Used Concrete Mixers For Sale
Using a concrete mixer on a construction site is something that is going to happen quite a bit. If you have found yourself renting concrete mixers on more than one occasion, it may be time to do your business a favor and start looking for used concrete mixers for sale. Buying the machine in used condition is a great way to keep your overall costs down, while being able to make more money because of the extra jobs that you will be able to take on.
If you are having problems locating used concrete mixers in your local area, you may want to think about checking out some of the different auctions sites that are on the internet. These sites, such as eBay, help connect you with more people who are selling off their equipment than your local newspaper or classifieds sections may be able to provide. After you receive the machine you’ve just purchased, you will want to take a look at some of the tips below that are designed to help you stay safe, and keep the machine in the best working conditions possible.
Tip #1: Know How To Operate The Equipment Before You Begin – As with any piece of heavy, and light construction equipment, you are going to want to make sure that you have gone over the owners manual and understand how to properly operate the machine. Along with yourself you are going to want to make sure that anyone who is going to be operating the machinery understands how to work with it properly, and are able to shut it off using the kill switch in an emergency. Teach them how to look out for potential hazards that can help avoid having serious accidents.
Tip #2: Make Sure Your Water To Cement Ratio Is Correct – When people are just starting out using concrete mixers, one of the biggest mistakes that they make is to add to much water into the mixture. This can create an unstable, and prone to breaking or cracking, concrete mix that will not provide the same level of stability as a mixture that is put together well. You want to start by adding small amounts of water and allowing the machine to begin mixing. You will be able to tell whether or not the mixture needs more water by how dry the clumps are when the machine is turning.
Tip #3: Perform A “Slump” Test Before You Start Working – After you have found the proper mixture of water to concrete mix you will want to perform what is called a “slump” test. This is simply testing the quality of the mixture and making sure that it is not going to begin cracking once the water starts evaporating out of it. For a solid foundation you are going to want to take a good amount of concrete and drop it to the ground. If the concrete does not collapse on itself, and holds most of its height it is considered a healthy mixture and should prevent most types of cracking.
Tip #4: Prepare All Of The Tools That You’ll Need For The Job – Now that you are ready to begin working with the concrete that you have mixed you will want to make sure that you have all of the tools necessary for working with it handy. If you are going to have to run around the job site to gather the tools while the concrete is being poured, you are going to be wasting precious time. You can avoid this by making sure that you have your wheel barrows, shovels, wooden planks, floats, rakes and brooms near where you are beginning to pour the concrete.
Tip #5: Use Safe Mixing And Spreading Practices – While you are pouring the concrete it may have the tendency to splash small pieces towards the operator. Because of this you will want to make sure that the operator is wearing protective glasses, and that you have a bucket of water with a wash cloth nearby for washing the concrete off of their skin. The chemicals inside of the concrete mixture will burn skin if it is not removed in an adequate amount of time. You also want to make sure that people are not walking behind areas where workers are using long handled tools, because they run the risk of getting hit in the face with the end of the tool.
Tip #6: Clean Up The Equipment Properly After Completing The Project – After you have finished pouring the slab, you are going to want to make sure that you wash out all of the equipment that was used. You can usually remove most of the cement with a garden hose, but some may require the use of a pressure washer to completely break down the materials. You want to avoid letting the concrete sit on the tools for any length of time, because it will be almost impossible to remove at a later date and will require you to purchase new tools.