Feed mixer as soil mixer?

[Sherwood Botsford]

I have a tree farm. Up to now my soil mixer is a rototiller. The mix is erratic in quality.
(grin)

A 2 cubic yard soil mixer is expensive. Looking at these vertical auger mixers, however it appears they might work just as well. And THEY come up at auction now and then, while I"ve yet to see a soil mixer at auction.

Potential problems I see:

1. Soil mix is a lot heavier than feed. My thinking is that even a heavy silage mix is only about 50 lbs/cubic foot. Soil can be 80 to 120 lbs/cubic foot.

Ok. don"t fill it as full.

2. Sand. This would accelerate wear. Mind you, the sand wears the rototiller teeth too. Biggest concern here is the bearings, and chain links if it uses a chainbelt to unload.

Is this a workable idea, or am I trying to use a screwdriver for a crescent wrench job?

 

[IaGary]

If a rototiller don't mix it a feed mixer ain't gonna do much better.

I assume you dump it out in windrows and then go over it with a tiller.

The dirt is not going to slide down the sides of the tank. So the mix will not happen.

Gear boxes go out with feed. Dirt will take them out quicker.

How bout an old cement mixer. I rigged one up for a guy that mixed for ball diamond infields.

He mixed sand, clay and a oil dry like material.

 

[HUD 1206]

used to work at a feedlot used reel type and auger type silage and roughage are hard enough on them and they wear out fast enough being used for feed and our wagons were bought new not rebuilt used stuff why not use something more like a redi mix truck

 

[evilboweivel]

get a heavy pto manure spreader

Ron

 

[rrlund]

One of those old New Ideas with the flail type beater would be the best one. There was a peat moss operation three quarters of a mile south of me quite a few years back. He bought one of those new. Used it to haul the peat from the bog,then ran it through to unload it. Shredded and mixed it like nobody's business.

 

[Errin OH]

Can't say on a feed mixer, but I have used a cement mixer in he past. But we where doing a few cubic feet. Three loads or so to make a cubic yard. I seriously doubt your going to find something in the 2 cubic yard range.

 

[Kirk Affeldt]

I have had the same issue as well as I make soil for potting trees. I went around to the local nurseries and tree people. Most of them use a skid loader to mix. I bought a Heider auger wagon(picture of it is in Gallery-Implement photo) to do the mixing, however I do not put sand in the wagon. After experimenting with peat moss, soil, and wood chips, I have figured out the system of what/where to put in to get the mix I like. I did find a used TMR mixer that I passed on after I bought the auger wagon, but I think this would have worked even better. I did think about buying a used feed mixer but the idea of the bearing issue with them did deter me. What types of material are you mixing, besides sand?

 

[WGWKy]

Local fertilizer plant uses an old concrete mixer off a truck works good.

 

[IaGary]

Should have mentioned the mixer was like those mounted on a truck. About 8 yards of capacity.

Gary

 

[RodinNS]

You won't know until you try it... Vertical mixers are fairly heavy as most of them are built to cut/mix round bales and that takes a bunch of power. That said.... soil is heavy. I think breakage is likely to result... particularly with something that a dairy has dumped into a consignment sale. It went away for a reason.

I think you'd be better off with an old concrete mixer like an 8 yd London or something similar.

Rod

 

[BCnT]

i use my front end loader to mix clay,gravel,and sand for the driveway topper i sell...just push it around and pick it up and dump it a few times...no rocket science involved.

 

[Germ]

One of the large nurseries that I deal with layers their mix in a manure spreader and the lets the beaters mix it and put it in a pile. Works well for them.

 

[John A.]

Sherwood, IMO If you keep the batches small enough!!! that will be your first hurdle to cross start out at no more than 100 lbs you have a shot at making it work if you need larger batches,,,
How about a old Cement mixer truck or a stationary mixer unit. A local Fertilizer co uses one to mix fertilizer blends. Find a unit that has out lived it cement usefulness. Build a base, Then add a power unit and away you go, a rig that will handle the wt and strain of soil and bulk soil mix components. Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.

 

[DoubleR]

I have an old JD grinder-mixer I've been nursing along and can't even amagin putting dirt in it. I don't think the gear boxes and bearings would last long. I would look for a cement mixer which I think would do you a better job and hold up. My fertilizer dealer has a old one off a cement truck which he has been using for years.