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Raise the bucket on the loader to prevent the bending over to pick up the concrete. Save your back!

I like how the dog comes by and checks to make sure his human is working and not messing around! I like that!

I’m an old concrete guy with many decades of experience and I’m here to tell ya it wasn’t painful at all, lol Your prep and technique were solid as can be.

Nice video! Thank you for demonstrating the mixer. One thought that might help with the initial start up. Try wetting down the chute and turning the auger/water on before you add the first bag. It will definitely help the mud come out the chute easier and may help solve the initial consistency problem.

I love that statement, “If you are an experienced concrete person, this is probably painful to watch. Right?”

As a long-time DIYer, my best tool is called a Back Brace.

Raise the loader up to the highest of the mixer don’t bend over and pick

That mud mixer is cool. At $3,000 it is above my price range. I have a junker Harbor Freight concrete mixer that cost less than two hundred 20 years ago that still works. Thanks for your video. Interesting.

When you’re doing a pour build a couple 12”x12” 2x4 forms to pour excess concrete pads.

I love how the guy spent like $3600 on a commercial cement mixer with the add-ons to do a $50 home project.

Cannot tell you how glad I am to see how that mixer works.

In the spring I poured a 30”x48” pad for my coal forge, in my barn. I probably went a little overboard with it. It’s got a 6”x6” grid of #3 rebar, and is 5/6” thick with beams around the perimeter, 😂. I like the idea of that Mudmixer, it seems a little fiddley, I’m sure there’s a learning curve. Cool video, thanks.

Thanks for the demo of the Mud Mixer. It looks like a nice way to keep a flow of concrete coming with one guy dropping bags into it and the other spreading the mix. Generally, I do four steps on the finishing. The first is screeding, which you did with the 2x4. The second is floating, where you use a steel or wood float to go over the top and push down the aggregate away from the surface. If that aggregate is too close to the top, it won’t finish well. The third step is troweling and edging it, where we try to get it close to finished. The fourth is either brushing it (which we do on outdoor walkways) or finish troweling for that mirror finish.

For one project the mud mixer is pricey, but for foundation pour, small pads, small garage pads, it is a back saver, gives you time to fine tune the concrete, seems most effective for two old timers as a part time job, this would make a great side job for part timers!

You didn't need all 12 bags because a 2x4 board is actually only 3.5 inches wide so you didn't get the full 4 inches thick you put into the calculator. I just saw the mudmixer for the first time today and was curious to see someone actually using one. Thanks for sharing your experience. Whenever I do any concrete work I use the leftover mix to make stepping stones. I just pour it right on the dirt and tool it along with everything else into a flat blob about 2 inches thick and once it sets up you can put it anywhere you want to step on a solid object instead of the ground

After reading about the Allen-Jac ‘wheelbarrow style’ mixer (all metal) in the “Whole Earth Catalog”, I bought one after moving into my house in 1975. Over the course of 45 years I mixed and placed around 50 cubic yards of concrete for many different projects - including an entire 90-foot driveway. It was, by far, the best tool I ever had. Kept me in shape too, and saved cost of gym membership. If I were young again I’d go right out and try to buy another one….

Everyone is ahead of me so I won't say much except it was an excellent video and when someone without a lot of experience does it they have the same questions as I would have had regarding the marks and someone answered that below. I learned a lot from the video and I will watch your channel more often. I was going to mention the 3 1/2 inch forms were the reason you had too much concrete mix. I recently poured a pad from a truck and I raised my forms up a half inch. Raising the pallet to the same level as the mixer saves a lot of back pain.

Thanks for the demonstration… very nice use.

Come on man. At least put a tarp down and secure the load on your trailer. I wonder how many windshields were taken out by the rocks that surely fell off.

I was seriously considering buying one. Now not so much. Thanks for the great video.

Nicely explained and you did a good job for someone who's never laid concrete before. It's hard to get excited about the machine you were using, particularly when it cost you circa US$3K, has about the same footprint as a much less expensive portable concrete mixer, produced an inconsistent mix and, from what I could see, was relatively slow. You can get away with inconsistency when the pad is only going to be used for a composter, but the art and science of concreting is getting the right ratio of aggregate, sand, cement, and water. Too much water will weaken your concrete. When I was young, I helped my Dad lay a reasonably long concrete driveway, which was 6" thick and wire mesh reinforced. He made it that way to withstand the occasional heavy truck on the driveway. My Dad bought the cement bags, aggregate and sand separately. We used a portable concrete mixer to mix onsite before pouring the concrete into a wheel barrow and then into the forms. We did it over a number of weekends, essentially laying large slabs one after the other, with relief cuts designed into the pour. For a pad that small, I personally would've used either a concrete mixer, if I had one or could hire one reasonably cheaply, or a wheelbarrow. For a bigger pour, I'd use a portable concrete mixer, and for a really big pour I'd get it delivered premixed. From a viewer in New Zealand.

