best cement mixer

[HaydnG]

Hi All,

I am getting around to the list of odd jobs from SWMBO and after spending half a day hand mixing a small concrete slab via the wheelbarrow the other day I reckon there is another tool opportunity in this.

I picked up a GMC welder a few months back (recommended in other posts) and it has been fantastic, so I have been looking at the GMC cement mixer, but am a bit concerned it may be underpowered (3/5 hp) and a bit small.

I would like to do some retaining walls and perhaps do the slab for my garage one day, so I reckon I might need something a bit larger, about 3.5 cubic.

Does anyone have experience with a good economical mixer?

Regards

Haydn

[Vernonv]

Hi Haydn,
You seem to have already dismissed the GMC, but I reckon it's great value for money.

I borrowed one from a friend to do some post holes for a deck (22 of them) and liked it so much I went out an bought my own - which I have used quite a lot since.

It may only be 2.5 cu. ft. but there seems to be a big dollar jump between the GMC and bigger mixers. And for the home user the additional capacity of a 3.5 is rarely missed.

If your on a limited budget then I would strongly suggest the GMC or a good quality used machine.

[Theremin]

Another vote for the GMC mixer from me. It represents outstanding value for money for small jobs around the home. I mainly used it for mixing mortar for bricklaying, so capacity was not a big issue (I don't lay very fast!) For a slab for a garage I would have thought you would be better to get a truck in otherwise parts of it will be going off while you are still working on the rest, but I'll leave that one for the experts.

[rod1949]

Yep I've got a GMC. For $199 compared to $1,300 I couldn't go wrong.

The only incident I had with it is that its toppled over whislt mixing a couple of times, which I put down in part as my fault in overloading it and the other part being the axle is not long enough and wobbling around on the partly inflated tyres.

[HaydnG]

Thanks to you all for your great comments.

Looks like I'm goping to add another GMC to the stable

[want2learn]

I recently bought one from Aldi for $250, i think its 2.5ci and 3/4hp. My mates laughed but having now seen it work they were all impressed. I've already used it a few times and seem to do my small jobs very well.