Anyone here assembled the HF 3.5 cu-ft cement mixer?

[homebrewed]

I recently bought the mixer and started putting it together but ran into a problem. It appears this kit didn't come with everything needed to assemble it. In particular, it's missing most or all of part#'s 56 ("seal gasket") and 63 ("rubber gasket"). Likely there are some missing bolts, too but that's less of an issue. My mixer kit came with two elastomer gaskets but I have no idea which one of these P/N's they represent. All the small parts were jumbled together in two large unmarked bags so no way to distinguish them. HF customer service was a joke, no help there other than offering a $10 gift certificate for my trouble.

I'm sure I can find something at my local Ace hardware store, but I don't know precisely what distinguishes a "seal gasket" from a "rubber gasket", if anything. So if anyone in this forum has (successfully) assembled the HF 3.5 cu-ft cement mixer, I'd like to hear from you....

I'm well into building this thing up so am not crazy about the idea of tearing it down and bringing the pile of parts back to HF, but maybe they deserve it. The two halves of the drum have been glued into place but it would roll better that way into the store

 

[Latinrascalrg1]

Id take it back and tell them its missing the parts you stated and exchange for a new one.

 

[Martin W]

You may have one somebody else already returned. Here is a review on YouTube. There are quite a few assembly videos as well on YouTube

Cheers
Martin

 

[Flyinfool]

I have noticed that you have to watch HF close on bigger items. If someone returns an item that has an issue they will sell it to the next person that comes along untill some one gets it that will just fix it rather than return it. On the other hand I have asked if they had returned or damaged items that I could get cheap and easily fix and got some really great deals.

 

[Choiliefan]

 

[homebrewed]

The construction-notes video steered me to the answer -- those unspecified gaskets are soft aluminum. Sort of like a crushable seal. I was surprised by that -- the last time I encountered a metal-to-metal sealing configuration it was on a high vacuum system (the field emitter/electron gun on a scanning electron microscope). Prior to that, it was on my old '77 VW Rabbit, part of the fuel injection system. The fuel injection system was a mechanical pressure-operated one, no computer required.

I guess that means the cement mixer can double as a high vacuum system