Walter FMT truck mixer drum cleaning system launched in UK

FMT provides a highly effective, safe, and sustainable method for cleaning truck mixer drums

We are pleased to announce the latest problem-solving addition to our concrete equipment cleaning range, the Walter FMT truck mixer drum cleaning system.

The automated 220bar (2900 psi) daily pressure wash system is produced by world renowned concrete industry cleaning specialists Walter Geratebau GmbH, who have solved cleaning problems in concrete batching plants and associated equipment for over 40 years.

FMT provides a highly effective, safe, and sustainable method for cleaning truck mixer drums. Clean drums keep the weight of your trucks permanently lower, reduce operating costs and safeguard transport capacity.

The problem of concrete build-up in truck mixers

Once the batching plant has produced the concrete, its next leg in the journey, particularly for Readymix applications, is via a truck mixer. Concrete residue coats the drum of the truck mixer throughout the day and hardens over time. This creates a thick and heavy layer of hardened concrete build-up within the drum which then becomes near impossible to remove using traditional manual washout processes. Performance of the truck is detrimentally affected with an increase in running costs, reduced capacity for fresh concrete, reduced agitation of the batch, and potential damage to the drum.

The build-up can also make what is already an unstable load more of a risk when transporting the concrete, which in turn may contribute to the risk of truck roll-over. The hardened concrete build-up can also become dislodged during transit and contaminate the fresh batch being transported.

To avoid these problems the truck operators must manually washout the truck drums every day in a time-consuming manner with a simple hose. They additionally have to chip out the hardened concrete on a regular basis. This chipping work involves entering the drum in person and working under dangerous conditions in a confined space, which can result in injury to the operative and damage to the drum.

Automated daily cleaning system effectively cleans the drum

Walter’s drum cleaning system, FMT, is designed to deep clean truck mixer drums on a daily basis, removing the fresh concrete residue before it turns into hardened build-up. This preventative maintenance tool is an efficient, safe to operate, and cost-effective way to maintain the drum.

The automated FMT system uses a pressure cleaning lance which extends into the truck mixer drum to wash out the concrete residue before it hardens. 220bar of water pressure is delivered via 3 nozzles to provide an intensive deep clean in the drum, including the hard-to-reach areas behind the fins. A standard cleaning cycle takes only 7 minutes and is highly efficient in its use of water, without compromising on cleaning power. The whole process can be undertaken by the truck driver, streamlining the operation of the truck and safeguarding availability.

Benefits of the FMT daily system include:

• Improvements in Health & Safety – no manual cleaning from the inside of the drum
• Lower operating costs – a lighter truck uses less fuel and wears less
• Maintain capacity of the drum – transport only fresh concrete rather than hardened build-up
• Extended lifetime of the drum – no damage inflicted from manually cleaning the drum
• Higher availability of the vehicle – Short daily cleaning times
• Quick and simple – operated by the truck driver at the touch of a button

Walter – experts in preventative cleaning in concrete

For over twenty years the Walter concrete mixer washout system has set the standard for pan, planetary and twinshaft mixer cleaning within batch plants across the UK and Europe. These automated high-pressure systems use specialised cleaning heads to cover all areas of the mixer and deliver the optimal amount of water with maximum impact power to remove any remaining concrete before it starts building up. A quick, safe, automatic cleaning cycle keeps operation simple.

Having sold over 1800 of these systems around the world, Walter were well placed to understand the problem of truck mixer drum cleaning and develop an efficient and effective solution to solve truck mixer build-up. Their philosophy revolves around utilising cleaning as part of a preventative maintenance program, automating processes to keep manual cleaning to a minimum.

The daily cleaning carried out by the FMT system keeps the drum clean, the truck light and staff safe.

Nick White, General Manager of the ConSpare Capital Projects Department, commented:

“I have first-hand experience of managing a fleet of readymix trucks and know just how much of a problem keeping the drums clean can be. With the Walter FMT system, we can help clients proactively and safely keep truck mixer drums clean whilst maintaining the availability of the trucks. It’s just another way in which we can improve the concrete production operation.”

Discover more

Visit the Walter FMT product page. Or contact our Capital Projects Team to find out more about Walter and the FMT. Call 01773 860796, email sales@conspare.com.

Pictured: Nick, Alex and Chris from the Capital Projects Team