Took the first step towards building my shop

[Frank S]

Being in the right place at the right time to harvest that original building helped.
But it's your sweat equity to do all the work to dismantle and haul away, and erect at your site, that enabled this.
Your support columns are clever in using scrap wheels and drill piping, and knowledge of clay subsoil mixed with cement.
Delivered concrete has gotten crazy over the years. That is a minor hurtle to you.

I have been watching several different auctions again lately.
The thought of eventually needing well over 100 yards of concrete plus the distance to the nearest plant has started me thinking about the possibility of maybe finding an old but working portable batch plant. a screed, power trowels and all other needed article's then once the pour and any additional slabs are done sell everything.
My reckoning is I could probably cut the cost of my slab by 70% even with hiring labor. Plus who knows if folks within 10 to 15 miles of me knew I had a batch plant I could wind up needing to provide small amounts to them to be hauled in a 1 1/2 or 2 yard trailer. I used to rent them all the time and they are nothing to build

[metric_taper]

I have been watching several different auctions again lately.
The thought of eventually needing well over 100 yards of concrete plus the distance to the nearest plant has started me thinking about the possibility of maybe finding an old but working portable batch plant. a screed, power trowels and all other needed article's then once the pour and any additional slabs are done sell everything.
My reckoning is I could probably cut the cost of my slab by 70% even with hiring labor. Plus who knows if folks within 10 to 15 miles of me knew I had a batch plant I could wind up needing to provide small amounts to them to be hauled in a 1 1/2 or 2 yard trailer. I used to rent them all the time and they are nothing to build

You think big with getting your own batch plant!

At my local home supply, 1cuft bag of cement is ~$10. How much is that bulk I wonder. I think the current price of concrete delivered here locally is $160-$180/cu.yd. It was $48/yd in 1988 the last time I had it delivered. And that's made with crushed limestone aggregate, which is too soft in my opinion (and why the life cycle of roads here is short, as it is porous to the salt water in the winter, and freeze-thaw spalling is common). I paid extra to have washed river gravel from igneous rock used. But under the entire state is only limestone near the surface. The mix is a 6bag per yd of cement to make the strength yield using limestone.

[Frank S]

You think big with getting your own batch plant!

At my local home supply, 1cuft bag of cement is ~$10. How much is that bulk I wonder. I think the current price of concrete delivered here locally is $160-$180/cu.yd. It was $48/yd in 1988 the last time I had it delivered. And that's made with crushed limestone aggregate, which is too soft in my opinion (and why the life cycle of roads here is short, as it is porous to the salt water in the winter, and freeze-thaw spalling is common). I paid extra to have washed river gravel from igneous rock used. But under the entire state is only limestone near the surface. The mix is a 6bag per yd of cement to make the strength yield using limestone.

It has been a lot of years since I have found the bulk deals I used to find but at one time I bought a freight tanker load of bulk Portland for ten dollars a ton at a derailment site. I hired 3 dry bulk vacuum tankers to pump it out of the freight tanker. However stupid me, I sold the cement to a batch plant for a huge profit, instead of thinking that 20 years later I might need it for my own slab

[metric_taper]

It has been a lot of years since I have found the bulk deals I used to find but at one time I bought a freight tanker load of bulk Portland for ten dollars a ton at a derailment site. I hired 3 dry bulk vacuum tankers to pump it out of the freight tanker. However stupid me, I sold the cement to a batch plant for a huge profit, instead of thinking that 20 years later I might need it for my own slab

It would probably be a solid chunk if you stored it that long, but maybe you have some water vapor proof storage vessels. It screams to be hydrated. I've learned that even the bags that have a plastic film between the paper structural sheets, let moister in. Really disappointing when you find the 3 bags you got on sale are solid. And absolutely do not store on concrete as that exudes moister, and keeps the cement below dew point (the lesson was delivered this way). So I shall see in a few weeks if storing the left over bags in a dry wall mud pails with a sealed lid keeps it dry. That was 3 years ago. I have a critical repair task of my storage building, that is 3 feet from a retaining wall, about 3 feet high. The wall is tilting outward and letting the sand below the building slump along with this. The building is on a concrete slab, made from that crappy limestone aggregate, that I mixed myself. The freeze thaw is making that slab punky. Soft enough that a ground hog (marmot) dug through it 3 years ago, and undermined the building and filled the floor area it could with 2 feet of the earth from below the building. I hate ground hogs, and they are my enemy. And as this building is above the surrounding area this attracts them for a winter home that is dry. They have some instinct that knows the winter melt will fill a den if it can't drain out. I accidentally made a hill for them. They hibernate in our climate.

[Toolmaker51]

Finding 3 bags of solidified quick set is disappointing enough. Imagine 3 tankers worth?
Three monoliths; each in the most unusable, oddly shaped, and significant size imaginable.
DAMHIKT...please.

[metric_taper]

Finding 3 bags of solidified quick set is disappointing enough. Imagine 3 tankers worth?
Three monoliths; each in the most unusable, oddly shaped, and significant size imaginable.
DAMHIKT...please.

I recall seeing a discarded cement truck mixing assembly that had concrete set up inside. I could only assume that the hydraulic motor rotating the drum failed, and there was no way to open the hatch door, rotate this to the bottom, and remove the contents. I bet there was cussing.

[Frank S]

And so the next step begins. The task is to lower the trailer about 3 feet.
This will entail separating the chassis from the box. Fortunately I had this in mind when I built it making the chassis and sub frame separately.
I will begin by cribbing up at the rear all the way to the sub frame which extends further back than the chassis then place 2 cribbing stacks on each side nearer the front one stack on each side will be under the trailer to allow it to be raised off of the chassis after I gouge the welds free the other stacks will be placed much wider apart so after the box is raised I can work a house moving beam between the box and the chassis and let it rest on the cribbing then it will be just a matter of removing the jacks and smaller stacks of cribbing and driving out from under the box. After that it may get interesting lowering the box in stages
the beginning of block stacking

[Frank S]

I probably wont be able to get this trailer much closer to where I want it than it is right now

[Toolmaker51]

I probably wont be able to get this trailer much closer to where I want it than it is right now

Sure you can.
With a couple layers of paint...

[Frank S]

Gone but not forgotten. the 4 sheets of 3/4 treated plywood will be repurposed as floor material for the stairway landings
the 2x4s will be part of the stud wall for the restroom