Old tractor wheel rims can be used to make a low-cost 3-pt. cement mixer, says Dave Lepp, Niagara On The Lake, Ontario.

He welded a truck spindle from an old International truck onto a 3-pt. hitch frame that he made from scrap steel. He welded two dual 38-in. tractor wheel rims together with a spacer between, then welded the combined rims onto the backing plate of the truck spindle. He bought a 24-in. dia. no. 50 sprocket and built an adjustable mounting bracket for a slow moving hydraulic motor. The motor's powered by the tractor's remote outlets and is used to chain-drive the truck spindle.

Inside the rims, he installed spiral flighting 4 in. high and spaced about 10 in. apart from one end to the other out of 3/16-in. sheet metal.

"The mixer holds two bags of cement, four bags of sand, and six bags of gravel. Because it's a fairly heavy load I use a 70 hp tractor to take the weight. The mixer rotates clockwise until the concrete is ready, then I reverse the hydraulic motor and unload it either completely or a pailful at a time. It's especially useful for remote areas such as along fence lines or wherever there's no electricity for a conventional mixer."