Been thinking of ordering a couple of extra clean out balls for my 3" line on a trailer pump. I have noticed that they list hard or soft. Is there a use for both or preference? Crete

both work good. I think hard balls clean better myself, but everyone has their own opinion. I think the soft balls definitely pull back easier though

Hey Terry, how do you clean out your three inch lines these days? I've been using three inch hose 10 footers and just breaking down and wash out. Do you use air? Or a bunch of water and water wash.

Hey Brian, I've been trying to leave all of the system together if the pour permits,then washing the hopper out and cleaning out with a sponge ahead of clean water. I do this twice. If i'm breaking down as I pour I will pull out and tip up on end the steel pipe(very easy) and give the remote the the contractor and clean them up as i go. FWIW the sponge seems to be less hassle than a rubber pig. Does anyone else have an opinion on this??

Medium or soft. Hard bals (the realy hard one's) are for special purpouse..

Newspaper and water.

Have you ever tried air? I haven't. I like a nerf foot ball for my 2.5" hose.

No haven't delt with air. Stole Big Ed's idea(thanks Ed) With a 250 gal. quick dump in to my hopper with a 2" line. Having my own water with a 4200 psi pressure washer is the cat's azz(again thanks Ed) I hate begging water from the other guys.

I use painters plastic, it works great and it wont fly 10 miles like those videos on youtube. It kinda acts like a paracute. 

I use 2.5" line only with my line pump and use small chunks of foam from 'dead couch' cushions.  I put those in a plastic bag and push them out with air.  I don't rush the air through and take it easy and the sponge just pops out.  I found that using the balls created too much pressure and shot out like a cannon.  The 'couch foam' is much softer and less dense which actually allows some air to pass around the sponge, thereby taking a great deal of the pressure away.  The plastic bags make it slide through nice and easy.  There's usually a light film left on the inside of the hoses which turns to powder and falls out when I roll out my hoses the next time.  I saw a boom pump operator sucking his sponge ball back and noticed it was in the plastic bag it came in and asked him where he got that idea from with a smirk on my face.  He replied with "you, and it works great!"

how do you get the air to push it?

Yeah, what kind of compressor. Just wondering big hose is the key to pneumatics i'm thinking.