Supporting a tip-up barrel mixer

Abstract

A barrel mixer support device having a support column 101 pivotably fixable at its lower end to a base plate 110, along with a connection piece 120 attachable to the upper end of the support column. T

Description

The invention relates to, amongst other things, a method of varying the tilt of a barrel of a tip-up barrel mixer (cement mixer). When a mixer is in its standard (i.e., non-propped) position, the material being mixed in the barrel has a tendency to clump at the back of the mixer, which stops it from mixing properly, or at all. A typical way to remedy this is to break the clump up with a shovel during mixing, but this is dangerous as the shovel often snags on the paddles of the mixer which rips the shovel out of the user's hands and can break their arm. A somewhat safer alternative is to have an individual stand behind the mixer to tilt it forwards and hold it in that position until the material has fallen forward and been able to mix correctly. The issue is more pronounced when trying to mix drier concrete mixes. This method is timeconsuming and inefficient; moreover, it ideally needs two people since a person standing behind the mixer to hold it cannot see whether the mix has completed or not. Builders will often also use bricks or rubble to prop the stand of the mixer (rather than just the barrel) to add some extra tilt. However, this alters the centre of gravity of the mixer; as a result, it can fall over, which can also cause serious injury or damage to personnel and / or equipment. US 2012 / 224449 (Al) discloses various forms of cam integrated into the tilt mechanism, for adjusting the tilt of the bowl of a tip-up barrel mixer. Such a mixer is thus more expensive to buy, and offers no solution for mixers that a builder may already have. A rather more specialist barrel mixer is shown in CN 110039656A (Zhengzhou Railway Vocational and Technical College). Here the angle of the barrel is adjustable by a telescopic rod mounted between the base and the bottom of the barrel, but the device is hardly suitable for building sites. The inventor in earlier application GB 2517684A described a simple adjustment device to be fitted to a mixer, being in essence a strut of variable length supporting the frame of the barrel at a desired angle. An aim of the present invention is to provide a device that can be used with a typical mixer to allow the barrel to rotate at an angle set by the user. According to the invention there is provided a mixer support as defined in claim 1. Such a support, generally comprising a column part of adjustable height and a horizontal rail part to be fitted to the handles of the mixer, is separate from the mixer and is portable. When applied to the handles of the mixer it lifts them to a degree that in preferred embodiments is adjustable, thus tilting the mixer to the desired orientation. To this end the column at least is preferably telescopic. There is also provided a method of propping a barrel mixer according to claim 8 or claim 10. The invention also contemplates the use of a device of this kind in tilting a barrel mixer so as to optimise its mixing effect, even on rough ground. In an aspect of the invention there is provided a support device for a barrel mixer, comprising: - a support column pivotably fixed or fixable at its lower end to a base plate; and - a connection piece such as a rail or bar attached or attachable to the upper end of the support column; wherein the rail or bar has, at or near at least one end, a fastening means for attachment to the handles or other tilting part of the mixer. The rail can be horizontal in use, long enough to attach at each end of the handles of a two-handled mixer by way of clamps or similar. Some mixers have a feature, such as a horizontal bar between the handles, so that a simple bar with a built-in clamp can be used to fix to this bar. For a better understanding of the invention, embodiments will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view of a barrel mixer of known type; Figure 2 shows a prop device embodying the invention, in use supporting a mixer; Figure 3 is a view from the rear of the upper part of the prop device; Figure 4 shows the device released from the mixer and lying on the ground; Figure 5 shows the column part of a second embodiment, in which the rail is detachable from the column; Figure 6 shows an adjustable rail designed for use with the column of Figure 5; Figure 7 shows the mixer of the embodiment of Figure 2 tilted backwards when not in use; Figure 8 shows the mixer tilted forwards prior to attachment to a device according to a further embodiment of the invention of which the base is shown; Figure 9 is a close-up view of the right-hand handle of the mixer shown in Figure 3 and Figure 8 showing a clasp attached to the right-hand handle of the mixer; Figure 10 shows the mixer shown in Figure 8 with two feet of the four legged stand thereof resting on the base of Figure 8; Figure 11 shows the mixer and base of Figure 10 with the telescopic column of the device of the further embodiment of the invention fitted to the base to form a complete device; Figure 12 shows the telescopic tube of the embodiment of Figure 11 lying flat on the ground, having been pivoted away from the mixer; Figure 13 shows the mixer coupled to the device of the embodiment of Figures 11 and 12 by means of the clasps that have been fitted to the respective handles of the mixer; Figure 14 is a further view showing the mixer coupled to the device of the embodiment of Figures 11 