Pouring a Concrete Slab and Piers Using a Mud Mixer

[@Meh-2023]

Got one of them and immediately put it to work. Easiest time I have had putting in post footings and posts. 32 bags at an easy pace. Will be able to pour the 900sf driveway expansion in small doses on my own. Nice vid!

[@iamahardscaper]

Thank you!

[@lorencolt]

When the mud is that loose even if you pull it up it is going to sink back down, plus you were walking on it. 40 plus years pouring concrete in a industrial and residential settings has taught me a few tricks. Just putting a few rocks or pieces of brick to support the rebar would be better then nothing. That said if you get it to high the same thing will happen. Water gets to the rebar and rust it and pop the concrete. You get that lot in shallow or thin slabs. After a couple of years you can stand back and see were the rebar is in the slab. You can get a rebar made out of volcanic rock that will stop this all-together and it expands and contracts about the same as the concrete as the temperature swings.

[@iamahardscaper]

Ah amazing, thank you for the information!

[@jasonpearson1555]

say if you were not going to cover with pavers, is there a grinder or resurface tool you can rent? what are the draw backs of using that?

[@lorencolt]

@@jasonpearson1555 Ya you can rent said grinder, but I have yet seen anybody grind to and adequate smoothness without setting up guide rails or have a bridged machine to make it look right. The best bet is to do the first setup of your pour right. Supporting your rebar correctly and wire tying it all together. There is a stretch of interstate on the WYO. and S.D. border that the rebar was set wrong, and it is like driving on a rumble strip. There is a diamond grinding disc-cup you can put on a 7"-9" hand grinder, and you can eyeball it. Face protection and a good respirator is required.

[@jackriley5974]

You might as well talk to the man in the moon! I believe the younger generations like the mixer so much because they get to stand and watch it shit out the mud. "40 bags in an hour"?? That's 1.5 bags a minute, and not likely even without any problems! Mixed in a wheelbarrow (look ma, no hands) allows you mix the proper slump, and place it, not pull it?

[@philipshields1183]

Wheres the slab mentioned in description?

[@iamahardscaper]

You didn’t see it being poured?

[@centexan]

Rebar on the ground means you shouldn't have bothered if you don't pull it up into the concrete before screeding. But that mud mixer looks like a great piece of equipment! Mud being just a little bit thin in the sono tubes wil work out fine.

[@iamahardscaper]

Thank you!

[@atop147]

Mike doing it like a boss once again 💪💪💪

[@iamahardscaper]

❤️

[@MStark]

I have been thinking about purchasing one of them. Good video.

[@iamahardscaper]

Appreciate that!

[@lorencolt]

You might as well have not used rebar. If it is laying on the ground it does you no good. It will rust and the rust expands and cracks the concrete. A bag of plastic rebar chairs is about $20 and you can get them in different heights to put your rebar where its needed in the middle of the slab.

[@iamahardscaper]

Thank you 👍 it was pulled up as we poured

[@dkat1108]

Question do the round rocks in the mix ever get jammed in the pig-tail mixer blade ?

[@iamahardscaper]

If the mix is too dry, they get jammed in the screen on the top which causes the machine to stop. But I have a version where the mixer blade is shortened. Newer models have the mixer blade extending all the way to the end and others do not have the same problem I have.

[@martyhanson1902]

Question; I have a MudMixer and have run 300+ bags thru it. I find the water control is Very sensitive. 1/8” one way and the mix is too loose. 1/8” the other way and it’s too dry. Is your MudMixer the same way ?

[@iamahardscaper]

Yeah definitely feel the same way about mine!

[@phillipmiller8388]

I wondered if a gate valve for the mix controller with a shut off solenoid wouldn't yield better results.

[@heatherallen9153]

This is Heather, Thomas Trevino’s wife with Thr33 Vin3s Landscaping in San Antonio Texas he loves when you say “what’s happen hardscapers” lol We noticed this project your working on, you created with a program on the computer. We have been following you for over a year, and see this is going to be your best work yet. What program do you use for the design?

[@iamahardscaper]

I appreciate that! glad somebody likes the opening line haha. This is Uvision or Realtime Landscape Architect (they're the same thing)

[@organicvids]

322 theres no way to pause water and mixing?

