How it works
A cement truck carries ready-mixed concrete in a drum that keeps turning. These are the parts of a concrete truck of the rear-discharge kind, whole and then from the back.
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The drum first, then the back end
On the whole truck, find the drum and look through the window cut in it: the blades inside run in a spiral. The drum turns one way to mix and carry the concrete, and the other way to push it out. The second view is the back end, where the truck is loaded through the charge hopper and emptied down the discharge chute.
- Cement is one ingredient; what the truck carries is concrete. The trade calls it a concrete mixer truck or truck mixer.
- The window in the drum is only in the drawing. A real drum is closed.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a cement truck?
A cab and chassis like any truck, a water tank, and a mixer drum with spiral blades inside, turned by a hydraulic drive. At the back are the drum rollers, the charge hopper for loading, the discharge chute for unloading, and a ladder.
What is the spinning part of a cement truck called?
The mixer drum, or just the drum. It keeps turning on the way to the site so the concrete stays mixed, and it is turned the other way to empty it.
How does the concrete come out of the drum?
The drum is reversed. The spiral blades then work like a screw and push the concrete up and out of the drum's mouth, where it falls into the discharge chute.
What is the chute on a concrete truck for?
It guides the concrete from the drum's mouth to where it is wanted. On a rear-discharge truck a second person often swings the chute while the driver moves the truck.