When you have a construction project, you may find it necessary to look for a concrete pump to help move mixed concrete to various areas at the site. These pumps are usually efficient because less labour is required and the concrete mix is moved at a faster rate. Finding concrete pumps is easy but you may need to evaluate some factors before selecting one. Concrete pumps come in a wide range of types suitable for various applications. For this reason, the following are some of the things you should evaluate when selecting a concrete pump.
Your Kind of Application
Your kind of construction work will help you find the perfect concrete pump. If you have a large construction project, such as construction of your home, choose truck mounted or boom concrete pumps. This type of pump is usually mounted on a truck and it has a robotic arm (boom), which is remote controlled to move the concrete mix accurately where needed. Boom concrete pumps have the ability to pump high volumes of concrete in a relatively little amount of time, making it ideal for your large construction project. Besides, since the robotic arm is multipurpose, the pump will help save on labour.
On the other hand, you may have small projects such as swimming pool construction or construction of small concrete slabs in your home. Such projects may not require a bigger volume pumping. For this reason, invest in a stationary, trailer or line concrete pump. These pumps pump concrete at a relatively lower rate than that of their boom counterparts. Usually, these concrete pumps are mounted on trailers. They use steel or rubber pipes or hoses to direct the flow of the concrete mix. These pipes are often attached manually so if there's an area that the pipes won't reach, you can simply add extensions.
Specialised usage concrete pumps will be your ideal choice if you have a specialised site such as a tunnel or a mine.
The Output Rate
You want to know how fast and how far the concrete pump can pump. The rule of the thumb is to choose a pump capacity that you can handle. This will depend on the type of work you have. For instance, it may be unnecessary to select a pump with a high output rate just for placing thin cement overlays. Sometimes high-capacity pumps require that you have enough workers who will keep up the pace. Therefore, if you are unsure of what output rate to go for, choose a pump with a variable control. This will allow you to adjust the output of your pump variously to suit your needs.
