Things You Always Wanted to Know About Concrete Trucks

Introduction of Concrete Truck

For transporting concrete from the batch plant where it is made to the construction site. Their strength is very high for carrying very heavy loads.

They have one drum which rotates for mixing at a certain rate in order to maintain a wet state while delivering them.
Concrete is prepared in two ways like one process is done at the site by proper combination of cement, sand, stone along with water. Another process is mixing inside the drum of truck.

The paste formed is a semi-solid state which with due course of time starts to solidify and gains strength.
Sometimes the sites are quite far away from the batching plant so, here the concrete truck’s role is to prevent hardening of the mix while delivering to the site.

An empty concrete truck generally weighs around 20,000+lbs, at the same their carrying capacity is 40,000 lbs. of concrete. They are also capable of carrying 300 gallons of fresh water as well as some extra equipment.

A rotating barrel is placed on the chassis of truck where the concrete is mixed where it prevents the concrete paste from drying during the time of delivering.

The blades present inside the drum rotates the mix inside the barrel while the drum spins at a certain rate per minute. This process is known as charging.

With the help of chutes concrete is poured once the truck reaches the required site. While discharging the spinning of barrel is made in the opposite direction which helps in the reversal of blades. This as a result helps to push and in-turn discharge the concrete mix from the barrel.

The configuration of concrete mix trucks can be rear and front discharging type.

Rear discharge concrete will require a worker to be present at the back for managing the chute and placing of concrete.
Front discharge concrete will allow the driver for controlling the chute and placing of concrete from within the cab.

Also Read: How to Pour Concrete Footings For A Retaining Wall | How Do You Measure a Footing for a Retaining Wall | How Deep Do Footings Need To Be for a Retaining Wall

Are Concrete Trucks Automatic in Nature?

Manual or automatic transmissions type concrete trucks are present. Of which older trucks are manual ones and the newly modelled ones are automatic ones.

Many new features are added in new modern trucks like presence of adjustable seats, air conditioning, power windows, Bluetooth connections and backup cameras.

The older models are not fancy enough, they will just consist of steering wheel, stick shift, radio, and pedals. Nowadays trucks are quite modern in nature have many modern features and fancy features.

Modern trucks are quite easy to ride and very comfortable for the driver. What are the Other Names of Concrete Trucks? Concrete trucks can be easily identified while seen from outside the mixing drums present on the back of the truck to be easily identified by anyone. They keep on constant rotating.

Concrete trucks are provided different types of names that includes:

• Mixing Trucks.
• Concrete Mixing Trucks.
• Mixer Trucks.
• Cement Trucks.
• Cement Mixing Trucks.

Are Concrete Trucks 4 Wheel Drive?

No, most of the concrete trucks don not have 4 wheels they have more than that.

At least 6 wheels will be present for most of the trucks having a multi axle system. At the same time smaller trucks are also present having mixing body which is present at back.

The name of this series is F series, ram or chevy is present along with mixing body at the back in place of a truck bed.
Even though they are not a full-sized mixing truck, then also they will be able of carrying 2 yards at a same round which in-turn helps in making them a good option for a small job. They will be a 4 wheeled truck.

The best thing about small mixing truck is that it can be adopted to any full-sized pickup into one. Their weight should be quite heavy enough for proper hauling and to give proper support a lot of weight, this type will be bed conversions type.

This will be meaning that in your truck you will be able to bring all modern truck’s technology and comfort.
If driving is considered smaller 4*4 concrete trucks will be quite easy to be driven rather than driving big 6 axled trucks. Again, another advantage will be extra fees need not to be paid for going over the bridges or tolls.

Also Read: How Thick Should a Concrete Sidewalk Be?

How Are Concrete Trucks Cleaned?

The cleaning of concrete trucks is quite an easy process to be done, just considering the fact the concrete paste has not dried yet. All the equipment required are a hose and some fresh water.

Just after the concrete is discharged at the required site, many try to wash the drum immediately. Then it will be easy to be washed.

All the shoots present along with the truck’s exterior are also washed properly. You should try to hose off any kind of splatter before you let it get dried and be difficult afterwards.

After that the truck is made to pass through very large rings having high powered spray nozzles attached on them at the site to give more proper cleaning.

All the dirt or materials even left with cleaning of hoses will be properly cleaned. This process you can image like car washing process.

More fresh water is used for giving more proper cleaning to the drums inside portion. Water is filled inside the drum and then spun in clockwise and anticlockwise directions for removing the left over concrete totally.

The above is a very important process since, you will not be wanting concrete to get dried inside the drum.
Even though concrete gets dried up, then the worker must get inside the drum for banging off the dried concrete.

This is so done because when hard concrete is banged it will get vibrated and then get flaked and will get loosened of the steel drum.

