What was the problem with the concrete mixer
An old orange electric mixer that had the rotation shaft of the mixing bowl stuck.
For 20 years the mixing bucket of the mixer had been stuck and could not rotate, rendering the mixer unusable.
The electric motor was working normally.
There is no apparent way to solve and repair the shaft. There are no screws or nuts. Dead end.
Target
To get the concrete mixer back in working order. To rotate the bucket.
Comment
The concrete mixer had no manufacturer’s features. It was old and no-name! So I couldn’t find any information about it and no instructions or schematic diagram to solve the mechanism.
I emphasize the orange color because I had read that in the 80’s many concrete mixers were imported from Poland that were orange in color.
Initial attempts
Initially I tried to give my own solution. Using tools that almost every house has.
I removed the 10 bolts that held the bucket to the shaft.
I sprayed WD-40 to clean off the rust and free the mechanism. Result: Failure
I made several patents trying to get the mechanism to rotate. I wasted a lot of time. Result: Failure!
I posted the problem on the kalliergo.gr Facebook page. Many people responded (Thanks!!!!) and water started to “get in the groove”.
The mechanism had to be warmed up and tapped in order to release it.
I tried with a blowtorch and a hammer. Several times and for several days. Result: Failure!
I give up! I need professional help to repair the rotation mechanism!
And this is where I realize I can’t do much more on my own. I need the help of a professional mechanic.
I’ve got the wife nagging too:
“You have no work to do and you’re still working on that old thing! Throw it away!”
You’ve certainly experienced it… Haven’t you?
But how do you take the whole concrete mixer to the machine shop?
You just don’t!
I had to remove the concrete mixer arm, on which the shaft was mounted.
Easy to say, a little harder to do if you have no experience with these machines.
In the end, it wasn’t as hard as it first appeared.
You dismantle the engine, remove the engine face, remove the mechanism and torsion spring.
You take pictures before you do anything so you know what it looked like before you disassemble it.
You carefully store the parts, nuts, bolts.
The absolute goal is to have nothing left over after assembly. Ha! Ha!
After about 2 hours (we said I’m not an expert and just have everyday tools, right?) I finally had the arm in my hands.
LFixing the concrete mixer with the help of a machine shop
Luckily in my neighborhood (Neos Kosmos, Athens, Greece) there is a machine shop.
Countless times I had passed by outside, but never went inside.
So I brought, to the Becas Machine Shop, the problematic arm of the concrete mixer.
I think that’s where I met the happiest people and professionals I have not met in many years.
People who make, create, build, repair.
Do you think that’s the secret to being happy?
Mr. Stavros Bekas, heard the problem, saw the heavy arm I was carrying and immediately engaged with me.
The machine shop has been busy. Each man came in and the problem he wanted to solve was more interesting than the last.
And they solved it for him. If you know your job…
After 1 hour, Mr. Stavros Bekas handed me the concrete mixer arm with the rotation shaft of the bucket rotating (turning) like new!
To be honest, although I was constantly present and watching what he was doing, I can’t name the heavy machinery he used and the work he did.
He probably used something like a hydraulic puller, hammer, press, and lathe.
He removed the old bearings that had come apart and replaced them with new ones.
The charge was so small that I was embarrassed and gave him extra.
The reassembly of the concrete mixer
After a few days, now the proud owner of an old orange-colored electric mixer arm, I had to get a mixer arm.
Luckily I had taken photos during disassembly and had neatly stored the screws, nuts, and fittings I had removed.
Consulting all of these and with a lot of patience and time, I reassembled the cement mixer!
And yes I had the electric concrete mixer back looking like the orange old concrete mixer I started with.
I stand still for a while, put the plug in the socket and… Yep, it works!
It rotates with the characteristic sound of construction!
Epilogue
I hope this article will help you if you have a similar problem.
By finding the right people, you can bring old machines back to life.
Along the way you may learn a lot and meet interesting people.
Old machines are different from modern ones. They are simpler and more robust. It’s worth trying to repair them.
Tags: CEMENT • CONCRETE • CONCRETE MIXER • MACHINERY • REPAIR • WORKSHOP
