Can You Use A Mud Mule?

Can You Use A Mud Mule? BUILDINGS New Techniques 2-1-17 You can make up to 10,000 or more bricks a day with the "Mud Mule", a new do-it-yourself brick-making machine that's unbelievably simple, doesn't cost a fortune and requires comparatively little labor to operate. In addition to bricks (3 by 3 by 9 in.) the Mud Mule, introduced by Methods Manufacturing Co., Austin, Texas, is available with a wide variety of forms for making other concrete products, including fence posts up to 8.5 ft. long, patio stones or adobe blocks. "This machine is designed as an alternative to conventional building practices and costs," David Dennis, co-owner of Methods Manufacturing, told FARM SHOW. In most cases, brick and other products produced by the machine will be 25% to 50% less expensive." Suggested retail cost of the MudMule is $2,495. For conventional size brick (3 by 3 by 9 in.) the wooden mold used with the machine makes 108 bricks at a time (in one drop). The machine requires a space measuring 13 ft. by 5 ft. for each drop cycle. A typical mortar mix operation producing 3,500 bricks per day requires approximately one-half acres of space to accommodate the mixer and to provide space for stacking and curing the bricks. A typical mixer operation, says Dennis, allows one-half day for manufacturingg and one-half day for stacking and cleanup. Mixing by hand, two men can mix and pour one cycle or drop (108 standard size bricks) in 10 to 15 min. says Dennis. Using ready-mix concrete, three men can pour 3,000 to 3,500 bricks per hour. Generally, the bricks can be handled after 24 hours of setup time, and can be stacked or palletized after 3 to 7 days, depending on weather and temperature conditions. The Mud Mule (also sold as the Mold Master) is equipped with a hopper which moves back and forth to automatically load "mud" into individual molds. As the Mud Mule is pulled forward from one mold to the next, it automatically rolls out a long strip of plastic on which each batch of freshly-poured bricks is laid. You can make brick or other products in almost any color you chose simply by using colored concrete. For a detailed information packet on how the machine operates, and cost calculations to help estimate its profit-making potential, send $2 and your name and address to: FARM SHOW Followup, Methods Manufacturing, 1 363 Waterpark Road, Austin, Tex. 78758 IDh. 512 836-0929).

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