OK, I'm going to poll the masses. Me and the owner are at odds on whether or not to flip open the hopper grate on my schwing 39m. I feel it would speed up clean out and is a safe operation. He feels it is to dangerous and wont let me do it. The schwing has a safety interlock to disable the hopper while the grate is opened. It acts exactly as a e-stop function when opened. What do you guys think? p.s. sorry for not being online lately, I was away with the army for a few months. Great to be back pumping!!

I am with your boss.

So what if it takes a bit longer; you and your company are both being paid for the time.

Thousands of Schwing operators do not take the chance; you should not either.

thanks bob, your opinion is enough for me.

the t-a line pumps have a whimpy removable rack, hey the faster you wash the less fooling around you do. mine has the hinge that you cannot open with the truck chute washing into you, also you cannot run the pump when its open so the switch got removed and placed below, you cannot funametally remove it from the system its very complicated. cost me three hundred bucks for a rack narrow enough to protect from pig rock because iam running a 2.5 inch line. my original rack was seventy pound and you could not clean under the hinge. yea i have a remixer that is dangerous and a pain to wash. i have rules about truck water and chatting with the driver and generally mousing around my pump when iam washing.

so you are saying not to open your hopper grate in order to wash out your hopper? i open mine but its not like i am climbing inside to clean it out, just washing from the top without the grate in my way. bad practice?

I want to hear about this!

i lift my hopper grate as well to wash out everyday, like badass said , its not like were climbing inside the hopper ! on long pours i get build up on the sides of the hopper that sometimes need to be beat out with a bar , kind of hard to do with the grate down ! as long as your safe i see no problem with it at all .

No one ever gets caught in the agitator ...until they get caught in the agitator.

Leave the grate down while washing out.

If you need to do some chipping; shut off the pump, make sure that the accumulator circut is zero pressure, put the keys in your pocket THEN chip away.

hey if i do any chip out its with a cold motor at home and not being in tired condition. i will do a little then stop, the pump is allways going to some mud on it

We had a trailor pump operator that was washing out one evening,of course the placing  crew had gone home.Our op had the grate open and kicked the agitator on with his foot (accidentally).The auger grabbed his jacket and twisted his arm around the shaft.Pulling tighter as it pulled him in,his jacket started to choke him out.Lucky for him a stranger was walking by and hit a big red button.When it was all said and done,all the meat on his forearm was stripped off from the elbow to the wrist.And stitches were installed on his neck.Because the zipper on the jacket almost cut his throat. DO NOT wash out the grate open.Be safe,not lazy.Because someday it will get you hurt or dead.And I dont want you dead. 

it allways seem that long sleeve shirts are the culprit, them arm steachers win all ties. 

well today i will try washing out with my grate down and see how it works. i guess the only reason i was washing out with it open is because that is the way i was taught to do it.

   If I remember correctly most pumps I have fooled with in the last 10 years  have had some type of safety device that shuts off the agitator and s-tube,rock valve,when the grating is lifted up.Now this would mean in order to cycle the machine you would have to have the grating down.Picking up that grateing repeatedly is just asking for a smashed something.Keep it down at all times,you are just asking for trouble.I do remember at one time that the hopper grate was bolted to the hopper and was not designed to be lifted unless you used wrenches.It was done so for a reason.

Definately leave the grill in the down/closed position.

Its too easy to get a little close and end up being pulled in or trapped.

A recent incident I know of in the UK ended with the Operator having the calf of his leg stripped from the bone because he "slipped in" to the open hopper whilst cleaning it whilst it was powered up. 

I know of a guy yrs back that was standing in his hopper while washing out. The water hose caught the agitator lever and it caudght his leg and just about chewed it off. Luckily he was able to reach the lever and tur off the agitator. He is still messed up to this day. Heck when I wash out I usally have so much build up in my hopper it is impossible to open the grate. All I have to say is never stand in your hopper!!!NEVER!!!!! Unless you have the keys and the accum is dumped and all that good stuff.

GOOD POSTING!!!

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I LOVE THIS SITE! IT AMAZES ME THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE IN THIS INDUSTRY THAT ARE OBLIVIOUS TO THE SAFETY DO'S AND DONT'S OF RUNNING A CONCRETE PUMP! NOTHING AGAINST THESE PEOPLE, IF SOMEONE DIDN'T PROPERLY TRAIN THEM, ITS NOT THEIR FAULT.

KEEP THE GOOD QUESTIONS COMING!!!

Carry a clean out bar. If you can't get it all on the jobsite, there is always a pressure washer and chipping hammer at the shop. 

