Mud Mixer issue & concerns

My new mud mixer, love the design, but the paint bonding and customer service has me questioning their integrity.

[adolpheddie]

As a 45 yr retired autoworker, I have watched our skilled tradesmen re-invent tools like these. A bigger chute should have been installed during the assembly stages, and a 1/4 inch thick hard plastic liner should have been employed from the very beginning. Then when these liners wear through, a new liner could be slipped in
If they hadn’t been in such a hurry to get these to market, these substitutions should have been made.

[lorencolt]

No paint will hold up to the mix. In the plants that I have help set up for bagging the cement mix we used ceramic tiles in the high contact areas in chutes and hardening welds in other areas. Best thing to do is spray down with WD40 after it has been washed. And before use I spray it down with a release agent or vegetable oil in the mix chute area. And no, a different brand of mix will not change that. Most brands are owned by TCC the parent Co. Same mix different bags. Plus if you live in a colder climate or in an area with water quality in question, Blow the waterlines out with air while running. It has a electric control valve in the system.

[RichLee-ye]

I bought a similar tool and the inside was painted elaborately, but after the first use it also lost paint. The manufacturer also told me it was to be expected. In disbelief, I asked my construction neighbor and he said “all tractor buckets look spotless until the first scoop! If you were planning on never scooping rocks and concrete with your backhoe, you could have bought a lowrider? Remember the inside wear of an engine isn’t painted like the outside, but you still preserve it!”

[customprc]

No paint or powder coat will hold up on the business end of a concrete mixer, not gonna happen. Wait for the harbor freight clone to hit the stores for less then 1k.

[rongray]

We are ordering our own unit - I will keep paint on hand to keep it from rusting. Thank you for posting your thoughts on the unit!! Greatly appreciated!

[buyamerican]

I understand your concerns but anyone that doesn't understand what sand, lime, stone and cement dust does to any surface probably shouldn't own a tool like this. I like the comment that mentioned a replaceable plastic liner.

[LetsFigureThisOut]

I just used mine today. After each use, I spray Fluid Film over any surface that shows bare metal.

[outlet]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. About the rust and other things: You were expecting a better tool? In our great economy, one gets what they get and not much more. This mixer is what I expect Harbor Freight to sell and probably will shortly, and for a lot less.

[RobinOrr-yhue]

That paint will wear off there in the first use - it's essentially being sand blasted and pounded with rocks. You'll notice it's bare metal after you use it, then it will begin to rust. If you do nothing to that bare metal as it begins to rust, it will be years before it rusts to a point that is a problem. To make it last even longer, forget the WD-40, use the grease that you mention, or something like Fluid Film.

[gunningopher]

Dang. That doesn't look like a part that can be easily replaced, either. I'd think WD-40 would be good enough to keep it from rusting between uses. That is what it was originally formulated for (Water Displacer). I spray down my watercraft engines with it for the winter. There may be some other rust inhibiters that would be less of an issue than a bunch of grease.

Florida isn't more humid that about 1/3 of the other states, so that is a BS argument. I guess some wear there isn't a surprise, but after 25 bags that seems excessive. If there was pitting already I'd be concerned about how long it will last. They could use better and/or thicker steel.

[zzetterberg]

It god. Gravel will mess up paint that’s life 🤷‍♂️

[leonardpotter]

Grain augers nock the paint off and that has no gravel in it . If you find a cement mixer truck there shutes will have no paint either. I wishI could find one in Australia.

[otpyrcralphpierre]

After it is used, and throughly cleaned and Dried, don't use WD40 on it, use a spray like Pam or something.
WD40 will weaken the paint. It also evaporates. Pam doesn't do either one. The generic spray oil works just as well.

[ryanmcgarvie]

That thing will look exactly like a bull dozer blade soon. Its just like a sand blaster

[grassroots]

In all fairness, but to try to be a little humorous in the telling: this is like wanting to drink a 24 pack of beer in 15 minutes and not be blind drunk. Or wanting to drive coast to coast but complaining about the fact that, periodically, fuel has to be purchased. The mixes will have sand, sand abrades surfaces (think sand paper and sand blasting). That paint going missing is completely normal. Add to that the inaccessibility of the interior of that tube for spray-applying paint and it's absolutely going to lose paint and fast (it will have a thin coat sprayed inside the tube, thin coats are less durable). Eventually, even if there was no sand in the mixes you run, that screw is going to be wobbly due the nature of its fabrication and it will rub against the paint and eat through it, no sand required.

Customer service won't do anything about it because it's the nature of parts and materials being forced into contact. They can't say, "You're an idiot." They also can't replace that tube each project as what is completely normal and expected happens. So, they're locked up.

Get a quart of motor oil (or use used oil, depending on how many trees you hug on a daily basis) and rub down the bare metal when you're done with it. Do not spray it with WD-40 and expect that to be a lasting corrosion inhibitor. WD-40 would be fine for storing it overnight, maybe even a few days, depending on conditions, but it will dissipate within days or weeks and allow corrosion to occur.

[kfstreich]

Paint will wear on any cement mixer but the way it peals up at the edges looks like poor adhesion and some of the area directly above the auger looks like poor paint quality.

[teter]

They need to powder coat, not paint. Mine came with paint flaws and I was not thrilled based on the price I paid to be honest . . .

[ronalves]

concrete is VERY abrasive when moving a smooth surface.

[AviewFromUnder]

well I guess you will just have to mix concrete with it, no going to the show and shine. That mix tube even with its missing coating will out live you! Certain to not be the reason the machine dies!

[koolsolutionszxr]

Dude did your parents have any kids that weren’t born with brain damage? Seriously you are mixing gravel, sand, cement with an auger screw what do you think is going to happen with the paint. Eventually it will wear clean through the steel. We have mixed about 200 bags with ours to date and it’s great. Yes the paint inside the auger chute is wearing out and the paint in the hopper is getting pretty used looking from just the mix in there. I am about to clean and store it for the winter myself. After I resolve any concrete that’s stuck on cracks and crevices I plant to WD40 the thing and wrap it up for it’s winter nap