What Is A Concrete Agitator Truck?

In the world of construction, workers rely on a variety of tools every day. One piece of specialized equipment that makes a huge difference in how concrete is transported and poured is a concrete agitator truck. Keep reading to learn more about what these vehicles are and how they work.

Concrete is made up of a mixture of Portland cement, sand, and some type of aggregate such as gravel. All of these ingredients are mixed together with water until they reach a thick, paste-like consistency. The resulting concrete can then be used to create everything from driveways and sidewalks to building foundations. As it dries, it sets and becomes extremely rigid, making it a durable and long-lasting building material.

concrete agitator truck
concrete agitator truck

Oftentimes, concrete is mixed at a batching plant and is then transported to job sites by truck. These ready mix concrete trucks for sale are specially designed to move the concrete between the batching plant and the job site as efficiently as possible.

On the back of the mini concrete truck for sale, there is a large agitator drum. This drum is usually filled with wet concrete at the batching plant. After the concrete has been added, the drum begins to rotate. This serves multiple purposes.

First, it helps ensure that the concrete mixture stays uniform. If the drum didn’t rotate, the heavier elements in the concrete would settle to the bottom of the load. By the time the concrete arrived at the job site, the gravel would be at the bottom, the sand in the middle, and the cement on the top. Needless to say, this is not ideal.

concrete trucks for sale
concrete trucks for sale

By consistently agitating the mixture while it is transported, it will still be uniformly mixed when it arrives. As a result, it can be used right away without requiring any additional mixing. Learn more: https://aimixconcretetruck.com/self-loading-concrete-mixer-truck/.

Agitating the concrete while it is being transported also helps keep it from setting. It slows down the setting process, providing a little bit more time before the concrete begins to harden. Eventually, if the concrete is not removed from the drum in time, it will harden inside the concrete truck mixer for sale. To prevent this from happening, they also add chemicals to the mixture that are designed to slow down the setting time – especially if the concrete needs to be transported over long distances.

Finally, the spinning of the agitator drum also helps direct the concrete toward the front of the drum. This helps keep it from being discharged from the back of the truck while it is being transported. After the small concrete trucks for sale arrives, the direction of the drum is reversed and the concrete is pushed out of the back of the drum through a chute.

agitator truck
agitator truc

Hopefully, that gives you a better idea of what a concrete agitator truck is and how it works. The next time you see a construction mixer truck for sale driving down the street, pay attention to the agitator drum on the back. Chances are, it will be rotating. This is necessary to ensure that the concrete mixture is ready to use the moment that it arrives at the job site without requiring any extra mixing.