Have you ever heard from a contractor say's "I LIKE THE OTHER GUY BECAUSE HE HOLDS THE HOSE".I admit that sometimes i take two jobs at a time a hose grabber and pump operator which the costumer is satisfied, im a hero for that job but what if something happen to the pump?,, i know i broke the rule as bob says in the past issues about a pump operator that was hit at the head doing two jobs at a time..just sharing this but i know that im not a good model for fellow pumpers. 

Yeah,the trailer guys do it around here (2").The folks I use have 2 men and run the whole show.

sometimes ill do it on a footer..i dont use a hose man on them but ill walk kinda close to it an if i need to ill grab it if i need it an most the guys love that but then u get some guys that just have to grab it an go wild an want to pull the boom everywhere instead of lettin me do what im there to do..an we usually send 2 men with the line pump an we usually handle everything

 Well sometimes I do hold the hose or push it. I dont see a problem with it. Hell sometimes I even help muck mud if the crew is short handed or, having a hard time. I dont have a problem watching the pump, the pour and, participating in the pour. At one time I was a finisher in another life. Well actually I was a home builder. Which is how I got into pumping accidentally, I have never been able to just stand off and, watch. It isnt in my nature. One of our other operators had a guy ask him if he knew a finsher because the guy he had flaked out on him and, told him he would pay $200 for someone to finish it. He called the boss to make sure there were no other jobs and, did the finishing for a good days wages. I would have done the same thing.

I don't see a problem with giving a crew a hand. It is my company's policy for the customer to be responsiable for operating the hose. I do offer concrete placement . I charge 20.00 a hour per a man and require at least 2 men. Depeninding the amount of hose and size of job it could require more guys. But if I can give them a hand I always will. This is a policy I started useing after seeing what other company's require in my area.

when you roll up on a DIY job and theres one guy there whos main job is drawing  his pension, and his dads helpin out too, then you just have to get in there and get on with it or you are going to be there a long time!!!! if its a site job and theres 20 of them using the shovels for an extra leg then its time to show them once , then sit back and let the hours add up. At the end of the day you do whats best for you.

I run 2.5" hose on my trailer pump. Its not that hard to move. I help when needed. I run the hose most the times. I roll out and roll up stack the hoses do it all. The job goes much better when you know how to place the mud. If they want to do it I let them with supervision.

Was the initial post about 1 man (hose and boom) operation? If so, it shouldnt be a problem, after all Putzmeister were in the process of designing "Follow Me". Where the boom controls were actually designed to be  wrapped around end hose. I suspect most of the world hasn't got an issue with it.

youre right pumbo,most pump operators here hold the hose while they're pumping,If you dont hold the hose they say youre new operator.

"follow me" Is not a one-man operation , the operator must hold the left joystick , deadmans grip... and the hose man only direct and rise and lower the boom .

okay I have done this a bunch in my past and nothing wrong with helping, but now knowing the laws and insurance, if you get hurt doing something other than what you are supposed to be doing and the insurance company finds out during thier investigation, you are asking for trouble, now as for me I am a 39 year old thats in pretty good shape so I help whenever I can, but if you are not physically fit enough to drag a hose or pull concrete you should not, we as a company never put a man on the end of the hose , unless the customer pays extra for another man , the risk is to great unless you are getting paid for it.

Running the hose on the end of a boom can't be safe. What do you do run the remote with one hand while pushing around a heavy hose hanging off the boom? An operator needs to be fully aware of whats going on, not trying to be a hero and doing two things at once.

only hose you should hold is in your pants

you're dead right vasa. 'follow me' is still definitely a two man operation. Putzmeister have had it running now for almost 3 years. 

Yet to see "follow me" in action, granted might be 2 man Operation but from an article a few years back seemed like they were pushing towards one man.