It is necessary for construction contractors to reduce the investment in construction equipment to reduce risk. To meet this need, self-loading concrete mixer trucks came into being. But can it really replace a small concrete batching plant?
 
Self-loading Concrete Mixer truck V.S. Concrete Batching Plant
 
Self-loading concrete mixer truck is a mixing equipment that integrates the functions self-loading, metering, mixing, transportation and unloading. It can realize concrete transportation and on-site concrete construction work, so it is very popular in Asia, Africa and other areas. Self-loading concrete mixer trucks are mainly used for road paving, dams, infrastructure construction and other related projects, as well as small projects in urbanization construction.
 


Concrete batching plant is a combined equipment for centrally mixing concrete. Due to its high degree of mechanization, automation and high productivity, it can not only ensure the quality of concrete, but also save materials. It is often used in large and medium-sized projects such as water conservancy, electric power and bridge projects with large amount of concrete, long construction period and concentrated construction sites.
 


Structural Comparison
 
The self-loading concrete mixer truck is mainly composed of a mixing drum, a loading and unloading mechanism, a water supply system, a prime mover, a transmission mechanism, a frame and a supporting device. All these can be summarized as 5 main components. Details can be seen in 5 main components of self-loading concrete mixer truck. What’s more, it has four-wheel drive and 270-degree discharge.
 
The concrete batching plant is mainly composed of material storage system, material weighing system, material conveying system, mixing system, water and admixture metering system and control system. It occupies a large area and requires careful layout.
 
Output Comparison
 
The output of small self-loading concrete mixer trucks is 6-15 m3 per hour.
 
Concrete batching plants are usually divided into stationary concrete batching plants, mobile concrete batching plants and portable concrete batching plants. For mobile concrete batching plants, the output is 25-60 m3 per hour. When the large amount of output is needed, it is better to choose a stationary concrete batching plant with a capacity of 25-180m3/h.
 
Weighing Accuracy
 
Concrete batching plants usually use an independent weighing system. The electronic weighing system has buffer device and automatic compensation function, so it has high measurement accuracy.
 
The weighing system of the self-loading concrete mixer truck usually consists of a computer-controlled weighing device, including a main engine, two oil pressure sensors, two proximity switches and a detection block. The oil pressure sensor measures the pressure of the lift cylinder and is used to calculate the lift force of the lift cylinder. The system can realize dynamic weighing, improve the efficiency of feeding operations, and the measurement accuracy meets the construction requirements.
 
Price Comparison
 
As a small construction equipment, the self-loading concrete mixer truck has a relatively low price, ranging from $10,000 to $40,000. While the price of a concrete batching plant usually ranges from $20,000 to $160,000.
 
In conclusion, the two are complementary. And they both have their own area of expertise. For some small projects or projects in remote areas, the self-loading concrete mixer truck is still more practical.