An onboard washing system provides the ability to wash specific areas at the rear of a concrete truck, without requiring an operator to climb a ladder or climb on the truck. Certain specified areas which are traditionally difficult to wash, including the inside of the charge hopper, the interior portions of the discharge chute, and rear portions of the mixing drum structure, can now be washed in an automated and efficient manner. The truck-mounted washing system has components which are specifically positioned to cause washing fluid (water) to be sprayed or directed toward predetermined areas in an efficient and effective manner. The system also includes hand-held washing wands or washing mechanisms, which allow an operator to easily reach additional zones or additional areas at the rear of the truck, which are lower. Most significantly, the truck-mounted wash systems and the hand-held nozzle systems (wand) are all operable while an operator remains on the ground.

A concrete mixer vehicle includes a chassis, a cab, a mixer drum assembly coupled to the chassis, a ladder assembly, and an assist assembly. The chassis includes a front end and a rear end. The ladder assembly includes an upper ladder portion and a lower ladder portion. The upper ladder portion is fixed in position relative to the chassis. The lower ladder portion is pivotally coupled to the upper ladder portion and selectively repositionable between (a) a stowed position in which the lower ladder portion is disposed along the upper ladder portion and (b) a lowered position in which the lower ladder portion extends away from the upper ladder portion. The assist assembly is coupled to the upper ladder portion and the lower ladder portion. The assist assembly configured to resist the rotation of the lower ladder portion as it transitions from the stowed position to the lowered position.

A concrete/cement resurfacing machine integrates a dust collection subsystem and an overlay mixing/distribution subsystem, enabling a single operator to steer the machine to a desired floor location and deposit mixed, cementitious overlay material. The combination of dust collection and overlay mixing saves considerable time and achieves improved results, eliminating the need for separate vacuum machines while reducing the risk that dust will be released as bags of dry ingredients are added to the mixing tank. A single propane engine powers a hydraulic pump, with fluid being routed to three separate hydraulic motors with associated control valves to provide for forward/reverse locomotion, bidirectional paddle mixing, and vacuum generation. The dust collection system is preferably a two-stage system including a vacuum collection tank and a HEPA filter.

A method of cleaning a concrete bowl is provided including the steps of a) introducing water into at least one concrete bowl; b) collecting the water from the bowl after it has been used; and c) cleaning a concrete bowl by introducing at least some of the collected water into the bowl under pressure.

A washout system for a concrete mixer vehicle includes a plurality of valves, a plurality of nozzles, and a controller. The plurality of valves are configured to (i) be fluidly coupled to a pump and a fluid tank and (ii) receive a fluid from the pump. One or more of the plurality of nozzles are fluidly coupled to a respective one of the plurality of valves. Each of the plurality of nozzles are configured to provide the fluid to a respective target when the respective one of the plurality of valves is selectively activated to an open position. The controller is configured to monitor a plurality of washout parameters during operation of the concrete mixer vehicle and initiate one of a plurality of washout modes in response to a subset of the plurality of washout parameters being satisfied for the one of the plurality of washout modes.

The invention provides compositions and methods directed to carbonation of a cement mix during mixing. The carbonation may be in a stationary mixer or a transportable mixer, such as a drum of a ready-mix truck.

A cleaning system for washing an internal surface of a container located on a vehicle, the cleaning system comprising an elongate boom with at least one nozzle located at a first end of the boom, a support assembly for supporting the boom, wherein the boom is movable with respect to the support assembly, a controller configured to control movement of the boom, and a vehicle identification system comprising an identification reader configured to identify the vehicle and communicate with the controller, wherein one or more parameters of the vehicle can be stored on or retrieved from the vehicle identification system upon identifying the vehicle, and wherein the boom is configured to extend into the container to wash the internal surface based on the one or more parameters.

The present invention relates to a new method and system for reclaiming and recycling the concrete residue that remains on key components of a concrete mixing truck in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. Any slurry aggregate remaining on the chutes or other parts of the concrete mixing truck is collected by a concrete collection system that is attached to the concrete mixing truck and includes an augur conveyor enclosed in a housing, whereby the augur conveyor is hydraulically extended either behind or in front of the chutes of the concrete mixing truck depending on a type of mixing truck. The augur conveyor can be raised to a maximum height in order to discharge any collected slurry aggregate from the chutes or other parts of the truck back into a top hopper of the concrete truck to be directed back into the mixing drum of the concrete mixing truck.

A concrete mixer system includes a washout system and a controller. The washout system includes a tank configured to store a fluid, a plurality of electronically controllable valves in fluid communication with the tank, and a plurality of nozzles. One or more of the plurality of nozzles are fluidly coupled to a respective one of the plurality of electronically controllable valves. Each of the plurality of nozzles is configured to be positioned to facilitate washing a respective component of a concrete mixer vehicle. The controller is configured to (i) receive an indication that the washout system is coupled to a continuous fluid source and (ii) operate the washout system in a continuous wash mode in response to receiving the indication.

A spraying system and method is provided for more efficiently accessing the interior of a container having an access opening to the container that is offset from or in angular relationship to the center and/or rotational axis of the container to contact the interior walls and surfaces of the container with a medium, such as a liquid, mixture, solution or suspension. The spraying system and method includes a non-linear boom that is elevated by a support structure, where the non-linear boom includes at its front end a plurality of spray nozzles. In one example, the support structure is a movable support structure that includes a guide mechanism where the guide mechanism is mounted on the moveable support structure at an angle relative to the surface supporting the moveable support structure to allow access to the interior of the container.