to 13; Figure 15 is a perspective view of a further embodiment for attachment directly to an existing crossbar on a mixer; and Figure 16 shows such a mixer, with the lower part of the support device. Figure 1 shows a typical barrel mixer 10 of known type, namely the Belle ® Minimix 150TM tip up mixer. This mixer has a generally forward-facing barrel or drum 12 rotatably mounted on a frame 16, which in turn is tiltably mounted on a shaft 20 extending from a four-legged stand 18 in order to empty the contents of the barrel when mixed. To this end the frame has a pair of handles 24 extending from the rear of the frame . In general, the mixer will perform satisfactorily when not overfilled. However, in particular if the mixer is set on uneven ground, material, such as mortar, placed in the mixing barrel 12 can stick to the back of the barrel, or can spill out during operation. It is therefore desirable to be able to adjust the angle of the barrel for operation. Figure 2 shows a device 100 in accordance with the invention for achieving this end, as applied to a mixer 10. In this drawing, the motor 30 of the mixer is also visible. The device 100 can be described as an adjustable prop, consisting of a telescopic column 101 formed of a lower tube 102 in which an upper tube 104 slides, held in a given position by a pin 107 passing through one of the pairs of holes 106 present in the upper tube and the pair of holes towards the upper end of the lower tube 102 (or vice versa) . The tubes here are of square section but this is merely by way of example. The spacing of the holes might be in the region of 3-8 cm. The base of the lower tube 102 pivots in a hinge plate 112, or pair of plates, attached to a flat base 110 resting on the ground. The base 110 can be a plate, as shown, or other suitable configuration such as a T-frame. The hinge can be free, i.e., allowing substantially 180° of pivoting, or it could be limited in the direction towards the mixer so that pivoting is arrested just past dead centre; this affords an additional degree of stability to the apparatus in use. For further stabilisation the base plate 110 can be weighed down by any convenient measure, such as putting a bag of sand on it as shown here. The base plate 110 is here of truncated isosceles triangular shape, the long base towards the mixer. In the embodiment shown, the base plate 110 is sufficiently long to allow a pair of legs of the stand 18 to rest on the base plate 110 thereby providing further stabilisation. At the top end of the column 101 a horizontal bar or rail 120 is attached to the top of the upper tube 104. This is shown more clearly in Figure 3. The rail 120 is welded at its mid-point to the top of the upper tube 104. The two handles 24 of the mixer 10 are each provided with fixing means in the form of a clip or clasp 122. In some alternative embodiments the clips may be attached to the rail 120 at a spacing suitable for a typical portable mixer, and / or be made slidable along the rail 120 to adjust for different handle spacings. In the latter case some means is preferably present for fixing the clips at the right spacing, to prevent them from being vibrated off. The centre-to-centre spacing of the handles 24 may be around 41.5 cm, in which case the fixing means may be arranged to be spaced apart by a corresponding amount in order to attach to the handles 24. The handles may be around 3-4cm in diameter although other diameters or like dimensions may be useful such as dimensions in the range 2-6cm or 3-6cm. Other centre to centre spacings of the handles may be useful. In some embodiments the fixing means may be movable to accommodate a handle spacing in the range from about 20cm to about 100cm, optionally a spacing in the range from about 30cm to about 50 cm, optionally a spacing in the range from about 35cm to about 45 cm. Other spacings or ranges of spacings may be useful. Figure 4 shows the device and the mixer just before, or just after, operation: when mixing is finished, the catches 122 are released from the handles 24 of the mixer 10, the telescopic column 101 of the prop 100 is allowed to fall backwards to the ground and the mixer 10 is emptied in the usual way. If the prop 100 is not to be used again for some time, the telescopic column 101 can be contracted to reduce any trip hazard. When it is to be used again, the telescopic column 101 is extended and the pin 107 passed through the appropriate hole 106 in the upper tube 104 to set the amount of tilt of the mixer barrel 12 appropriately for the terrain on which it is standing. Figure 5 shows the vertical column part of a variant form of the prop device where the column 201, or the upper tube 204, is not welded or otherwise permanently fixed to the rail 220, but held on by a spring catch 208. Such a catch can be made strong enough for practical purposes since the lifting tension on it is not likely to be great. Figure 6 shows the horizontal or rail 220 part of the device; the rail 220 has two features differing from those in previous embodiment: first, it is telescopic, like the column 201; secondly it has clamps 222 at its two ends, rather than inwardly of the ends: these clamps can be fixed round the two parallel rearwardly facing handles 24 of the mixer frame, an operation made easier by the rail 220 being telescopically adjustable. The spring catch 208 at the top of the main prop or support bar 200 is also shown schematically in this drawing. The outer tube of the telescopic rail 220 is preferably somewhat longer than the expected half-way point, so that the