Thanks for the video. You have a nice way about you. Easy to listen to and learn from. Keep the videos coming

Thanks, I’ll have to do some concrete work here in the future for the outdoor wood boiler we installed this year.

Nice setup, it would be good with building fences, tower base, basement patch, making steps and I can go on. I would make a few different size molds to use the left over cement

Great video. I learned so much. Main lesson is buy some blocks, surround it with rocks. Less cost, and it can drain.

Use a trowel a little bit later to get rid of the marks. Looked like you were using a mag float. Good to use that float and you can stop there, but to get rid of the marks, use a trowel when it is dryer. Probably a half hour to hour later. If you trowel it, don't forget to broom it so that it has some anti-skid. That being said. For what you were making it was perfect. No need to finish it smooth and broom, as long as it had enough slope to drain rough.

Some #5 rebar would have been a good idea, or at least some 6 x 6 WWM.

Ahhhhh how wonderful place and yard you are living !

Great job Ed. Thanks for the honest “handyman” review. Most of us wouldn’t spend that kind of money as weekend warriors but I love the technology. For semi-pro contractors that might be doing this several times per week for shed foundations or similar pads, this could be a nice piece of equipment. Like you I’m curious about the cement powder on the frame that you experienced. This will mean less cement in the mix and possibly a weaker mix (not to mention waste). I’d also like to know of the long-term reliability and service history. Any machine like this takes a lot of abuse so it’d be interesting to know how many yards of concrete you can put through it before it needs a new auger, motor or other maintenance. Keep up the great work.

A very nice feature of the MudMixer is the ability to rotate the mixer head on the wheeled base. This allows the user to pull the MudMixer a couple of feet every so often as needed alongside a walkway or foundation forms even while mixing the concrete. At 30:45 you can easily see the large bolt in the center of the base just behind the axle. That bolt is the swivel center. Then you can see the handle at the rear of the base that releases the mixer head to swivel up to 90 degrees in either direction from straight ahead.

First time visiting here and I'm impressed with that Mudmixer. I do understand these machines have some quirks that need to be hacked but as with just about any mechanical device, the more you use it, the easier it becomes. I was thinking the designers could make one with a trailer hitch so you could pull it around with a ATV or UTV. Thanks for the vid and nice work on the pad. Cheers from Vermont.

Thanks for this video! I am going to check out the Mud-mixer!

Really enjoyed this, thanks😊

Having done concrete work for a couple years, not bad. A couple of minor points: 1) You need to secure the form stakes. Failure to do this will result in the form moving out of square due to the weight of the concrete. Probably not much here, but any bigger and it get's crazy fast. 2) Put the form in and secure it square, then finish the gravel base, don't forget to put release (or diesel oil) on the forms! That will help ensure easy removal of the form. 3) Always use clean gravel for a base, anything else can cause inconsistencies drying which can increase cracking. Also an inconsistent material can lead to the slab shifting in the cold. 4) When putting in the gravel base check that it is "level" as well to make sure you've got a consistent thickness so the slab doesn't shift as easily. Roughly even weight. 5) You need to get the consistency right before pouring it into the form. Having different consistencies of concrete can cause cracking issues. 6) Always pour a *little* wet so you don't get voids. 7) Lighter hand on the trowel will fix your issue of pushing too much around. Like you said, practice. With the edger always tip up of the direction you're going. When you finish floating / edging you should have a defined edge away from the form. 8) You have to float it a few times, and should probably finish it with a brush. You usually don't want perfectly smooth concrete, especially outside. Unless you're doing a poly finish or similar you usually don't want it smooth. 9) GOOD JOB! No, seriously, if that's your first attempt that's a good result. I'm a bit hesitant on the machine. Maybe with a bit of practice it would be plausible to get it mixing consistently. A consistent mix / pour is extremely important for concrete.

Yes some may say it’s a little expensive but to me it looks the business, as the old saying goes the pain of the price will be forgotten long before the quality and usefulness endures. I can’t remember the exact expression but you get the idea.

What a great little machine. I want one!

I have not seen one of those mud mixers in action before. It looks like a handy tool. It is always good to have a job for anything left over. The concrete pad turned out good

GREAT video...I had to laugh when you ultimately had to use a shovel despite having a much desired earth mover:). Thanks!

Are you on well water? The varying water pressure (between 40 -60 psi) will alter the flow rate making it difficult to get a consistent mix.

