Good Point Bob!!I think it goes back to the days of the old pre Putzmeister/Thompson 820 and 845 series, before the 875 models even. I remember being like 17 and told that you always wanted to have the front tires off the ground. Some people think it is maybe better for the front end, who knows for sure but I think it is something that was just put out there by a manufactures salesmen, years ago and stuck. Could have been something so simple as even a picture in a calendar that was popular, who knows for sure Anyways I always teach,

I have seen this so many times too. It is crazy. The pump is so much more stable when all the tires are on the ground. The front tires should never be off of the ground unless it is on a downhill slope. I went to one job inside a building and the operator had his front tires at least a foot off of the ground. I asked him why and he said it is a lot more stable this way....Go figure? I always tried to keep all wheels on the ground as much as possible. http://www.pumpoperators.com/brian/ I love to pump concrete. It is in my blood. I will do whatever it takes to do the job right and safely! Almost 20yrs under my belt and still learning.This message was edited by BrianABarone on 2-1-06 @ 2:36 PM

I really appreciate the feedback, Thanks to all of you. Level is better - the more tires on the ground the more stable. 10-4 ;)

Hey Bob, you see this alot over here in Europe.On level ground they want ALL wheels off the ground.The only reason I have been given so far is that a pump is the same as a roll on crane, that it is more stable set up that way, the way it was designed to be set up. Dont yell at me, this is what the Germans are telling me.

Just to put it out there, i have had a forman for a very large construction company walk across the job one early morning just to chew my ass and tell me to get my tires off the ground. He then told me he had just attended a meeting where a safety speaker told him that is how pumps need to be set up. I just told him if he didnt like what i was doing then he can turn in an application and run his pump the way he wants. There are only two dissapointments in life teen age *@#&$ and mack trucks

I spoke to a mechanic here in Germany that has built pumps for one of the major manufacturers for over 15 years and he says that given a perfect job site I.E level and stable, the sub frame and outrigger system was designed to take the FULL weight of the equipment and was designed to be pumped with all axles unloaded. My German is not that good so it is hard to decribe what all he was saying.Like I said, dont yell at me Im just telling you what the Experts say.