The name Maxon has been associated with the concrete industry for over 60 years. The tradition of Maxon equipment began in the 1930s when Glen Maxon Jr. went to work for T. L. Smith Company to develop quicker and more uniform concrete mixing with tilt mixers for the Tennessee Valley Authority.
In the 1940s, Glen Maxon Jr. was awarded
a patent on his development, the Plastigraff, a means of checking the
slump inside a tilting central mix drum by measuring the resistance of concrete
against the paddles inside the mixer; Lights outside the machine indicated the
slump, or workability of the concrete. During the 1940s he formed his own company
and designed the Dumpcrete, a non-agitated rear dump haul body. The patented
unit utilized a high discharge point to allow the carrier to chute concrete.

Grand Coulee Dam - Bureau of Reclamation Project on which nine Maxon
Dumpcretes were used to construct the East Powerhouse and Pumping Plant.
At the same time, Glen Maxon Jr. started Expressway Mixers, offering the first portable central mix plants. As an active member of ACI and ASCM, he submitted papers on concrete plants and concrete mixer blade designs in drums. After World War II he developed the idea of central mix concrete and hauling in non-agitating carriers.
With his knowledge and development of mixing, hauling and placing central mix concrete, Glen Maxon Jr. was referred to as the "Father of Central Mix Concrete."
Maxon Construction Company of Dayton and Tell City, IN was granted the license to manufacture the Dumpcrete by Glen Maxon Jr. Together they developed the Side Dump Maxon Spreader and a Side Dump Carrier. Although some jobs were successful hauling non-agitated concrete, other types of concrete were not suitable for transport over long distances. Seeing this need, Glen Maxon Jr. received the first patent for an open top agitated concrete carrier called the Agitor. The Agitor had a conical shaped shell to allow an agitator to turn inside and keep the concrete consistent.
After attending M.I.T. and 2 years of service in US Army, Glen Maxon III joined his father to help build the first Agitor with S&M Manufacturing.
The first 4 yard Agitor was sold to a concrete paver, C.F. Replogle in Circleville, OH, and in 1959 the first 8 yard Agitor was build. This machine went on to be the forerunner for interstate and airport paving. Many interstate projects throughout the U.S. utilized the 8 yard central mix plants and 8 yard Agitors for carrying concrete to the paver.
In the 1960's, Glen Maxon Jr. and Glen Maxon III formed Maxon & Son. Included in their efforts were patents on several features for the Maxon Agitor and concrete belt placers. They also developed a unique, agitated concrete body called the "8 by 8." Having dimensions of 8 feet in all three directions, it could be mounted to dump either over the side of the end of the chassis. Used as a side dump carrier, the 8 by 8 was noted for its rapid discharge -- 8 cubic yards in 10 seconds.

Maxon & Son also developed a portable 4.5 cu.yd. central mix drum. The patent included unique mixing blades and a narrow frame, making it easily portable.
When Glen Maxon Jr. Retired in 1972, Glen Maxon III formed his own company, Maxon Industries, Inc. Initial projects for Maxon included developing a special truck-mounted concrete carrier with a 15' belt conveyor for prestress concrete. In addition, several changes were made to the Agitor to make it work with low slump and mass aggregate concrete. In one of the last programs for the Atomic Power Industry in the US, the Tennessee Valley Authority used 50 Maxon truck mounted Agitors to build 6 projects.

Maxon Industries went on to design larger Agitors including 10 & 12 cu.yd units. Changes to the Agitor include a wider gate opening, direct drive agitators and special agitator shaft to handle low slump and mass aggregate concrete.
Additional advances in the concrete transportation industry include the Maxon MaxSlide which allows a concrete carrier to dump to either side and the rear. This turn table style option for the concrete carrier eventually made the original Maxon Side Dumpcrete obsolete.
In the 1980s, Maxon Industries built the first Maxcrete, a low profile open top carrier for mine development work. The Maxcrete incorporates an open top body for easy loading, a large discharge gate for fast discharging and a full sweep paddle design for complete re-mixing or re-tempering of the concrete. The Maxcrete is build in 4.5 to 10 cu. yd. capacities and is available as a skid- or rail-mounted unit or for installation on rubber tired vehicles.
Today, Maxon Industries continues it's progressive design and application in the field of concrete transportation. Current designs include new models for transporting mass aggregate for dam and powerhouse work and a recent patent on the High Dump Swing Away Chute for the Agitors. Maxon's efforts are dedicated to the transportation, remixing and placement of concrete for above and below ground applications.
In 1983, Maxon Industries acquired the
Seaman line of soil stabilization equipment
and bituminous distributors. These machines stabilize the sub-base before asphalt
or concrete paving. Additionally, these products are used to improve the quality
of dirt roads at lower costs.
Rexworks line of soil stabilization equipment was acquired in 1992 to
increase Maxon's product base, distribution area, and service volume.
About a month later, Maxon Industries also purchased Parsons Trenchers
and Cable Plows from Stowell Industries (Menomonee Falls, WI). After adding
some new models to upgrade the product line, we now offer trenchers equipped
with engines ranging from 8 hp gasoline to 95 hp turbo diesel engines.
Please send us an e-mail
if you would like further assistance!
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