Here we go,just my opinion,for those of you that dont keep your hopper clean its easy for you to say dont open the grate,for those that do if theres not a safety lockout that shuts the agitator and your valve off leave it closed,all these safety devices were put there for a reason why not take advantage of them if not they are useless,myself like my hopper clean and I have the shutoff switch on my grate so I open it do I crawl in the hopper no,I maybe wrong but isnt that what the safety switch is for? Not saying that I'm deadset to this I just thought thats why these safety switches were there,Very good topic to bring up. 

 Pudg,I hope I didn't hear,crawl into hopper,a safety switch is just that,a hopper is a confined space,not designed for human occupancy.The only way I will crawl in to the hopper,is to lean partially in to do some chipping,and at the shop  with the accumulator circiut dumped,and agitator off.We don't want to see your new nickname as "fingers"

I always clean out with my grate closed. I have found that the only part which doesn't get cleaned is the bottom of the grate and vibrator and usually a good swat from my hammer will break that loose. If worse comes to worse and there is some I missed cleaning out our shop has a good air compressor and lots of chisels, so I find my glasses and ear plugs and fire away. 

I know that there are a lot of managers that frequent this site (thanks ;~)

This would be a very good item for y'all to weigh in on. Most of you have been around long enough to know, or know about, an operator that has armwrestled with an agitator. Making a mistake here is at the best a life changing event. This is the wrong time to bet your life on a wet, corroded often times concrete covered switch... that someone could have easily wired around.

So... all you managers, what is your company policy? It is common knowledge that you decide what goes on, not the safety manual.

I do not crawl in the hopper,but I do open my grate ,as long as it has the safety switch, if the accumulator doesnt dump I put it back down,I would never crawl into the hopper with the truck running,and yall are probably rite it is safer to leave the grating down .

So,who stands on the grate isnt that a no no,I'm just wandering for those who dont raise the grate how many stand on it,we can find something wrong with everyones routine,and next time I'll try to find an alternative to opening my grate,or just let the hopper beat out be the last thing I do and I'll kill the engine and put the keys in my pocket,so what will you do not to stand on your grate just asking?  

pudg

I would like to think that no one stands on the grate any more

but

I saw it, live and in color, here in the ATL last week. Isn't that rule # 1, 2 & 3 ?

J.

What are you supposed to do when you have to chip your hopper out after your pour?  Are you supposed to take it back to the shop and do it, so you can shut the pump off and lock it out and tag it out?

I think that it is OK to shut the pump off on the job site and Then chip it out. ;~) And the big blue "P" is still being paid.

Murphy hates concrete pumpers.

Limit switches... don't

Hopper safety switches... aren't

J. Why take the chance? You are way too good to trade in part of your body for "the cause"- and - Tom and Pat don't want you to.

I agree 100% to Bullfrog !

Comes clean , goes clean !

If You lift the hoppergrate when You wash , You will see if the safteyswitch works , I have colleagues that never opens the grate , but when they have done it the switch have break !

And if You stand on the step on the side of the hopper and have a long chipping tool.... IF the pump should start You maybe have a bent chipping tool...

I like having a clean hopper and that requires for me to lift the hopper grate so that I can get all buildup. I am going to continue this practice as it works out fine for my routine, all of my safety switches are in place, so my auger stops and the pump will NOT cycle while the grate if up.

if all the saftey swicthes are working lift the hopper grate and clean the hopper if the swicht fails to work then dont lift the grate not a hard concept to grasps thats what the swich is for to clean the hopper

Bull-frog / Bob

To use the trucks air supply to chip the hopper does require the engine to be running...however, it doesn't mean you have to have the PTO engaged in 'Pump mode'.

;~)

Down,down,down no other choice for me and if it is dirty I hit it with the preasure washer and if that will not work Truck off grate up make sure all pressures are at 0 and air hammer never takes more than 5 min...... 

Here is the answer from the guy with the cleanest hopper on anyone's block.

OE Local 3	08-03-2008 20:33:12	reply | profile | send pm
Member Joined : 12-23-2006	Bob,   Good to be back ! I washout with the grate down. If I need to Chip out I will take it out of PTO, But leave the truck running so I can utilize my air supply. Alot of times I will finish her up at the yard. We have everything available where we service like air, pressure washer , soap, etc. I had a friend about 10 years ago just about Rip his leg off while washing out. the water hose hooked the agitator lever, and well you can figure out what happened next.  It is a memory I will never forget.

jerry lowe