[@iamahardscaper]

Yeah you can do that

[@organicvids]

@@iamahardscaper so it must have been the screw length that caused inconsisten batches. Other vid said company sent them 2 screws when thiers busted.

[@diegojines-us9pc]

why not adjust the water at the faucet a little to give you better adjustment at the machine?

[@iamahardscaper]

I tried that on this one but you have to turn it down to almost nothing and then it’s even more difficult to control at the machine

[@diegojines-us9pc]

@@iamahardscaper i guess its all where your water comes from, thanks for insight.

[@thereplacementfordisplacement]

Curious why you didn't stack all the bags by the job so you could maintain a more consistent slump, the stopping/starting killed you. Haul all the bags+extra for each pour nearby then start. I think they also have a box for on top to increase the hopper size so you can put more bags in and pull more mud for longer. I've used the harbor freight mixer with better results but not as quickly or conveniently.

[@iamahardscaper]

That sounds like a smarter thing to do. Yes, I saw they have the hopper extender.

[@CRYMEARIVER-S4]

Well your special tell us more about your harbor freight?

[@RealDarrellJennings]

Your missing about 8-12 inches of auger on that machine. You got a dud and that is why its backing up and clogging . The auger should go all the way to about 1-2" from the end giving both a better mix and easier pour as well as less clogging and backing up in the tube.

[@iamahardscaper]

Yeah I seen that online, don’t know why I got the dud

[@RealDarrellJennings]

@@iamahardscaper call them and they will probably send you a replacement no charge

[@travisandtracyjacobs6198]

@@RealDarrellJennings Does the auger come in pieces? And he is missing on of the pieces? Not the extension chute

[@organicvids]

​@@RealDarrellJenningsthey will

[@Bryan-The-goat]

nice video 👍

[@iamahardscaper]

Thank you!

[@BoSS-dw1on]

You should have just skipped all the hassle and dry-poured like is all the rage in the DIY Cajun Community…. LOL

[@iamahardscaper]

Haha I’ve seen a few videos pop up in my feed

[@hillbilly4christ638]

The big problem with that mixer is the auger doesn't extend out to the end of that arm. It doesn't complete discharging the material and forces you to water it down to the point where it is inferior concrete. That mixer should be able to discharge that entire bag without water and that is not going to happen with that setup. Good idea, but a piss poor design that leads to nothing but frustration. I used to run a mobile batch truck, so I might know what I am saying. Ready mix is not a good choice for a pad that size. That stuff isn't meant for anything other than very small jobs. The aggregate in it is inferior and the test strength is too.

[@iamahardscaper]

I appreciate that feedback! And yes they actually make the machine with a full auger now… little late for me

[@stevemarkovic9326]

What would be a good batch and liquidity for let's say a 30 × 50 pad for a metal garage?

[@jackriley5974]

I seriously doubt that machine will mix mortar. The aggregate in concrete assists the screw in moving the mix. Also, my AI friend who insists on giving his two cents every time I look something up has this to say; "Avoid slumps greater then 5 inches because an overly wet mix can reduce overall strength and result in a weak, porous surface." I doubt the manufacturer of the Mud Mixer will supply a slump cone as it would prove the difficulty in mixing a less than 5 slump.

[@iamahardscaper]

👍👍

[@marvtomson574]

This "Mud Mixer" is kids stuff. If you're putting up a small concrete dog house, or small [tiny] barbeque pit then its probably so-so and gets you by. For anything of larger square footage you'd best take out some good life insurance , and pre-list it with your surving heirs, because you will be standing there watching this thing spin, spin, spin and poop out concrete at about 2cups a second. Granted they [Chinese buggers] had good intentions designing & building this machine, however I would say this is proof of concept, and now it needs to go through a redesign to make it more functional. i.e. PRACTICAL.

[@iamahardscaper]

I’d say it’s pretty practical for small pours 👍

[@chrisparker9886]

It was not designed in China Einstein! 😂

[@Nova-m8d]

Clearly not worth an extra $3000.

[@iamahardscaper]

😄