On Jan 16, 8:22*pm, Peter Scott wrote:
I have several neglected jobs to do that involves smallish quantities of
mortar and concrete.

The Clarke ones are a bit crap. In particular, they use a ring gear
drive that wears and falls apart (it's fixable if you can swap
bearings). Much better is to use a Belle, where it's a sealed oil-bath
gearbox and a direct drive onto the drum spindle. Ring gears are the
way to go for big mixers, but not in this size. Direct drive are also
much smaller and light enough to lift on and off pickups.

Resale value on mixers is great, so buying new isn't as bad as you
might think. You can also pick them up at farm auctions etc., but be
wary because a great many of these are auctioned off after someone
trashed the gearbox! Always (just as they advise) check the gearbox
oil level before using. It shouldn't need topping up, if it does (or
even worse, it's now overfilled with rainwater), the seal has gone.
Mind you, new Belle gearboxes are cheap enough that a trashed mixer
for a fiver at an auction is a cut-price route to effectively a new
machine.

Look after your drum. Wash it out afterwards (water & gravel), don't
spin-dry bricks in it and dent the thing (makes it harder to clean). A
dirty drum soon collects an ever-thickening layer of cement.

You need a good lock and bike chain for a mixer. They don't walk away,
they fly! If I was doing a big job or a house build and leaving it in
place outdoors, I'd bolt it or concrete it down.