Mortar Tubs
Mortar tubs carry, store and dispose of building materials such as concrete, cement, mortar, plaster and mud, from the mixer to the wall and from the work area to the dumpster. HERMEQ supplies them in polyethylene for daily jobsite handling, with UV protection on most models and twin skin walls where a tub takes the heaviest wear. The largest crane lift tubs are rigid enough to be lifted overhead to upper floors, while the forklift tubs stack for storage, ride on fork channels and come in several sizes. The range sits within our building supplies.
Fork, crane and twin skin mortar tubs
The range divides by how a tub is lifted (by forklift, by crane or by both) and by how its walls are built.
Forklift mortar tubs
Our forklift mortar tubs stand on ridged feet shaped for forks, so a forklift or telehandler can lift a full tub and set it down level beside the mixer or on a scaffold deck. The 66-gallon eco forklift mortar tub is a lighter tub for crews who also move empties by hand. The black forklift mortar tub in recyclable HDPE has fork channels for standard forklifts.
Crane lift mortar tubs
Our crane lift mortar tubs are built to hang from a crane hook, taking mortar, plaster or concrete up to the floor where the crew is working, and they come in two sizes. The 132-gallon crane lift mortar tub is the largest in the range, for sites lifting material in bulk. The Euro crane lift tub also comes in a smaller size and stacks for storage between lifts.
Universal crane lift tubs with a steel frame
The Universal crane lift tub with a galvanized steel frame pairs a polyethylene tub with a steel frame built for crane lifting. Choose it where tubs go up and down by crane all day, since the frame takes the lift and the galvanized finish resists rust on an open site.
Fork and crane lift mortar tubs
The fork and crane lift mortar tub has fork channels for a forklift or telehandler and is also made to be lifted by crane, so one set of tubs works with both machines. It stacks for storage and is tested to a safe working load.
Top and base lift mortar tubs
The top and base lift mortar tub can be lifted from above or from below, so the same tub moves by whichever machine is free that day. It comes in two sizes for smaller and larger crews.
Rim lift and pallet lift tubs with a flat bottom
The flat bottom rim lift and pallet lift tub sits flat on the ground, a deck or a pallet, which gives a steady base for mixing and holding material in one place. It is lifted by its rim or moved on a pallet by forks, so it suits a mixing station that stays put until the work moves on.
Twin skin mortar tubs
The twin skin mortar tub has walls molded in two layers of polymer for heavy industrial work. It belongs in the hardest-worked positions on a job, such as daily debris removal or mortar supply on large masonry projects where tubs are loaded, lifted and scraped out many times a day.
Forklift or crane lift mortar tubs
The machine that lifts material on the job decides the choice. Fork channel tubs suit sites where a forklift or telehandler places material on scaffold decks, along the wall and around the yard, because the operator can set a full tub exactly where the masons want it. Crane lift tubs suit high-rise work and tight urban sites where a tower crane or mobile crane is the only way up to the working floor. Where both machines run, with forks at ground level and a crane for the upper floors, tubs that take forks and a crane save rehandling material at the crane's landing point.
A crane lift mortar tub carries material to the work and holds it there for the crew to draw from. Placing concrete into forms, columns or wall pours is a different job, done with concrete buckets that have a discharge controlled at the pour.
Mortar and concrete mixing tub uses
Mortar supply for bricklayers and masons
On a masonry job, most tubs sit on the scaffold beside the wall, refilled from the mixer and set down by forks or crane at each lift. Tub height matters here, because masons work fastest when they can reach into the tub from the platform without bending down to the deck.
Mixing concrete, plaster and mud
Concrete, cement, plaster and mud come into the tub from the mixer and are held there while the crew works through the batch. Washing the tub out between batches matters most for this use, since a skin of set mortar or plaster left on the walls breaks off into the next mix as hard lumps and adds weight to every lift.
Storing materials and removing waste
Between pours, tubs keep sand, aggregate and loose materials together and off the ground. At the end of a shift the same tubs collect broken block, cut-offs and debris from the work area, ready to be lifted out to the dumpster by forks or crane.
Mortar tub capacity, walls and storage
Capacity and crew size
The right capacity is one that takes a full mixer batch, or splits it evenly between two tubs, so no mortar sits in the drum waiting for the next tub to arrive. Smaller tubs suit a pair of masons on a narrow scaffold, and larger tubs suit big crews and bulk waste removal. The range spans up to 132 gallons.
Wall construction
Single-wall polyethylene is light, easy to clean and right for most daily mortar supply and mixing. Recyclable HDPE suits contractors who report on the waste and recycling from their jobs.
Stacking and storage
Stackable tubs nest inside each other, so a set of empties takes up far less of the yard and travels to the next job in fewer truck loads.
Liners for mortar and plaster
Mortar tub liners are large plastic bags that line the tub, so mortar does not set onto its walls and the tub needs little scraping between batches. They also hold water in the mix, which keeps mortar and plaster workable for longer. They come on rolls for crews who reline every day.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Mud tub, mortar tub, mortar bin and mortar trough are all trade names for the open container that holds mortar at the work, and masons often call mortar mud. A mortar box usually means a larger, shallow box that a crew mixes mortar in by hand, though many suppliers use the names interchangeably.
Yes. Bagged concrete can be mixed in a mortar tub with a hoe or a paddle mixer for small pours, post holes and repairs, and a mixer can discharge a larger batch into the tub for the crew to shovel out. A flat-bottomed tub on level ground stays steadiest while the concrete is turned.
Yes. Most tubs in the HERMEQ range are made from UV-protected polyethylene, so they do not fade or wear from sunlight over time and can be kept in the yard between jobs. Stacking empty tubs or turning them upside down stops rainwater collecting and freezing in them over winter.
Polyethylene tubs are far lighter than steel tubs of a similar size, so they are easier to move by hand and to stack, and they do not rust or need repainting. For heavier handling, HERMEQ supplies twin skin polyethylene tubs and a crane lift tub with a galvanized steel frame, which gives steel strength where the crane does the lifting.
The safe working load is the heaviest load a tub is rated to lift, counting everything inside it. It applies to every lift, by forks or by crane, and is given on the tub or its product page. Wet mortar, concrete and broken masonry are dense, so a tub can reach its safe working load before it is full to the rim.