Heres a cool tip... When your done with your pour, I generally use the extra to pour into patio block forms and step stone forms. Also... It doesn't hurt to set a 4x4 in a homer bucket and fill for later use as a post somewhere.

It would be wise to start off the machine into a bucket to allow it to "spool" up. It is also wise to pin the sides of your forms with stakes to keep the middle of the forms from bowing out. On that small of a pad, not completely necessary. Depending on your location you could experience frost heave on any pad that you just set on the ground.

Small issue, but put a bucket or pan under the chute when you are washing out the machine so you don't end up with a hardened pile of aggregate in your yard. A handyman once washed out his equipment in my sister's flowerbed next to the front door where the hose bib was located and made one heck of a mess! Plus the wash water is alkaline and could kill plants.

I'm just here to see the equipment. May be useful for my business.

I lucked out and bought a two wheel wheel barrow that the tub was actually a cement mixer. It slso has a 100 foot extrnsion cord. A hardware store did not want it anymore and 75 dollars took it. It weighs nothing empty and super easy to add the bags right where they are dumped

Yea bring that thing over to my house I need side walks a curb for my driveway. Lol,good video you'll get the hang of it.Ive proud a bunch of concrete by hand your right a lot of work.if you'll let your concrete dry more it will trowel much easier. GOD BLESS

From both a labor and quality of output standpoint, I'm not sure that's an improvement on a 3.5cf HF mixer at 1/10th the price. The product website has a video of using it to pour a long 1' wide slab, but for a typical slab I think I'd rather being pouring several cubic feet at a time, rather than the continuous dribble of the mud mixer.

Nice job Ed. I usually tap the form while concrete is wet to settle the concrete and to look for air pockets.

Great Video, Save your back by using the tractor to lift the bags of cement to the height of the mixer. Be safe.

Good video Thx flip the rake over when shoving the mix around --much less chance of digging into the base.

Tip….use the FEL to lift the pallet so you can pull off into the mixer and YOU don’t have to fight gravity……you can thank me later.

Now I know how I got so many stone chips on my hood and windshield, I was following you and your trailer of crushed concrete.

Great video and very well done for never using it, we have all done concrete the traditional way, mason was my very first trade my parents allowed me to do with a neighborgh when I was 15 to learn the honest earn with hard work, I was his helper for a good year before moving to carpentry, I have never liked concrete work, still remember those concrete bucket I had to haul to fill forms and footages and I was also the one mixing it, he just would show me how and occasionally yell at me when I messed up. That is history, fast forward 40+ years and just got this Mudmixer now, because right now I do not need it al all🤣...the way that works is I will have it once and if I need it, I got a project for a back yard shed 12x16, I had a small home depot mixer but decided to get this one instead, last pouring in my back yard was a strip on the side of 7x28, a little over 3 yards, we ended up getting a short load and paid 1K came out not perfect out of level in one corner and the pad already cracked in 2 places as no line was cut on it, I was going to do it myself with the small mixer but that was like 3 pallets and half of cement and I do not have a good back, so with all that said, I invested on this thing now, because later on when needed the price would probably be higher, I did not get the accessories which right now they are another $500 or close but will be looking for offers and maybe sales if any; I saw videos of a you tuber building a shop/apartment in a rural area huge and he used this machine for all the concrete work and I was impressed by how much it can really do! the guy will also be building a house and I am sure he will use the mudmixer for the foundation and the slab. Mine is still in its box since I got it last week and if I happen to die before using it, I am sure it holds its value and can be sold and the cash recovered, it is just a good expensive investment which should not be let pass by if one has the $$ for it at some point.

Great video, really appreciate it.

Been looking at one of these and I think you need to be aware of water pressure, on city water supply you should have a fairly consistent pressure level but on a well supply that pressure can vary by 20psi as the pump is set to turn on and off. I bet if you used an inline booster pump to maintain water pressure you can solve many issues.

I used a neighbors recently. At fist he said to us the forward and reverse to not have the dry and to help get consistency right.

Good video, I enjoyed watching and learning too. Not for me at the $3K price point but for someone that would use it often might be worth it.

Thank you.. great job…

I’d like to have one of these, but that’s a tiny amount of concrete. On the farm we’d mix concrete with a masons hoe on a piece of plywood on the ground. You throw down your fixins, make a divot in the center for the water and start folding in the edges with the hoe and mixing it up. Repeat the process until you get it mixed the way to want it. You can throw the bags of cement right off the truck instead of lifting them up to a regular drum mixer.

How do you get rid of the marks? Use a rounded tool to finish. The rounded ends won't tend to leave lines.

