucket of water into it. Been done many times and has proven to be functional.

I've never understood how the aggregate is properly distributed when you "dry pour"

 

[gmoss]

I've never understood how the aggregate is properly distributed when you "dry pour"

How is it insured to be properly distributed with a wet pour? My pole barn/garage frames holes were dry poured, 18" wide and 4' deep. They said they had been doing it that way for years. Had to dig up and replace a damaged one, one time and they had a heck of a time getting it out. I am not worried, wind was blowing yesterday with 40mph gusts ad the buidling didn't wink. Did have a pine go down in the edge of the woods though...

 

[2Rocky]

U-Cart towable mixer rental. 1 Yard or 1.75 yard capacity.
https://www.classicreadymix.com/how-to-use-our-barrel-u-cart-concrete-mixing-trailer/

 

[PCustoms]

How is it insured to be properly distributed with a wet pour?

Usually when it's getting continuously tossed around in a mixer, the stone gets out into suspension.

Dumping a bag, where the stone, sand and concrete have settled, into a hole dry has its place (fences and mailboxes) but not for structural use IMHO. Glad your structure has held up

 

[gmoss]

Usually. I spent some time in my younger yrs pouring concrete and it can become segregated, mainly when running a really wet mix. Both can be done in a way to keep separation from happening on a large scale. I also have a rock degree and spent some time in a quarry setting running tests for gravel mixes. I understand how these things happen. Important part is you don't end up with layers either way.

 

[RPH]

I’ve sent many fence posts in coarse sand. I think in many ways it works better than concrete because wood will inevitably crack concrete and then hold water in that gap promoting rot.

The downside being that the uplift resistance is not as great.

Pouring dry concrete mix into a hole and letting it harden with moisture wouldn’t seem to provide much more support or uplift protection, than pouring in sand and a few rocks.

Up lift is controlled by hole design. The bottom bells out and the posts gets cleats for the concrete.
The gravel in most concrete bag mixes isn't what I call gravel. More rough coarse sand than gravel.

 

[sjvicker]

Move the bags of concrete and mixer with your truck/garden tractor/whatever and do the mix and pour at each location. Depending on the height of your tailgate you won't even need to lift the bags. You can rent a mixer or buy. If you don't have an ongoing need for it, sell it when you're finished and call the difference between the purchase and sale price your rental fee.

This is how I do it. For 10-15 bags at a time I get help loading to the back of the truck bed then just pull each bag down into the mixer or wheelbarrow. I never lift a bag other than moving them around a bit when loading and the mixing is fast.

 

[Firebrick43]

I’ve sent many fence posts in coarse sand. I think in many ways it works better than concrete because wood will inevitably crack concrete and then hold water in that gap promoting rot.

The downside being that the uplift resistance is not as great.

Pouring dry concrete mix into a hole and letting it harden with moisture wouldn’t seem to provide much more support or uplift protection, than pouring in sand and a few rocks.

Uplift? Winds are really strong there huh?


Or do you mean frost heave?

Putting a post 4’ deep and with the tapered (small diameter) up is the most important thing to prevent frost heave. No concrete is required if you follow those two rules

If you want to rot out post faster and make them hell to replace when you do have replace them then make sure the bottom of the hole is wider than the top as RPH mentioned. Concrete at the top of the hole is the quickest way to frost heave a post

 

[bluedog225]

Uplift? Winds are really strong there huh?


Or do you mean frost heave?

Putting a post 4’ deep and with the tapered (small diameter) up is the most important thing to prevent frost heave. No concrete is required if you follow those two rules

If you want to rot out post faster and make them hell to replace when you do have replace them then make sure the bottom of the hole is wider than the top as RPH mentioned. Concrete at the top of the hole is the quickest way to frost heave a post

There is no frost heave in my area.

 

[carcruse]

Check to see if there is a place like this in your area:

Home - Micro Mixx

Short Load Concrete and Cement Devliery in Detroit and Metro Detroit. Concrete Blocks and Barriers for Sale. Wayne, Oakland, Monroe, Macomb

micromixx.com

 

[eviltwin]

I've seen MudMixer mentioned here a few times. Last year I spent the $3k buying one and I can tell you it does everything that they advertise with ease. My 130lb wife loaded an entire pallet of 60lb bags by herself when we did our gate project. I have about 5 pallets of concrete through it so far.

Most rental places(not big box stores) around me rent the mudmixer for about $100/day. You should definitely look into that since you dont have a big project. Something to keep in mind is that sometimes 60lb bags are cheaper by weight compared to 80lb bags.

 

[mike93lx]

I've seen MudMixer mentioned here a few times. Last year I spent the $3k buying one and I can tell you it does everything that they advertise with ease. My 130lb wife loaded an entire pallet of 60lb bags by herself when we did our gate project. I have about 5 pallets of concrete through it so far.

Most rental places(not big box stores) around me rent the mudmixer for about $100/day. You should definitely look into that since you dont have a big project. Something to keep in mind is that sometimes 60lb bags are cheaper by weight compared to 80lb bags.

How much are you mixing to justify one? They look neat but at over $3k, it feels like a stretch.

It also doesn't look like a machine that justifies that price tag. I wonder if there is something I am missing or if they charge that just because they can