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Labor Saver

Tonly

Tonly

I usually mix up my own soil mixes. Seems to take way too much time shoveling and mixing to get it all mixed together. I looked at buying a cement mixer. $300 for a 3.5 cubic foot mixer. Too much money and too little capacity.

Found a 55 gal barrel with a removable lid, some scrap sheet metal from work and in about 10 minutes I put together a mixer for $12.00.

Fill it about half full, put the lid on, and roll it across the yard and back and all the ingredients are very nicely mixed.

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Much quicker and easier than using a shovel!
 
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Tumbling-Composter

For mixing soil just don't drill holes in it and you will be good to go. For the fin I just used a piece of 2x4 as long as the barrel and attached it with drywall screws inside. As it rots it adds to it then I can put in another one.

For soil mixing like I said just don't drill holes around the outside.


Plastic 55gal drums. Check with local gyms that have showers. They usually have one sitting around from soaps and such.

Oh and if you need some 5gal buckets for planting and such, check your local chinese, japanese, and oriental food restaurants. They get soy sauce in them and if you ask will usually give you a couple. I knock on back kitchen doors which means most likely a language barrier, but I have found it is more productive then going through the front door and asking. Having one in your hand or a picture of one to point at when asking helps.
 
great design...I was thinking about something like this too...I've got a 1 hp electric motor I was going to hook up to some pulleys with a belt and have mine electrified....I really like the fins in the barrel...
 
I do this with sacrete concrete mix and water. Put in in a 5 gal bucket with tight lid and roll it around yard, driveway, etc. Mixes it way faster and less work than a shovel or sharp shooter for small jobs. Works great for me in the plumbing industry to use under whirlpool and garden tubs. +1
 
I definitely need a cement mixer. When you need to pot up about 40 odd large pots, and your soil mix can fill about 4 pots or so, you can just imagine the back breaking work involved in mixing the soil, coco peat etc.

What do you reckon a decent price for a second hand worn out cement mixer would be? No more than a $100 you reckon? Don't even care if it requires turning my hand, just anything to save having to use a shovel in a big container.
 
MiLK_MaN said:
I definitely need a cement mixer. When you need to pot up about 40 odd large pots, and your soil mix can fill about 4 pots or so, you can just imagine the back breaking work involved in mixing the soil, coco peat etc.

What do you reckon a decent price for a second hand worn out cement mixer would be? No more than a $100 you reckon? Don't even care if it requires turning my hand, just anything to save having to use a shovel in a big container.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind hand turning it this works great
Justaguy said:
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Tumbling-Composter

For mixing soil just don't drill holes in it and you will be good to go. For the fin I just used a piece of 2x4 as long as the barrel and attached it with drywall screws inside. As it rots it adds to it then I can put in another one.

For soil mixing like I said just don't drill holes around the outside.


Plastic 55gal drums. Check with local gyms that have showers. They usually have one sitting around from soaps and such.
Click to expand...

The door allows you to empty it easily.
 
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