I hope that Home Depot and Co rent this mixer as there is no need to spend lots of money to buy it for a weekend project here and there. Surely will rent one if I can find one to tackle a small project maybe bigger size of yours. Thanks

Wire mesh or a square of rebar is a must so when that slab cracks, it will stay together.

Excellent video! When I first saw this mixer I laughed at the price, thinking how ridiculous. 😂 Now that I’ve watched a few videos this mixer makes a whole lot of sense, especially if you are working by yourself and doing large jobs. Basically just keep feeding it bags of concrete and it adds the water, does the mixing, and deposits the concrete slowly where you want it. It’s easier to move than most mixers and If you need a break, just turn it off. I’m a bargain hunter and often cheap out, but with all the concrete projects I have I see one of these in my tool arsenal in the very near future. Keep up the great videos! 😃

Your inconsistency in the mix output is most likely caused by inconsistent water pressure if you're on a well system that operates within a wide range (40-60 psi).

interesting to watch, the mag float is really for clearing the stone from the top 1/4 layer....you need a steel float with a curved end to make a decent flat surface without lines. Always edge as soon as it is hard enough, that is a test and see, before using the mag float. The mag float will bring up the slurry you can use on the edges to round off.

Great job. One thing not shown, and perhaps not known, is that concrete needs to be kept wet to full cure, which is why pros mist the top with water and then cover it with plastic sheeting, during the cure time.

Please explain, if i order 1 cubic yard or more, it is the same or cheaper to order a concrete truck delivery and much less work. If take in consideration $3k the price of the mud mixer, it doesn't make sense. Am I missing anything?

I wonder if you try to get the chute wet before you start your pour if it will make the first little bit of mix that comes out dry to be wet enough.

You make a great video. I wish I took the time to film my videos like yours. Keep it up! I have a lot of mud mixer videos as well but no quality content like yours.

Make a grate that can sit on top with a hand control bag slicer. Then sit the bag up on the grate and pull the bag splitter blade and the job got a lot easier.

I don't know. - We have been using a HF mixer for like 10 years now to do things like Generator pads and replacing floor cuts in factories. Even small machine bases. - We just put the bags in the Bobcat bucket and cut the end of the bag and then and turn the mixer over the hole and mix it on the spot. Wheels and dumps very easy if you have to get into tight spaces and does a proper MPF job (That is mix PLACE and finish. - You are not really supposed to "POUR" and drag concrete according to hoyal. ) The HF mixer is a couple hun, compared to 3-grand...and from what I see the HF mixer is easier to clean. If you need more then like 50 bags or so I think you are money ahead calling a truck IF not you got to mix an awful lot of mud to make up $3000. - If it was metered concrete and/or mortar where you have cement in one hopper, Sand in another, and aggregate in yet another I might think about it, but just to mix water with per-mix bags I'll stick with the mixer.

Should you use rebar to give concrete strength? Respirator from the concrete dust when loading bags?

3g for this thing! Just did a 40 post fence install with a harbor freight special i found off craigs list for 150

The game changer is the bucket attachment that has the hydraulic motor powered mixer made in it..

Nice work. Love the cement mixer. I wonder if it could do a big job like a garage driveway.

When pulling the fat off the top and getting the high lines out of the slab go with a steeper angle on your trowel and try to make one long pull in one direction... It also takes allot of time for concrete to settle and cure some of the ppl I've worked with over the years sugest covering the pad with burlap after it sets up a bit and then wetting it just enough to keep a damp and do that every day for 30 days then pull the burlap on day 30 and it's good to go ... But that was with allot of curb work so maybe its just an exclusive process to that particular job for strength purposes as they do get hit by cars repeatedly

29:51 use a Trowel with rounded ends. It helps.

That's a really useful bit of kit. Shame there is nothing like it in the UK.

You don't want it to dry in the machine so run into a bag. Or run it out over hole in the yard extremely wet. This machine tends to only pull dry mix from one area so if it had an gasoline motor. The shaking of the motor wouldn't let that happen.

By the way thanks for the video, I enjoyed seeing how that mixer worked, and i think you did fine work on your project. I also like taking on projects that i may not of ever done before,i like to challenge myself,jt feels great when it all works out. Props to all you DYI ers.

Being able to rotate wheels 90° and do continuous pours from outside the forms ,would be nice.

Good Job Ed, how long did it take to pour that 4x4 pad from start to finish. Not the finishing just the pour.

Finishing concrete for diy types is like finishing drywall topping coat .They keep working it and working it . Patience is key.and I think you did well . That machine should not be dropping out cement fines at the rear . What does the manufacturer say about this ?I’ve seen many concrete truck operators sprinkle in a healthy dose of brown sugar into the chute and apparently the chemical reaction makes the mud flow a lot easier .

