If you’ve gone through the process of purchasing your own mini concrete pump and you’ve been getting down to business, you should take heed and avoid these costly mistakes that could greatly damage the investment you’ve made in your own capital equipment for this business.
The first thing is to find a reliable concrete pump supplier and purchase a tough pump machine. Sometimes, you can get a mobile concrete pump for sale at reasonable cost which is in mini size.
Do not forget to prime! This can be one of the most costly mistakes you can make. Priming is very important to ensure that your mini concrete pump machine operates at maximum capacity and the line doesn’t get backed up. Use cement sand and water or purchase primer makes that are made for your brand and pump line. Make sure that you prime the manifold area rather than simply pouring the material into the reducer cone.
Do not order the wrong mix… This might seem like common sense, but mistakes have been made. All mini concrete pumps are not created equal. Some require a lot of sand, some require less and if you purchase and use the wrong mix you can end up destroying the equipment. To avoid this problem, tell your concrete supplier the exact brand of concrete pump small that you’re using. This will help you avoid many headaches in the future.
Another mistake that will cost you over time, would be starting operations immediately from cold. Running cold hydraulic fluid without allowing the engine to warm up, will over time degrade the machine and in the short term it will reduce the efficiency of the machine. Let the engine run for a few minutes to warm up the oil before getting down to business.
Don’t let water freeze in the water box. You need to make sure that when the job is done for the night, if temperatures are going to drop below freezing or even get close to freezing then you have to be sure to pump the water out so that it doesn’t freeze. A frozen water box will damage the pump significantly. If there is ice in the water box then the water will not lubricate the pistons. When you’re done operating for the day just pull the drain plug and Don’t forget to stay safe.
Damage to your capital equipment investment would be a bad thing, injuries to you or your crew would be far worse. Working with mini concrete pumps is not dangerous, but you should make sure to adhere to good safety standards. Make sure to only allow trained personnel to operate the concrete pump. Only operate the pump when the hood is closed. Make sure to wear all personal safety equipment such as safety glasses, ear plugs/ear muffs and a hard hat while working. Good concrete pump manufacturers will give you strict guide on operations, you should follow the guide.
Do not allow any of your workers to slack on these protections. Make sure to always keep the hopper grate pointed down when the pump has been turned on. Make sure that no part of your body is touching the hopper while it is active. If a blockage occurs, don’t open the hose clamps until the pressure has been relieved to avoid injuries.