Outside of the drum you can also bang the drum for loosening the hard concrete. You can also use chisel for loosening very hardly stuck concrete.

After all the materials are chipped off the drum can be properly cleaned off.

How Are Concrete Trucks Loaded?

The loading of concrete is done through the same hole through which concrete is made to be discharged at the work site.

The main difference is the state of the concrete during the loading. Mainly two states are used.
Ready Mix

The pouring of concrete is done into the barrel through the opening of the drum, just the concrete poured is mixed at the site.

Dry Dried up materials like cement, stone and sand are properly poured into the truck. Water is then added and then drum is rotated for mixing the materials.

When concrete is to be delivered at a far site you can mix the materials sometime before discharging. This will help in preventing premature hardening.

This job is not performed by any human it is done with the help of materials and conveyor belts.

Where Are Concrete Trucks Made?

At the point of buying concrete truck fully assembled truck can be bought or you can buy one existing truck and then assemble the hydraulics and drum separately. The drum and truck are two different pieces that all-together make up concrete truck.

The manufacturing of trucks is done at plants like any commercial items. One of the manufacturers is Mack that makes good quality concrete trucks.

Another good manufacturer is Peterbilt that builds heavy-duty class 8 trucks which is made in Delton, Texas.
Smaller trucks will be made little differently. It is generally a regular heavy duty pickup truck that will have a mixing body get attached to it.

China manufactures the mixing bodies which is then shipped here and after that properly mounted. The model of the truck will tell you where it is made.

Every corner of the world has truck manufacturers like in India Schwing Stetter Private limited, Apollo Infratech Private Limited and many more are there.

Mostly the parts generally come from different places other than where there is manufacturing plant. Assembling of the truck is made at the plants, while many times the parts are not made in the plants. Pretty much all vehicles are made in the same way.

The electronic parts, drums and the hydraulic systems that mixes and pours the concrete are manufactured by specialized companies. Truck manufacturers many times do not build them.

How Tall Are Concrete Trucks?

Variety of sizes are present for the concrete trucks having different heights.
The basic breakdown is as follows:

Standard

8-14 yards of product is hold by standard sized concrete truck. Basically, two design are present for them, front loading type and rear loading type.

Rear loading ones are generally lower since the shoot will not be able to reach over the cab.
Their height will be 11 feet.

Front loading ones are much higher since, their shoot will extend up and over the cab.
Their height will extend up to 13 and a half feet.

Small

4 to 5 yards of concrete will be hold by smaller drums, smaller concrete trucks are given a name of mini mixers. Their height will be around 9 to 10 feet tall.

Pickups

2-yard mixing body is present for a standard heavy- duty pickup truck having a height of 8 to 9 feet tall.

How Much Does Concrete Trucks Cost?

The prices of concrete trucks ranges around any kind of typical truck. A brand-new concrete at this time will range around 9.5 lakhs to 1.35 crores based on the type you want. Fully assembled ones have a higher priced the drum speed also governs the price.

Some amount of price can be saved if the truck and mixer is brought separately. Sunbeam Reverse Drum Mixer 4 cubic meter Transit truck will cost you around 6.9 lakhs.

GE Transit Concrete Mixer Truck, Model Number Ha 494 will cost you 9.5 lakhs. Diesel Engine Powerol Concrete Transit Mixer 8 cubic meter will cost you 8.5 lakhs.

Hasber Machine Private Limited Diesel Automatic Truck Mounted Mobile Concrete Mixer, 28 Ton will cost you 70 lakhs.

Above mentioned are some of the types of truck and their respective prices in the market. Used trucks if bought will cost you a little lesser. You can buy them also just you have to check all the required parts of the trucks are working properly.

How Heavy Are Concrete Trucks?

The weight of concrete trucks depends on their size. The average weight ranges around 20,000 to 30,000 pounds when empty which can carry 40,000 pounds of concrete.

Additional equipment is also carried by the truck such as water tanks and concrete shoots. Per gallon water weight around 8 lbs. and concrete shoot weighs 500 pounds.

200-gallon tank is present for most of the trucks, it will sum up to 1600 lbs.

Concrete drum with concrete will weigh around 4040 lbs. if fully loaded. So, if 10-yard truck is considered the total weight will be 40,000 lbs.

If we consider a fully loaded concrete truck it will easily weigh 70,000 pounds. This much heavy weigh makes it dangerous to be travelled on weak roads and some bridges.

It is recommended to keep the truck on the streets and then pump the concrete to site.

Is It Hard for Drivers to Drive a Concrete Truck?

To drive a full-sized concrete truck, it is not that easy for every person. It will require you a special training along with a License known as CDL.

This is so required because the trucks are heavy duty trucks of class 8 commercial vehicle that will be carrying around 40,000 pounds of concrete which keeps on moving.

