mixing 1m3 by hand/wheelbarrow?

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Originally Posted by Terrian

next time I need to dig a hole in clay then fill it with concrete I will remember to get you over here, I'll dig the clay :-)

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Not sure where Kilsyth is but I think the float on the excavator might prove to be a bit prohibitive.:D

I just finished mine today...2000mm x 2000mm & 340mm at one end & 120mm at the other. Sloping block & its a long story as to why i couldnt dig it level.

I ordered 1 x MT3 & it took a cats whisker under that (one shovel full under actually) ..anyway i asked the driver how many builders barrows in a MT3 & he said about 15.

I had considered doing it myself but after that no way in hell would i have done it myself.

I only needed 0.8m3 for my shed base, and getting it pre-mixed and delivered was one of the best decisions I've made.

The bloke turned up at 8am, poured it all into the formwork (I was lucky that he could back the truck right up to where I wanted it poured), and I was kicking back with a coffee by quarter to nine, admiring my new slab.

I got mine from Boral, the guy I dealt with when I was ordering it was very helpful. I had no idea there was so many variables with concrete.

I reckon if I did it by hand, I would have still been going by tea time.

theres 35 cubic feet in a cubic metre so the truck driver must be used to using ladies garden barrows.

You always have to order extra, I usually order 0.2 cu.m extra minumum.

I'm with you re the ladies barrows Bob. If you leave it to the truck driver to fill the barrows you get about 6 per cu.m ...but don't make waves.:o

For every nice helpfull driver out there there seems to be one that wants to make your pour as difficult and rushed as possible. These are usually the same ones that result in the big time penalties.:~

Mate....why kill yaself doing it the hard way ??.....to hire a cement mixer only cost me $30 for the weekend ....there must be places like that around you, I think even bunnies hire em out ...pour it all in one, and mixed correctly first time .......save ya a lot of headaches mate ..:2tsup:

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Originally Posted by Bleedin Thumb

Not sure where Kilsyth is but I think the float on the excavator might prove to be a bit prohibitive.:D

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outer eastern suburbs of melbourne, maybe I should just get the 20tonner cat from work then :)

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Originally Posted by echnidna

theres 35 cubic feet in a cubic metre so the truck driver must be used to using ladies garden barrows.

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wheeling 1/2 barrows (builders barrow) of 70 slump concrete over rough ground is my limit :)

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Originally Posted by Bleedin Thumb

You always have to order extra, I usually order 0.2 cu.m extra minumum.

I'm with you re the ladies barrows Bob. If you leave it to the truck driver to fill the barrows you get about 6 per cu.m ...but don't make waves.:o

For every nice helpfull driver out there there seems to be one that wants to make your pour as difficult and rushed as possible. These are usually the same ones that result in the big time penalties.:~

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there is normally about a 20 minute limit onsite for mini mix, after that there is extra costs.
3 of us on barrows took about 25 minutes to empty a maxi with 5.5m3.

I always try (tried) to get the truck right to the job (85 - 90 slump, easier to screed :) )

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Originally Posted by Bleedin Thumb

You always have to order extra, I usually order 0.2 cu.m extra minumum.

I'm with you re the ladies barrows Bob. If you leave it to the truck driver to fill the barrows you get about 6 per cu.m ...but don't make waves.:o

For every nice helpfull driver out there there seems to be one that wants to make your pour as difficult and rushed as possible. These are usually the same ones that result in the big time penalties.:~

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Yeah i got a good driver which really helped for someone like me whom has never laid a slab before. He got in & showed me how to work it into everywhere & not get air pockets. I had some wobbly ground so he spared me with smaller barrow loads. Man the stuff is heavy for its quantity !!

Just in petrol it would cost me about $50 to go and pick up a mixer. I think ill just mix it up on some ply and shovel it into the barrow. I still have to wheel it about 30 meters uphill no matter what as the ground is too uneven to mix by the formwork. Even if i got a delivery i would have to barrow it all up the hill..It is a possibility one of the nearby farms has a mixer. Might drop in on them...
thanks boys

Ask one of the farmers if they've got a PTO mixer for their tractor, 1) you'll mix a larger batch at a time, 2) you can reverse the tractor up the hill to your formwork, 3) it would probably cost a slab.

We've done silo bases here in no time. Also done a dairy yard extension a few years ago, a lot of concrete all mixed on site in a day.

Only way to go, not every farmer has one, but theres bound to one that does.

Regards

Matt

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Originally Posted by zongatron

Re the sand bed, the tank is a bluescope tank which is basically sheets of moulded tin riveted/screwed together and then about 30 tubes of silicon to seal the gaps. I know it aint the best but its more than half the price of concrete, full plastic and even the better grade steel tanks which have bladders that can be replaced. All the above come in at round $4500 for 20 000 litres while the bluscope is $2000 for 17400 litres.

I have two concrete tanks for house and this third is for the vegies + outdoor bath so... Also it has 20 year warranty the same as plastic tanks and the better steel ones.

I spoke to the bloke who builds them and he said concrete slab or timber base. he wont warranty it against anything else because any moovement at all and the silicon comes under stress etc and sand might settle too far or shift and he also said that when you are trying to place it it is difficult to put the tank in place without walking over the sand bed making holes etc...

I wanted a blue metal base boxed in but he said no to that too.

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Originally Posted by zongatron

Also guys - How clean does my metal have to be?

I have almost enough laying out on my driveway which i need to shift as im putting a slab there one day. Its very clayey, loads of small sticks and small loose bark. Will that be fine to shovel up and use? Or should i go some fresh stuff?

And what qulity sand? Good sharp brickies sand or as its only a water tank base can i use some au natural grainy river sand off the side of the road and maybe giving it a light sift.

Im sure your getting my modus operandi here. Dont mind the labour mixing in a barrow. Dont mind the labour loading up the trailer with sand, dont mind the labour scraping up about a metre of mertal.

bear in mind i live aways outta town and its far easier to drive down the road and load up the trailer than it is to drive into town and get them to dump a load onto my trailer.

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Originally Posted by zongatron

Just in petrol it would cost me about $50 to go and pick up a mixer. I think ill just mix it up on some ply and shovel it into the barrow. I still have to wheel it about 30 meters uphill no matter what as the ground is too uneven to mix by the formwork. Even if i got a delivery i would have to barrow it all up the hill..It is a possibility one of the nearby farms has a mixer. Might drop in on them...

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As you can see I've gone back over this thread.

from your info I'd strongly advise you to forget the concrete and go with a substantial timber or steel base.

Based on what you have said, your tank supplier is recommending a 20MPa or concrete slab. You will not achieve anything like this strength using found (dirty) gravel and sand, especially if you're mixing it in a barrow and pouring it in very small blobs on very uneven ground.

The likely outcome is several largely independent lumps of concrete that over time will move leading to failure of your tank.


ian