Im waiting for the dog to walk through it when he's done.

Hey Ed, l am sure glad that "you didn't have a dime in it"( that muck-mixer). I've been "werken" my "second hand" 350.°°$ 15year old kushlin 8 cubic foot wheelburo style plastic drum electric cement mixer with an estimated 300 YARDS of production ( not 1/6 of a yard)[ that's 2 batches] Very Efficently & Near Flawlessly ; that l bought a second unit - "Brand-New" for 700°°$. The only trouble is that "Its STILL in the BOX" ... the "old-one" just Won't Quit ! My production level is 12 batches per yard in 48 miniutes ( that's 4048 POUNDS OF Product) !! What could be BETTER ?? Plus it can Move the "Concrete" ( not low-strength mud dribbling everywhere) from one place to another. Sure liked your "Enthusiasm" ,plus your choice of the "Marshalltown" hand-float& edger. That was a Very Good Presentation of the "jiffy-product" ....not a REAL "Cement-mixer" ,maybe a good "grout-mixer". Thank you Sir for the Excelent vidio and happy safe building. Best wishes with all your endeavours. .

Length times width times depth divided by 27 is one yard of concrete

I want to buy a mud mixer. I wonder if wetting the shoot first would help? Might slick it up some to help with clogging initially. I would have stopped and washed out the clogged extra as well just so it wouldn’t harden while I worked. Good job.

Concrete is notoriously weak in tension. Compression strength is where it really shines. For holding nothing heavier than a composter, this is prrobably okay but don't try to drive a vehicle over it. It will crack. Concrete slabs like this, and larger, should have re-mesh embedded about 1/3 the slab thickness up from the bottom. This puts the concrete above the mesh into compression when a load is added. Enough concrete below the mesh to seal it from ground moisture will prevent rusting. In a frost prone climate, a thicker slab would be in order so an upper layer of remesh can be added. This prevents the frozen ground from heaving and cracking the top surface.

You may be a novice but the finished product was pretty impressive to me! I enjoyed the long form video. And for whatever it's worth, the shot looking down the 2x4 on the chop saw really jumped out at me. Very nice. Finally-and I apologize in advance for this, but this is the sort of minutia that I get drawn into-I think the reason you have 2 bags left over is that I'm thinking you likely entered 4' x 4' x 4" (=9216 Cu.In.) into the calculator, but since 2x4s are only 3.5" (=8064 Cu.In.) that makes the calculation about 12.5% over, or 1.5 bags. Yep, I'm apparently THAT guy. 🤦‍♂ Great video, Ed.

Putting two 2x4s together with all weather glue is far superior in strength than a 4x4 ! Three or four screws also helps.

A 2x4 is actually 1.5x3.5 inches. So you wouldn’t get a 4 inch slab. Which is the reason you were left with two bags 👍

Watched it all! Very enjoyable and helpful. Prior commenter complained about $3000 and inconsistent output. Based on what I saw, I would disagree with that opinion. Regarding consistency, it only outputs a small amount at a time. Seems easy enough to adjust as necessary before too much is shot out incorrectly. No big deal. Mixing is painful work! This removes that aspect of the job. Of course job is still not easy, but if one is over 55, removing the mixing task is major! Cleanup seemed easy enough. Can you pause to take a break, or must you keep the mud mixer running? Would stop/start hinder consistency? Comment…don’t forget you have a tractor! I woulda lifted those forks up right beside the hopper so that I didn’t need to bend over to pick up the mix. …now if we could automate the rest of the process! Thanks for the video!

Why no rebar or remedy? Also, use hammer or 2x4 to wrap on the forms to remove the honeycomb.

The dry mix out the back came from when you ran it in reverse at the beginning of the video.

My Hubby always had some little projects laid out just in case there was extra mix. That's how he wound up with stepping stones...lol

I always spread a tarp across my trailer when getting gravel or dirt. I get the gravel dumped onto the tarp and try to pull it over the top for transport. When unloading, I can just pull the tarp.

From the uk 🇬🇧 and I think I will stick with a barrel mixer, that really looks flimsy and it won’t last the test of time… it definitely needs rethinking with the water mixing.

Great job Ed. You will get great use out of that new machine! Too funny. I started typing my comment towards the end of the vid saying I wished you left a signature before it dried! And low and behold….you did. Next time you gotta include Hachi! 👍👍👍👍

My $300 mixer works great and very consistent. Great video Ed.

Man, with all the machinery involved, this must be the most costly 4x4 pad I’ve ever seen😊, great job though.