If you have a small concrete job that needs to get done, such as repairing a portion of your private sidewalk, renting an electric mixer can be a good way to go. Here are the steps you need to take to use one:

Get familiar with the machine
Being as how you likely rented this machine, make sure you know how it operates. Know how it starts and stops and be sure that everything is functional before beginning.

Get ready to mix
Before you start, you should have a general sense of how much water the concrete that you are mixing might require. When you have the mouth of the mixer in the correct position, pour a bucket of water into the machine and let it make a few revolutions with just the water inside.

Add the concrete mix
Now that the mixer is going, add the concrete mix until you feel like you are getting the right consistency that you desire. If you want it a little bit less dense, add a little more water.

Clean up
After you have done your job, make sure to clean out the barrel of the mixer out thoroughly.