McNeilus adds on-board admixture dosing to mixer controls platform

Sources: McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Dodge Center, Minn.; CP staff

In a follow up to the ConExpo-Con/Agg 2017 unveiling of the FLEX Controls Package for critical mixer functions, McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing returned to Las Vegas this year with a host of new telematics-enhanced features, topped by an on-board admixture dosing system. The two-piece Admix Add was upfitted on the company’s most prominent 2020 show vehicle, a Mack Granite-mounted Bridgemaster parked front and center at the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall entry.



With a 6-gallon tank mounted at the pedestal base, the Admix Add system led new FLEX Controls Enabled Mix Quality Package features on the McNeilus Bridgemaster anchoring the ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020 booth.

The patent-pending system debuted with a 6-gallon tank—primarily intended for conventional or high range water reducing agents—plumbed to the drum. McNeilus engineers have integrated Admix Add with FLEX Controls, which is equipped with a hydraulic gauge to indicate slump and can now adjust mix properties with automated water and admixture dosing. The system has a patent-pending feature in which the FLEX technology takes control of the drum after adding water and admixture to completely re-mix the adjusted concrete. Admix Add is part of the new FLEX Controls Enabled Mix Quality Package that allows the operator to easily modify concrete mix to help reduce costly rejected loads and tear-outs. Ladder-free water delivery for slump adjustment or multi-zone washout were among the charter features of FLEX Controls. The whole system links to an exterior telematics module, relaying data such as hydraulic oil temperature, drum speed and direction, drum revolution count, and quantity of liquid added to load.
 
The truck bearing the FLEX Controls Enabled Mix Quality Package joined a next generation Oshkosh S-Series front discharge mixer, which recently entered full production, and a London Mixer in the Oshkosh Corp. booth. ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020 served as a venue for marking a McNeilus milestone plus a five-decade stretch during which the Oshkosh concrete mixer brands have shipped 143,000-plus trucks and secured more than 850 global patents across multiple technologies.

“We are commemorating our 50th anniversary and have been honored with awards for our innovations and business. We can think of no better place than ConExpo-Con/Agg to celebrate this with our loyal customers,” said McNeilus President and Oshkosh Commercial Segment Executive Vice President Brad Nelson. “We want participants talking about our mixer trucks, specifically how technological innovations have not only helped their businesses grow for the past 50 years but are positioning them well for the next 50 and beyond.”