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While commonly referred to as ‘cement mixers’ or ‘cement trucks’ by the general public, the trucks you see on the road with big rotating drums are actually mixing concrete of which cement is just one component. These trucks are known as ‘concrete mixers’ or ‘Ready-Mix concrete trucks’ within the industry, with concrete being a generic term for a mixture of materials; including stone or gravel, water and, of course, cement.

Why are Concrete Mixer Trucks Used?

Concrete is heavy, with a large batch easily weighing in excess of 13,600 kg. Transporting a material that weighs such a large amount requires a powerful vehicle, but weight is not the only factor you have to think about. Ready Mix concrete trucks are generally made up of three parts: The engine, the frame, and the concrete mixing drum. Most trucks will come from the manufacturer with the engine and frame, while the mixer can be added at a later time. This gives construction engineers greater flexibility and allows them to choose the best mixer for any given project.

Most ready-mix trucks will have a mixer drum affixed to the truck at an angle and inside the drum will be a ‘screw’, which is basically a collection of blades in a spiral configuration. The spiralling blades play an important role in the loading, transport and final delivery of concrete. They are configured to spin in one direction during the loading and transport of materials, and reversing the rotation will eject the concrete.

Why Do Ready-Mix Concrete Trucks Rotate?

Ready-mix concrete trucks will either work as a cement agitator or mixer, depending on the type of concrete that is being delivered to the construction site. By turning, the trucks help to keep concrete at the right consistency by continually mixing its components in the drum. It’s important to keep the concrete in motion during transit to avoid premature hardening.

Despite its hardiness as a construction material once hardened, before it sets concrete is sensitive to temperature changes or delayed delivery times. As a general rule of thumb, manufacturers recommend that the time between mixing the concrete and discharging on the construction site not exceed 90 minutes. For optimal results, however, the concrete should be delivered to the construction site in under an hour. During transport, water will be added to the concrete mix within a few miles of the delivery site in order to ensure the concrete is fresh upon delivery.

Ready Mix At Al Manaratain

Al Manaratain has been producing concrete products in Bahrain since 1959 and introduced both ready-mix and pre-cast concrete products in 1994. In 2002, Al Manaratain became ISO 9001: 2000 certified in order for us to demonstrate the high standards we hold both ourselves and our concrete products to. Since then, ready-mix has become one of Al Manaratain’s areas of expertise, with our delivering an average of over 400 cubic metres of ready-mix concrete every single day.

You can learn more about Al Manaratain ready-mix concrete on our website, but feel free to contact us directly if you have any questions.