Masonry Magazine April 2004 Page. 64
Mixers & DELIVERY SYSTEMS
The speed of your mixer at the beginning of the day is critical. Everybody needs mortar all at the same time.
America's Fastest & Strongest Mortar Mixers
BUDDY MIXERS
The Mix You Want... At The Speed You Need!
Unique trunnion design with triple seal, twin grease chambers and bearing cover protecting grease fittings
Heavy-duty welded grate with "ever-sharp" bag splitter
"Pour Right" 14" wide dump chute puts the mix where you want
•Lifting eye
Channel-mounted dump handie for superior strength
Dead-Zone
3" angle iron bumper with reflectors
Heavy-duty telescoping tow pole (schedule 80 pipe, 2-38" dia)
Extra thick rubber paddle wipers for longer life and better performance
Unique paddle configuration with two end scrapers and two end wipers gives more push on the mix at the drum ends
CHANNEL MOUNTED
OUMP HANDLE
1/4" thick steel drum shape makes
DRY CLEANING in the
harshest conditions
fast and damage-free.
Buddy
WIDE STANCE
LARGE ENGINE CAB
PATENTS PENDING
Please Call
Buddy 888-823-8819
EQUIPMENT For Your Area Distributor
62 Masonry
CIRCLE 184 ON READER SERVICE CARD
April 2004
This comes in handy at the start of the day. When everybody shows up at the job, there's a tremendous demand for mortar. "That's where the speed comes in," claims Swisher, "because you've got masons who want to get to work but they need their mortar. The speed of your mixer at the beginning of the day is critical. Everybody needs mortar all at the same time."
Bucket of Mud
CERTAINLY NOT in the same league with the Buddy or m-tec mixers, the Collomix from Mixing Innovations, New Albany, Ind., might only make sense on smaller jobs. Then again, you don't have to haul it around behind a pickup truck, either. In fact, you can pop it into the trunk of your sedan - or carry it on the back of your motorcycle!
Looking a lot like the rotary mixers used to make bread dough but on steroids the Collomix is a handheld, motorized mixer that works with a tub or, if you really only need a small amount of mortar, a bucket or pail. Like a mason's Cuisenart, the Collomix is available with a wide selection of shaft-mounted mixing paddles designed to work with materials from paint to aggregate. In addition, mixing units can be single or double-shaft, with motors running on 110- or 230-Volt lines.
In operation, the Collomix is held by a worker standing over a bucket or tub of material. As simple as mixing cake batter, the unit stirs up the material while water is added. Robin Finklestein, marketing manager for Mixing Innovations, warns masons against thinking of the Collomix as a modified drill.
"The CX Series handheld power mixers are designed to provide high-performance mixing of cement, mortar, screed and other viscous materials used in the masonry, tile and concrete trades," says Finklestein. "The mixers are a significant improvement over the drill in terms of performance and design. Contractors can mix up to 25 gallons (2-1/2 cubic feet of finished material) at one time. The motor is designed for mixing - not drilling holes and the two-speed gear units deliver optimal power in either slow or fast speeds."
Easily portable, the Collomix can even mix on scaffolding if power is available. Try that with a nine-cubic-yard mixer!
Pumping up Profits
SPEED IN GETTING the job done can improve profits, but not if the quality goes down as the speed goes up. One way to move mortar to higher levels is by pumping it. M-tec, for example, makes mixers, pumps and combinations of the two.
"The smaller pumps, such as the P20, can only be used for material that contains aggregates of approximately 1/10-inch, as coarser material will reduce the lifetime of the worm pump," comments Monz. "This part can be changed within a few minutes, but of course the maintenance costs will reduce the savings from the use of the pump. The larger model P30 is suitable