[Cob] Coblist Digest, Vol 9, Issue 81

[Damon Howell]

Jamie wrote: Will do excavation with a bobcat, we'll be mixing with a  
small cement mixer

In my experience, even though a cement mixer seems like it'd work  
well, it doesn't. I found the clay and sand mix really well but when  
you put the straw in the straw just clumps together. I have also  
mixed with a bobcat and found it is well worth having on site for  
mixing and delivering to the wall. You could mix a batch and lift it  
to the wall while someone stands on the wall and rakes it out, plus  
you can use a drier mix, which means you can build higher in a day.  
That is much more efficient and easy than a cement mixer where you  
have to mix in the straw my hand or foot. The first time I used the  
bobcat it took 15 minutes to mix close to 15 cubic feet with an  
assistant who sprayed it with the hose and added straw. And I hadn't  
used a bobcat for much of anything before that! So, if you're using  
it for excavation treat yourself and use it for mixing too. You're  
obviously not a purist or you wouldn't use the bobcat for excavation  
anyway! Good luck, hope you keep us updated.

Damon in Georgia, USA