pin holding the length of the rail does not interfere with the catch. For use of this variant, the two telescopic parts are assembled using the catch 208, the clamps 222 are fixed to the handles 24, adjusting the length of the rail 220, and the telescopic parts 202, 204 of the support prop device 200 are then adjusted to make the angle of the barrel 12 roughly what it would be if the mixer were standing on level ground. Figure 7 shows the mixer 10 of the embodiment of Figure 2 tilted backwards when not in use. Figure 8 shows the mixer 10 tilted forwards prior to attachment to a device 300 according to a further embodiment of the invention, shown in Figures 7-14. The device 300 is similar to the embodiment 100 of Figure 3 and like features are shown with like reference numerals incremented by 200. It is to be understood that the two clasps 122 of the embodiment of Figure 7 are substantially the same as that of the embodiment of Figure 3 and are arranged to be attached to the handles 24 of the mixer in substantially the same way, as will be described below. Figure 9 is a close-up view of the right-hand handle 24 of the mixer 10 showing clasp 122 attached to the handle 24. The clasp 122 has a first portion 122a in the form of a body 122a that is attached to the handle 24 of the mixer 10 by means of fixing means (in the present embodiment a screw fixing). The clasp 122 has a second portion 122b in the form of an elastomeric strap for releasably attaching the clasp 122 to the rail 320 of the device 300. The strap 122b is secured to the body 122a at a first end and is arranged to loop around the rail 320 and couple back to the body 122a thereby to secure the handle 24 to the rail 320. As shown in Figure 9, the body 122a of the clasp 122 has a protruding hook portion 122ap and the strap 122b has a plurality of corresponding apertures 122ba formed therein at spaced apart locations along a length thereof. The apertures 122ba are shaped and sized such that an aperture 122ba at an appropriate location along the strap 122b can be hooked to the hook portion 122ap of the body 122a by placing the strap 122b in tension thereby to secure the strap 122b around the rail 310 and thereby secure the clasp 122 to the device 300. Figure 10 shows the mixer 10 with two feet 18 of the four-legged stand 18 resting on the base 310 of the device 300. Figure 11 shows the mixer 10 and device 300 with the telescopic column 301 fitted to the base 310. As described above with respect to the device 100 of Figures 2 and 3, the column 301 includes a lower tube 302 that is pivotably attached to the base 310. In the embodiment of Figure 3, an upper tube 104 slides in the lower tube 102, the upper tube 104 having the rail 120 welded thereto to form a "T" shaped telescopic column 101. The device 300 of the embodiment shown in Figure 11 differs from the device 100 of the embodiment of Figure 3 in that the telescopic tube 101 has three portions instead of two, the portions being a lower tube 302, a middle tube 303 and an upper tube 304. The middle tube 303 is coupled to the lower tube 302 by sliding the middle tube 303 inside the lower tube 302 and passing a lower pin 302P through a pair of corresponding holes through each of the lower tube 302 and middle tube 303. Similarly, the upper tube 304 is coupled to the middle tube 303 by means of a pin 307 that passes through one of the pairs of holes 306 present in the upper tube and a pair of holes towards the upper end of the middle tube 303 (or vice versa) . The tubes 302, 303, 304 here are of square section but this is merely by way of example. The spacing of the holes 306 might be in the region of 3-8 cm, as in the embodiment of Figure 3. Figure 12 shows the telescopic tube 301 lying flat on the ground, having been pivoted away from the mixer 10 by means of the hinged coupling of the lower part 302 to the base . Figure 13 shows the mixer 10 coupled to the device 300 by means of the clasps 122 that have been fitted to the respective handles 24 of the mixer 10. Figure 14 is a further view from the rear of the device 300 showing the mixer 10 prior to coupling of the clasps 122 to the device 300. It is to be understood that, in use, a user may determine the optimum tilt position for the drum 12 of the mixer 10 for a given mass of sand / cement in the drum 12 and adjust the length of the telescopic column 301 accordingly. In some circumstances, the mixer 10 may require use of the device 100, 200, 300 only during the early stages of mixing to stop the sand / cement sticking / clumping at the back of the mixer drum 12. In some circumstances a user may adjust the amount of tilt of the drum 12 during the course of mixing by reducing the length of the column 101, 201, 301, for example if the drum 12 is filled with a relatively large volume of mix. The length of the column 101, 201, 301 may be adjusted in one or more stages, as required. As mixing continues, the column 101, 201, 301 may be detached from the mixer 10 and pivoted away from the mixer 10 to lie substantially along the ground, allowing the mixer to tilt backwards, so the open end of the drum 12 rises. When mixing is complete, the mixer 10 may then be switched off and cement removed from the drum 12 as required. In the embodiments described herein, the base 110, 210, 310 is a plate of dimension 0.8m wide and 0.4m deep. Other sizes may be useful, such as from around 0.5 to 1.0m wide and from around 0.5 to 1.0m deep. The centre-to-centre distance between the handles 24 of the mixer 10 is typically around 0.415m. Accordingly, the rail 120, 