If one is properly trained then the new trucks can be easily driven. The newer trucks are quite harder. As compared to older trucks the newer trucks are easy to be handled break come to action properly.

Modern trucks are provided with all amenities present in a luxury truck. The turning power of newer trucks is quite effective, they come with the advantage of automatic transmission.

With the advancement of engines and transmission, the driving of trucks is much easier nowadays. More improved engines are coming day to day.

If someone drives an older concrete it will be more difficult for them. Older trucks give a stiffer ride since they are under-powered, turning power is noy up-to the mark, they will have the advantage of power window and air conditioning.

While if they can send the concrete to the required site and properly discharge them then returnto the batching plant that will be very fine, i.e., they can be used.

How Much Quantity Does a Concrete Truck Able to Hold?

8 to 10 yards of concrete will be the holding capacity of an average full sized concrete truck. 14 yards will be the holding capacity of more large sized trucks which are used at large scale commercial or industrial projects.

4 to 5 yards will be the holding capacity of small concrete trucks.

2 yards will be the holding capacity of pickup trucks.

The volume of concrete is measured in cubic yards. 4050 pound is the weight of a yard of concrete. Therefore 40,500 pounds will be the total weight of 10 yards of the truck.

For How Long You Will Be Able to Keep Concrete in the Truck?

1/2 hours is the normal time for which concrete can be kept in the concrete truck. Even though continuous mixing is to be done during the travelling time.

Concrete should not be kept still inside the drum for more than half an hour otherwise it will start to harden.

When the weather is dry and hot, concrete will tend to dry faster. It should be made sure to adjust the amount of water added and the rotation should be adjusted with this.

Hardening of concrete can be prevented with the help of concrete mixing. Then also it might dry up and result a flaky formation, just it will not stick and get hard.

For preventing this water should be added for retaining the moisture. Again, you must not pour water extra than the limit required, then it will weaken the concrete.

Ideally it is tried to discharge the concrete to the job site in an hour from loading it.

How Do the Concrete Trucks Pour Concrete?

Concrete is poured out of the barrel just by reversing the direction of rotation of the spinning of the barrel.
Blades are present inside every barrel that helps in churning of concrete inside the barrel. Their reversal of the blades gives a push to the material instead of further mixture of materials.

Concrete is fed into the chute as soon as it starts to come out of the barrel. We can easily increase the length of the chute in order to deliver it to different parts of job site.

If the driver is experienced, he will easily be able to deliver the concrete where it is required anywhere nearly around 18 feet.

It will be most used method for pouring concrete that will be at ground level as well as near to truck.

Pump is used for pouring concrete at higher levels or longer distances or points. After pouring concrete in the pump, you can use a hose pipe for sending it to higher locations.

How Far Can a Concrete Truck Pour Its Concrete?

18 feet away is the distance, at which concrete can be poured with the use of chutes. This distance is measured from truck’s edge to the discharge point of the job site.

At below graded walls a distance of at least 1 foot must be maintained by the wheels of a ready-mix concrete, from excavation and trenches you must also maintain 1 foot distance.

From thin or soft concrete you must keep proper distance since they can easily get broken due to the trucks load.
If a pairing of pump is done with the concrete truck then very far distances can be covered by you. Many cases have been seen where hundreds of feet have been covered for discharging the materials.

The technology used here is the driver will pour the concrete in the pump, then the pump will in-turn shoot the required amount of concrete to the point with the help of hoses.

Pump trucks is the name given to the trucks which have pumps attached to them. Their arm length will be longer which will totally expand in order to deliver the concrete just at the point where it is required.

Where the movement space is very tight, they work great in that situation since, concrete can be poured over a house or in a high-rise structure.

We can also make standalone pumps to use which will not be attached to the concrete truck, their working style is also similar to the attached pumps.

After placing at proper position and then turning on you will be able to send concrete wherever required at the job site, up to which the hoses will be able to reach. All that is required for the truck to be done is to just pour the required concrete in the pump.

Also Read: All About Yards of Concrete in a Truck | How Many Yards of Concrete Are in a Truck | How Much Does a Concrete Truck Weigh

What Is the Basic Difference Between a Concrete Truck and a Cement Truck?

Basically, there is no such big difference between a concrete truck and a cement truck. Most of their things are similar in nature just the mixing part is different.

While cement and concrete are just different things they cannot be used interchangeably. Cement is a basic ingredient of concrete along with all the other ingredients of concrete.

Based on the products type concrete and cement are different, for delivering concrete you will require the blades of the barrel to be rotated at a certain rotation speed so that it does not dries up while that is not required for cement.

So, when you see a concrete truck the truck can sometimes look like a cement truck but you cannot tell it as a cement truck what is you have to notice is the rotation of the barrel.

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