Pumping Concrete Slab with a Trailer Pump? Why Not?
When I suggest that pumping concrete to a slab with a trailer pump is not only possible, but sometimes preferred, I often hear disagreement. Our concrete pump customers frequently say they believe that the only way to pump a slab with big rock is to use a concrete boom pump. A boom pump is great in every aspect of concrete pumping except when there is not enough room to move or set up those huge outriggers. Construction sites in crowded city streets, areas where power lines are overhead, or even where the concrete pumping budget requires something a little bit more economical are all good reasons for pumping with a trailer pump. These little beasts can do pretty much everything including pumping concrete at high pressure ratings with a very liquid mix and pumping even the lowest slumps with a 1-inch rock.
Some pump operators believe that a trailer pump is a “small machine” designed for pea gravel or grout only. But in all South American and some European countries, a trailer pump is all they use to pump concrete on big and small projects.
A Trailer Pump is Powerful
A concrete trailer pump is a great way to deliver concrete to an existing structure, like a house addition or commercial building renovation. Trailer stationary pumps can pump to distances of up to 1,000 feet horizontally or 300 feet vertically while maintaining a volume of up to 70 yards per hour. There are several models of these concrete pumps that can weigh up to 10,000 pounds and have a pump kit similar to that of a boom pump.
Benefits of Pumping with a Trailer Pump
Some of our seasoned customers would rather use a trailer pump than a boom pump. They know the benefits:
- lower pumping rates,
- ease of use,
- less waste,
- overall cleaner site after washing up,
- and ability to pump in tighter spaces.
A boom pump leaves a big chunk of concrete inside its hopper at washout time approximately 1 yard of concrete has to be thrown away. The reason for the waste is that boom pump hoppers are a lot bigger and the concrete cannot be completely pumped out of it. That yard of concrete left underneath the pumping valves and in the bottom of the hopper costs approximately $160 dollars plus the extra cost to use a boom pump. So the job costing goes way up. With a trailer pump, the only concrete that you lose is, at the maximum, 1 wheel barrow of concrete at washout time. This can have a huge positive impact in your budget.
What Pump is Right for Your Job?
All concrete pumps are amazing machines. All of them help your project move forward at speeds that years ago was unthinkable. The only thing left is for you to decide based on your job’s budget is whether a trailer pump is the more feasible machine to use in pumping concrete to your project.