My father's 200lb mixer vs the new one I finally broke down and bought

I ran my dad's old 200lb mixer for 15 years, the thing had a gas motor and you had to start it with a pull cord like a lawnmower. Last month I finally got one of those smaller electric jobbies, and it's WAY quieter but the drum doesn't spin as fast, so my mud consistency came out too stiff on the first two jobs. I had to add water mid-wall in a garage in Waco and it made a mess. Anyone else fight through the learning curve when they switched from a big old mixer to a compact one?

2 comments

2 Comments

simonbell1mo ago

Right? My buddy Jake's first batch looked like wet concrete and he about lost it.

julia_fisher281mo ago

Did you try running the new one a little wetter from the start? I did the same switch last year and my first batch came out like playdough too. The slower drum really changes how the water pulls in, so I just started adding an extra quart before anything else. Took me about a week of fiddling to get it right, but now I barely think about it.