If you're in the market for a concrete pump to manage a construction project, or simply looking to expand your knowledge before embarking on a project, it's important to know the differences in designs, how they perform, and find which is perfect for your needs. When looking at concrete pumps it's important to investigate three areas; the manufacturer, purpose / design and of course price. All these attributes make concrete pumps completely different and applicable in a number of difference situations.
Manufacturers
Like most construction equipment there are drastic differences in manufacturing quality for concrete pumps. Some of the most trusted manufacturers include Putzmeister and Schwing. It's important to find products from a reliable manufacturer such as these. Considering most pumping is done under pressure, low quality designs could break, under perform or even fail with cost and sometimes dangerous results. Trusted names are worth pursuing because of reliability and performance.
Purpose
It's not surprising that concrete pumps are designed with very specific purposes and uses in mind. What is often surprising is exactly how complicated these purposes actually are, and how different it makes them. Every design specific purpose and should be used appropriately.
It's likely you'll see three primary pump types; booms, trailers and truck mounted. Although there are other types of pumps, these are the primary applications you'll most often see. These are also the ones with the most drastic differences in design.
Booms are versatile pumps that tend to be mounted on trucks or simply installed as separate placing booms. Truck mounted booms allow for fast set up and tear down, accuracy accuracy and high performance or multi-level pumping. Trailer pumps tend to offer more power and are ideal for tough to reach jobs, high pressure applications or just all around ease of use. Lastly, truck mounted designs carry the performance and ease of use trailer pumps have with the versatility and quick set up of a boom without the complication or training required in running a boom. As you can see, every pump has a different purpose and can be used in drastically different situations.
Price
Often the largest consideration when choosing a pump is price. Often companies settle for under-performing pumps that are not suited for the demands of a given project. While prices for pumps are high, many pump sellers have reduced pricing on used pumps. While these pumps have been used, they still perform impeccably without costing as much as a new pump. If you have a specific pump need it is possible to find the correct pump for the application, or a pump that is qualified for a variety of demands. Buying used pumps can be a great way of ensuring the right equipment is on hand when the job calls.