So with all this talk of safety and not opening your hopper during wash out and so forth and so on. Honestly how many of you guys run a truck that one or more of the safety switches that were installed by the manufacturer (ex: Hopper Grate) does not work properly on? Whether your boss doesnt wanna fix it, the money is not there, or any reason.

Honestly how many people out there are running a machine that is not safe for any reason? I probably wont get many responses to this but I would bet alot of money that there are alot of guys out there doing this.

hi just want say all my saftey devices work, but what is the point in having a saftey switch when you open the hopper grate it stop the paddles when the s tube keeps going.

The # 1 Safety Device

on every pump is

THE OPERATOR ! ! !

yes this is true but on a schwing the rock valve wont shift if the grate is open

How do you do when you are pumping long steelfibre and have to lift the grate to get the mud in the cylinders , Without to disconnect the safetyswitch ? 

Are you going home and tell the customer that the mud not are pumpable ?

This could be a very sensitive safety issue here guys.

A few years back an operator completed his pour and moved down the street to wash out (res job).He had the grate open and the last witness accounts were he was seen standing above hopper.When they heard the screams they ran to help but to late.They didn't know how to stop the truck and grabbed the radio and called in for help to shut engine off.

These devises are put there for a reason,not somebodies wet dream.I understand they are a pain but now a nessasary evil for our own good.I just hate to think of losing another operator to negligence.

My Best

All those safety devices are there for a reason, period. We place a huge priority on fixing anything that poses a safety issue. I've never had an injury while pumping, but when I was 22 (many many moons ago) I had the common sense of most guys my age. I was working on a concrete crew setting forms for a stem wall. I had a nail wedged in the guard on my skillsaw and was pointing up some 1x material to use for stakes. I had the saw on and got distracted by who knows what. The blade was still spinning while I looked over my shoulder, and I cut a nice gouge out of my forearm. I wrapped it up in a T Shirt, because mud was on its way. About 20 minutes into the pour, I started feeling light headed. Maybe it had something to do with all the blood that was soaking into the shirt that was duct taped around my arm? Hmmmm.... Turns out I had come close to severing the tendons in my arm that control my fingers. Stupid is as stupid does...

I agree, they are all placed there for a reason and that reason is not to be intentionally disconnected or to be broken and neglected to fix.

vasa. the awnser to your question is. if the concrete doesnt go thru your grate then you dont pump it. i know some operators who will lift there grate up or take it off too pump steel pins and fibres. but you know as well as i do all it takes is to get a big lump off build up go in and it could put you in shit street.

http://www.concretepumping.com/photo/gallery/images/144_81_1220126618_1.jpg