Bought a used mortar mixer off Craigslist for $400 and it paid for itself in one job

Picked up a 5 cubic foot mortar mixer from a guy outside of Cleveland who was getting out of the trade. It looked rough but ran smooth after I changed the oil and belts. That thing saved me at least a full day on a big retaining wall project I had last month. Mixing by hand for that many cubic yards would have wrecked my back and slowed me down bad. But now I'm wondering if I should have just rented one for $75 a day instead of buying. Anyone else take a gamble on used equipment and either hit it big or get burned?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyattbennett15d ago

Yeah, "paid for itself" until a year from now when you're hunting parts for a mixer nobody makes anymore.

robin77715d ago

Nah, @wyattbennett that's only true if you buy some weird boutique brand. My buddy runs a bar and bought a used KitchenAid commercial mixer five years ago, still runs like a tank and parts are everywhere. Even if the motor dies, you can swap in a generic one from any restaurant supply. It's not like these things are iPhones that get bricked on purpose.