220, 320 in the embodiments shown has a length greater than this distance in order to facilitate coupling of the clasps 112 to the device 100, 200, 300. In many embodiments therefore the rail will have a length in the range from around 0.45m to around 0.7m. The length of the rail may be longer in some embodiments in order to accommodate use with mixers having greater handle spacings. The length of the rail may be shorter in some embodiments, for example for use with mixers having shorter handle spacings and where a reduced size of the device 100, 200, 300 is advantageous. In the embodiment of Figure 1 the lower tube 102 has a length of about 1.0m and the upper tube 104 has a length of about 0.8m. Other lengths may be useful; for normal applications ranges of 0.8m 1.2m and 0.6m 1.0m respectively might be expected. For the illustrated embodiments, used with the Belle ® Minimix 150TM tip up mixer, a length of the column 101, 201, 301, during use to tilt the mixer, of approximately 1.375m from the base 110, 210, 310 to the top of the rail 120, 220, 320 has been found to be useful in many cases. In some embodiments, the telescopic column 101, 201, 301 may be adjusted to a length in the range from around 1.0m to around 2.0m. In some alternative embodiments, the telescopic column 101, 201, 301 may be adjusted to a length in the range from around 1.0m to around 1.8m. In some still further alternative embodiments, the telescopic column 101, 201, 301 may be adjusted to a length in the range from around 1.0m to around 1.75m. Other ranges of length for the column 101, 201, 301 may be useful in some embodiments. Words such as "top", "bottom", "horizontal" and so on, when referring to the support device, are intended to refer to it when in use. Figures 15 and 16 show a further variation in the device of the invention. Here the horizontal bar or crosspiece is already present between the handles of the mixer itself. It is used to attach a plastic cover shown at 15 in Figure 16. Thus the connection piece of the support device only needs to be a bar 420 with a clip or clamp at one end to attach to the crosspiece (underneath the cover) and at the other end to the upper part or tube 404 of the support device. Preferably this is done by having the said upper end 404 simply as an open tube, square in the embodiment shown, and the bar similarly a square tube of dimensions to fit snugly inside the upper end 404 and held by a pin passing through corresponding holes as elsewhere in the device. It would be conceivable, instead of the column being telescopic, to have a set of upper tubes of different length. Thus, a user may select an upper tube of the desired length to support the mixer 10 in the desired orientation. There has thus been described a portable tool to facilitate an even mix of concrete, mortar or screed by enabling the angle of tilt on a cement mixer to be readily adjusted (without the need for someone to be holding it). It neatly then folds out of the way when not in use, to allow standard operation of the mixer. Some aspects and embodiments may be understood with reference to the following numbered clauses: 1. A support device for a barrel mixer, comprising: a support column (101; 201) pivotably fixed or fixable at its lower end to a base plate (110); and a rail (120; 220) attached or attachable at about its mid-point to the upper end of the support column to extend horizontally; wherein the rail has, at or near each end, a fastening means (122; 222) for attachment to the handles of the mixer. 2. A device according to clause 1, in which the support column is telescopic, having upper and lower parts (102, 104; 202, 204) held in position by a pin (207) or other means. 3. A device according to clause 1 or 2, in which the rail (120) is of fixed length and / or is welded or otherwise fixed to the support column (101) . 4. A support device according to clause 3, in which the fastening means (122) are in the form of clasps (122) fixed to the rail, optionally a short distance inwardly from each end. 5. A device according to clause 1 or 2, in which the rail (220) is removably fitted to the support column (202) by means of a clip or catch (208). 6. A device according to clause 5, in which the rail (220) is telescopic and in which, optionally, the clips are fitted at each end of the rail. 7. A device according to any preceding clause, in which the lower end of the support column is arranged so as to pivot down to the ground in one direction but only a short way in the other direction, such as <10° past dead centre. 8. A method of propping a barrel mixer, comprising: providing a support device according to any one of clauses 1 to 7 ; attaching the rail to the handles of the mixer by means of the fastening means; and tilting the barrel of the mixer forward to a desired orientation, whereby the barrel of the mixer may be supported by the device in the desired orientation. 9. A method according to clause 8 comprising: attaching the rail to the handles and subsequently tilting the barrel of the mixer forward to a desired orientation; or tilting the barrel of the mixer forward to a desired orientation and subsequently attaching the rail to the handles . 10. A method of propping a barrel mixer, in which a portable 5 support device is inserted between the handle or handles of the mixer and the ground, the support device being of a height to tilt the barrel of the mixer forward to a desired orientation. 11. A method according to clause 8, in which the height of 10 the support device is adjusted to achieve the desired height.

