Super Soil Mixer

ya know...I was never satisfied with mixing my soil in kiddie pools,tarps...or a concrete mixer,to me,it just wasn't "blended"well enough...so I made this...cost me 3gr,for a buddy to run down a barrel for me....not the right barrel,but,not a problem...cut the top off,put 6- 1x2 slats inside(drywall screws)reinforced the top and bottom holes...reattached top...sits on car jacks....lol...works great...frickin fantastic....divide ur additives into how many bags ur making...and do one bag at a time.....I used angle iron for part of the top retainer,helps to spin it...no need for cranks or motors....now lets see if I can put it up ...

I use a large wheelbarrow a shovel and my hands

nice.......

Looks great nice rig! I just pour it out on a tarp and mix mine which can get frustrating.

jjoe75 said:

I use a large wheelbarrow a shovel and my hands

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Me too!

But now, at my age, it's a real pain in the back. A cement mixer would be nice, but expensive to either rent or buy.

I do have a couple of barrels sitting around from when I was considering hydro years ago and that looks to be a simple DIY project.

Thanks for the pics!!!!

Wet

SubUrbanGrorilla said:

ya know...I was never satisfied with mixing my soil in kiddie pools,tarps...or a concrete mixer,to me,it just wasn't "blended"well enough...so I made this...cost me 3gr,for a buddy to run down a barrel for me....not the right barrel,but,not a problem...cut the top off,put 6- 1x2 slats inside(drywall screws)reinforced the top and bottom holes...reattached top...sits on car jacks....lol...works great...frickin fantastic....divide ur additives into how many bags ur making...and do one bag at a time.....I used angle iron for part of the top retainer,helps to spin it...no need for cranks or motors....now lets see if I can put it up ...

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Looks like a great idea!

Did I read that right that it cost you 3 grand??

every one of those grams was grand,so.......

Looks good. That looks almost like a trommel. Good idea.

hello Wetdog I used a skil saw to cut the rim...I used the 1 1/2 side...I would suggest using the 3 1/2 side...run it right along the rim....gives you a nice clean cut.....also the only change I would be making to mine is putting 4 in. pieces of wood slats around the middle to help spin it.....good luck....

Hey WD, this is your key: http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/mixers.html I've been using cement mixers ever since I borrowed my Dads to mix soil when my back was killing me. I got the 3.5 cu/ft. Best money I've spent in a good while cuz I mix a lot of soil.
You tumble that shit for a few hrs and even a couple of cups of lime are really well mixed!! I don't see how a mixer doesn't "Blend" well enough. That stuff is homogeneous as hell.
OP, That IS a nice rig tho....

Sorry but can you add another link to the homeare tumbler as its only saying attached thumbnails ane no pics

love harbor freight, can't have too many of those orange handle 4 in 1 screwdrivers

I just do 10 gallons at a time. Dump soil in a big 30ish gallon rubbermaid tub, mix by hand, repeat. I end up turning my soil a ffew more times before its ready, so it gets mixed very thoroughly.

If I were dealing with larger quantities, I'd probably DIY something similar to yours. Check out the various DIY plans for compost tumblers on the interweb. Very similar.

Does your tumbler work good? Like I posted before it looks like a trommel design. Trommels are made for separating.

I use a big big tarp, and i mix my soil by individually lifting each corner of the tarp, then i get in there with rubber boots and then use the tarp some more. Easy enough for me. Id have to grow an awful lot of weed to use one of those!!

Jack Harer said:

Hey WD, this is your key: http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/mixers.html I've been using cement mixers ever since I borrowed my Dads to mix soil when my back was killing me. I got the 3.5 cu/ft. Best money I've spent in a good while cuz I mix a lot of soil.
You tumble that shit for a few hrs and even a couple of cups of lime are really well mixed!! I don't see how a mixer doesn't "Blend" well enough. That stuff is homogeneous as hell.
OP, That IS a nice rig tho....

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That is bad ass! Updating the xmas list right now.

Funny how everything on my list has something to do with weed. I need help

the mixer I saw being used was itself "used"..fixed blade type...seemed efficient,HOWEVER,its cost was strictly prohibitive to me,so it made the "fail "list, and for me,the cost of that mixer would have fueled my S.S. mix for 2 years...(it's just me and Mrs. Grorilla)....4x4...no re-coup on costs....we're retired,so we save a buck where we can.as it is,i won't use that barrel again for 2 years so I cant justify the cost of a mixer in my budget...

Hello Hyroot............this thing is great...no more hand mixing....no stomping around in it...completely mixes in less than 5 minutes per batch,not hours....0 spillage....for the little guy,,its perfect....if I was gonna go bigger(in my grow)i'd probably put this treadmill motor,i have on it....being a retired AU miner...i'm well aquainted with trommels...this was actually based on a concrete truck....horizontially positioned...

GreenSanta said:

I use a big big tarp, and i mix my soil by individually lifting each corner of the tarp, then i get in there with rubber boots and then use the tarp some more. Easy enough for me. Id have to grow an awful lot of weed to use one of those!!

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ya,i tried this...pain in the ass to me...

I was gifted an outdoor fish pond tank, or whatever its called, and discovered that it was perfect for mixing and storing soil. The sides are rigid so you can use them as leverage for the shovel when mixing which saves your lower back a ton of work. I use this one for a half-batch and store it the same place I mix it by putting a piece of tarp over it and stretching parachute cord around it keeping it air-tight. It's not as effective as a cement mixer, but its a better solution than kiddie pools and tarps and is perfect for winter when it's better to leave your soil inside to bake. Although mine is sitting in my kitchen, its still light enough to drag to another room if need be.