Concrete pump: how to book concrete pumping or buy a pump
The pour date decides everything
A concrete pump is booked for a specific pour date, and a mistake here is costly. Concrete that has arrived while the pump has not sets in the mixer. So the date and time are the most important things in the request, along with agreeing with your concrete supplier.
The main types are a boom pump on a truck, a stationary pump with a pipeline, and a trailer pump. For houses and slabs in the residential sector people usually take a truck-mounted boom pump; for high-rise or complex sites, a stationary one.
How to choose the boom and the mode
- Boom length: 24, 32, 36, 42 m and more. It must reach the farthest point of the pour from where the truck stands.
- Space for outriggers: a truck pump needs its outriggers extended and a firm area.
- Height and number of floors: for upper floors, choose a boom with some margin.
- Volume in cubic metres: it decides how many hours the pump will work.
- Pipeline: if the boom does not reach, an extra pipe is laid, and that may cost extra.
What to put in your request
- Hire or buy — with an operator, or for your own work.
- Type of pump — boom pump, stationary, trailer.
- Boom length — for example 36 m.
- Volume of concrete — about 40 m³.
- Location — city and address, access and width of the approach road.
- Pour date — day and start time, for example Thursday at 8:00.
- Model, year, condition — if buying: Putzmeister, Schwing, not older than 2010.
- Budget — for example up to $34 per hour.
Example: “I need a 36 m boom concrete pump in Calgary, to pour a slab of about 40 m³ on Thursday at 8:00. Hire with an operator. Budget up to $34 per hour; please state the minimum booking and the cost of bringing the machine separately.”
What BlaBlaPrice gives you
You create a request once, and concrete pump owners reply in the chat: which machine, the rate, whether there is a minimum number of hours, whether your date is free. Each of them sees where their offer ranks and can improve their terms, so the price often becomes more attractive. The best offer, judged on what is offered, is shown first. Contacts stay hidden until you choose a provider. Details are on the “How it works” page.
How to compare and what to ask
The hourly sum tells you nothing until you know what it includes. Ask about the minimum number of hours, payment for bringing the machine, time for flushing the system, whether pipes for an extra line are available, and whether the operator works without gaps between the mixers.
It is best to synchronise the pour with the supply: concrete mixer trucks must arrive without pauses. If you buy a pump, check the condition of the pistons, pipes and boom, and the hours worked. Other construction machines are in the “Heavy equipment” section.
Weather, timing and preparation
Plan the pour for a clear day, and in summer heat, for the morning. In the rainy season, keep a spare date. A convenient approach and firm ground for the outriggers are your part of the preparation, and they decide whether there will be a stoppage. Agree who flushes the pump and where the leftover concrete goes. If the site is in a tight yard, send a photo, and the owner will say whether his machine can get in.
