Has concrete set inside the drum? We go in, break up the hardened concrete, clear the mixing blades and remove the debris. The truck leaves with its full mixing capacity, and a complete inspection of the mixer.
Depending on the region and the batching plant, people talk about drum chipping or drum cleaning. The problem is always the same: concrete has hardened inside the mixer, the usable volume drops, the chute clogs, and the truck burns more fuel and vibrates more.
After a spell of hot weather or a long wait on site, a drum can trap several hundred kilos of concrete, sometimes a tonne.
The remedy is mechanical: break it up, clear it, remove it. We never use acid products, which attack the steel and the seals.
The vehicle is immobilised in a dedicated bay, away from the main workshop. Engine off, keys removed and kept on the technician who enters the drum: nobody can start the rotation.
Not through the side inspection hatch: a reopened hatch is a leak risk when refitted, and the cone is the safest access for the operator.
A 20-joule SDS-Max breaker and a wide chisel, never a pointed one: the drum shell is not deformed and the blades keep their profile.
A first cut at the bottom of the drum, then the drum is turned to work on the other half, moving up along the blades. The concrete mostly comes away in slabs.
Once the technician is out of the drum, it is rotated in the discharge direction: the debris comes out through the chute, is stored separately and removed by skip. The volume is recorded for each truck.
Wear plates, shims, lubrication of the roller track and support rollers, condition of the blades and chute, hydraulic drum drive: a written report is handed over with the truck.
These rules are not negotiable: they are the conditions under which the LNVI team goes into a drum.
Hydraulic drum pump and motor, drum gearbox, brakes, tyres, lighting: one visit, one point of contact.
Wear plates and wear parts, shims, lubrication, chute and blade replacement: we already service truck mixers, and we were trained in drum chipping by a ready-mix concrete professional.
Batch scheduling for truck mixer fleets and batching plants, with online tracking of every truck.
It is the mechanical removal of concrete that has hardened inside the drum of a truck mixer, also known as drum cleaning. The aim: give the mixer back its usable volume.
With a breaker and a wide flat chisel, starting at the bottom of the drum and working up along the blades. The debris is then discharged by turning the drum in the unloading direction. We never use acid: it attacks the steel and the seals.
As soon as the delivered volume drops, the chute clogs or the truck vibrates when the drum turns. After a heatwave or a long wait on site, act quickly: never let a second layer of concrete set on top of the first.
It depends on how much concrete has set in the drum. Time is recorded on the workshop time clock and billed as time spent. Send us a photo of the inside of the drum and we will give you an idea of the work involved before anything is committed.
Drum chipping is carried out at our workshop in Le Blanc-Mesnil, in a bay equipped for work inside the drum. For a whole fleet, we schedule the trucks in batches.
It is collected at the workshop, kept separately for each truck, then removed by skip by a licensed waste contractor. Disposal is billed on the volume recorded, separately from the chipping itself.
Send us a photo of the inside of the drum: we will call you back with an estimate of the time needed and a slot.
We have been working with this garage for years, and there has never been the slightest problem. Very professional team, top notch!
Hugues K.A team at your service. Quality work in record time.
Pascal M.Exactly the kind of partner we needed. The service is very fast and lives up to our requirements.
Valérie G.