Claims

1. A support device for a barrel mixer, comprising: - a support column (101; 201) pivotably fixed or fixable at its lower end to a base (110); and- a connection piece (120; 220; 420) attached or attachable to the upper end of the support column;wherein the connection piece has, at or near at least one end, a fastening means (122; 222; 422) for attachment to a tilting part of the mixer.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which the support column is telescopic, having upper and lower parts (102, 104; 202, 204) held in position by a pin (207) or other means .

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, in which the connection piece is a generally horizontal rail (120).

4. A device according to claim 3, in which the rail is of fixed length and / or is welded or otherwise fixed to the support column (101) .

5. A support device according to claim 3 or 4, in which the fastening means (122) are in the form of clasps (122) fixed to the rail, optionally a short distance inwardly from each end.

6. A device according to claim 3, in which the rail (220) is removably fitted to the support column (202) by means of a clip or catch (208) .

7. A device according to claim 6, in which the rail (220) is telescopic and in which, optionally, a clip is fitted at each end of the rail.

8. A device according to claim 1 or 2, in which the connection piece is a bar (120) adapted to be connected at one end to the upper part (404) of the support columnand at the other to an existing horizontal part of the mixer.

9. A device according to any preceding claim, in which the lower end of the support column is arranged so as to pivot down to the ground in one direction but preferably only a short way in the other direction, such as <10° past dead centre.

10. A method of propping a barrel mixer, comprising: providing a support device according to any one of claims 1 to 9;attaching the rail or bar directly or indirectly to the handles of the mixer by means of the fastening means; andtilting the barrel of the mixer forward to a desired orientation, whereby the barrel of the mixer may be supported by the device in the desired orientation.

11. A method according to claim 10 comprising:attaching the rail or bar to the handles and subsequently tilting the barrel of the mixer forward to a desired orientation; ortilting the barrel of the mixer forward to a desired orientation and subsequently attaching the rail or bar to the handles.

12. A method of propping a barrel mixer, in which a portable support device is inserted between the handle or handles of the mixer and the ground, the support device being of a height to tilt the barrel of the mixer forward to a desired orientation.

13. A method according to claim 12, in which the height of the support device is adjusted to achieve the desired height.

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