They Made Their Own Soil Mixer

They Made Their Own Soil Mixer CROPS New Techniques 30-4-44 Mixing potting soil on a large scale isn't such a difficult job for Mel Primrose of Westlock, Alberta. He built a soil-mixing unit that uses an old 45-gal. plastic antifreeze drum as its mixing chamber. Primrose cut a 12 by 12-in. door in the side (which bolts on) and installed sections of light angle iron inside the barrel, which serve as baffles to mix the dirt as the barrel rotates. He installed a 3/4-in. pipe axle through the center of the barrel, and it sits on a frame made from scrap angle iron. The axle and barrel are turned by a 3/4 hp electric motor, a gear box, and a bicycle drive, which gives him five different speeds to choose from. The unit works great for creating just the right mix of components for the couple's many flowerpots around their yard. They can use their own topsoil, peat moss, manure, commercial vermiculite and fertilizer as needed. When in use, the unit sits on top of Primrose's handy little homemade wooden, two-wheel dump wagon. The whole unit lifts off the trailer when not in use, freeing up the trailer for other tasks. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mel Primrose, Site 10, Box 1, R.R.#1, Westlock, Alberta, Canada T7P 2N9 (ph 780 349-2477).

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