Tutorial: How to Use the Barrel U-Cart

Jumpstart your knowledge on how to operate our Barrel U-Cart system to maximize your time and effort!

A 3 Yard Barrel U-Cart Mixing Trailers of Classic Ready-Mix

Our Barrel U-Cart System

This is our Classic Ready-Mix Barrel U-Cart System. It’s similar to a concrete truck just on a trailer. You can actually mix your load and add water to it. You can tip it up and down to make pouring a breeze and it is a fully enclosed system to protect your mix from the elements during transport. It’s the best mix that you can get – the mechanics are exactly the same as a concrete truck so this is as good as it gets.

What You Need To Know

Turn the key to start the motor.
Turn off the motor by flipping the key to the opposite side.

When you arrive to pick up the trailer, we will already have the mix inside the barrel but we will not have added water yet because we’d like to wait to see what consistency or ‘slump’ you want your concrete. To start the motor, you’ll only need to go over the front, grab the key, and just simply turn it. If for any reason you need to shut off the motor, whether you’re done with the job or you just need to turn it off for whatever reason, you simply need to reach down and then flip the key. And that’ll stop the motor.

Charge Mode: Flip down the switch (on the left) to enter charge mode.

On the back of the trailer you can find the controls which will allow you to operate it – how you get your concrete out, how you will mix your concrete more, or put more water into it. One flip down, and the barrel goes into charge mode. Meaning you can mix while the concrete stays in. That’s how you will drive it to your job site and also how you would add water to it. If you’re taking too long to pour, it’s also the position or mode you want to keep the trailer in while you are getting ready to pour.

Neutral Mode: Flip back up the switch (on the left) to put it into neutral.
Discharge Mode: Flip up the switch (on the left) to slowly let out the concrete.

To get it into discharge so your concrete’s going to come out. You flip the switch back up into neutral, let it set until it’s done moving. Then with a simple flip up, the concrete will start working its way up and out of the barrel.  Note: Even without it being tipped up at this point, it will still work its way up.

As soon as you get enough down to where you want it whether in a wheelbarrow or into your flatwork pour or any type of pour, you just stop it by switching it back to neutral. When the next wheelbarrow gets up or if you’re ready to pour more, you flip it back up into the up position and more will come out.

Tip up the lever (on the right) to raise the barrel.
Don’t raise it too high or the concrete inside will spill out.

If you want the concrete to come out a little faster, tip up the lever beside the switch and the whole barrel will actually raise. You could then stop if you wanted to and continue spinning and it’ll come out even faster at a higher rate. Allowing you to obviously pour faster and fill up wheelbarrows faster. The barrel u-cart can actually go quite high which makes it easier to wash it out when you’re done. However, be careful as raising it too high could spill out all the concrete without even setting it on discharge mode.

When you’re pouring and you notice that the mud is getting dry, you’re gonna want to add more water into it in the middle of your pour which you would not be able to do with any other type of system. With our barrel u-cart system, just set it back to its original position in case you have it up – you put it all the way back into transit mode which is all the way down through tipping down the lever. Flip the switch down and you will put it into charge mode. And then you can just put a hose in there and add water however you need and then you just can literally look at your mix and figure out when you want to stop or when the water’s enough. Stop the water but keep the barrel u-cart spinning. Let it mix up all that water in with the concrete.

When you are done and you like the slump (how wet the concrete is) – flip the switch back into neutral position and then begin your pour.

With our barrel u-cart system, you can add color as well. You can throw the color into the barrel, put the lever into charge mode, and mix your concrete to whatever color you desire. And that’s how you operate our barrel u-cart system.

4 Foot Chute of Classic Ready-Mix's Barrel U-Cart Concrete Mixing Trailer
A concrete chute for less hassle concrete pouring.

With the 3 yard trailer, we provide a 4 foot long concrete chute which allows you to get even more accurate with your pour and get your concrete 4 feet closer to your pour. If you don’t want to move the concrete trailer around, you can just move the chute. This will enable you to get 4 foot closer to your pour which is 4 foot less wheeling, raking or shoveling. So it comes in pretty handy.

Getting the Mixing Trailer to Your Job Site

Rental Truck for Barrel U-Cart Concrete Mixing Trailer Delivery
A rentable truck from Classic Ready-Mix.

 To pull a trailer system like this, you at least need a 1 ton truck like an F350 or a Chevy 3500. If you’re uncertain what rating your truck is, you can ask us and we can let you know. If you don’t have one, we do have trucks that are ready to rent.

Required Large Ball for Classic Ready-Mix's Barrel U-Cart Concrete Mixing Trailer
Haul the trailer using a truck with 2 5/16″ ball.
Speed Limit of Classic Ready-Mix's Barrel U-Cart Concrete Mixing Trailer
Drive in a careful and slow pace.
To haul it, you will need a 2 5/16″ ball. This is a heavy duty trailer so you need a large ball for it. When driving these trailers fully-loaded, you want to take it easy. Go slow and keep plenty of stopping distance. It’s very heavy as it’s loaded with concrete. You will get the trailer for 2 hours which should give you enough time to get to the job site, discharge the mud, clean the trailer, and bring it back. We ask that you rinse it down completely. Get the barrel cleaned so nothing’s stuck inside. If you still have more questions about our barrel u-cart system or you want to rent one, feel free to contact us! We’re more than happy to guide you through the process. With over 20 years of concrete experience, we deliver quality ready-mix concrete to people in Nampa, Boise, Caldwell, Middleton, Meridian, Eagle, Kuna, and Star. The Treasure Valley as a whole!