It's my understanding that on the bigger series pumps 40M 50M 60M and THE 70Z meter you have to hang the pump AKA jack the tires off the ground but I have heard some operators say you don't have to whats the real story the biggest pump I've had the pleasure of running is a 38M putz and I don't hang that unless I have to to get within 3 degrees I'm curious as to the correct way just so I know if and I hope I do have the opportunity to run some of the big boys.Also at what size to you want to prime out with grout. Now I'm not new to pumping I've been doing it for about 8-9yrs but no matter how long you've been doing it you can always learn and I'm not embarrassed to ask ?'s.Travelteck, northwest63 and Todd if you could also weigh in on this topic I would appreciate it I respect you guys and your opinions Thanks to everyone in advance.

You all might not like this but it is the truth.

When Putzmeister builds any and all pumps they stability test them all.

The test is: level setup and truck tires OFF the ground, then with weight simulating the load of concrete in the pipe and hopper rotate the boom 360*

I cannot speak for Schwing but I think the test is Industry standard.

I teach in the school that for correct stability the tires must break the ground. This keeps the center of gravity in the correct position on the unit, the truck chassis is your counterweight, so leaving the tires on the ground is the effective equivalent to removing counterweight from the pump frame.

I understand that there are a lot of practices out there that are done in the field but that doesn’t make them correct. The Old school was to lift the front end and leave the back anchored. That is OLD school and is not good for today. Also having the boom front up puts the unit out of level this also puts strain on the slewing components and changes stability.

Today with the long booms and lighter frames  the need for the correct counterweight is most important. New units have OSS and in this configuration picking up the tires is very important for correct stability.

A few years back there was a few issues with 38 and 40 M, Z booms bouncing. PMAG asked us to confirm the correct setup. With the tires on the ground the energy from shifting transmits down the boom causing boom bounce and wobble. I have seen this on site and it makes a big difference to the boom operation when you have the weight hanging and this allows the slewing energy to swing out under the pump instead of going down the boom.

Understand I am not saying 2 feet off the ground, breaking the traction is enough and it helps keep the hopper height down. This can be an issue on some larger pumps. Hopper height can be a problem on some jobs and with dry mud ramps might be needed. I used to run a 52 Schwing and I needed ramps on some state jobs for dry pours. All Mfg’s strive to provide units that will be able to accommodate most sites but we all know you will never have all perfect situations. But to be the MOST stable the tires should break traction with the ground. This applies to All PMA Booms.

Next time you see a crane on site ask them why they don’t leave the tires on the ground, doing so limits them on lifting capacity and their stability.

As far as priming, boy that’s a good topic. There are as many ways to prime as there are guys doing it. The length of the boom is not so critical as the consistency of the Mud.

In the manual that comes with the pump it is recommended to use primer in the priming port on ALL booms to ensure the best chance of a trouble free prime. I have witnessed priming from all extremes. Some guys water start, I have even seen guys dry prime, Cement prime, Bentonite, Mud clay and water none of them you will find in the manual.

So I can offer that the priming procedure suggested in the manual is what I train Green Horns in Geography’s around the states, it proves the safest way on a constant basis.

When I am on site with an experienced operator and they ask what is the best, I ask them if the method  they have been using has been reliable for them, if so stay with it, if not try the primers offered in the industry. As long as it is safe and reliable it works.

For most seasoned operators priming is like a religion to them they get a routine and stick with it. I would talk to seasoned guys in your area.

And Mudcup thankyou for asking.

Thank you Travelteck for your insight I used to fill my hopper half way up the barrels with slick- pak I just recently switched to using the priming port either way always worked for me, some of the operators in my are are horrible from what some of my customers tell me so I'll stick to asking you guys whom I can trust and know who do a good job. Thanks again buddy.

Grout is the safest but I have primed 61-65m booms many times with only water. Too much water will kill ya. I put just enough water to get into the cylinders then start stroking and there ya go works great for me 99.9 percent of the time.

It all depends on the concrete mudcup. In San Diego we water started everything from a 17 meter to a 61 meter because the mud was beautiful. But out here on the east coast it can get a little nastier... Well on the site I am working on at least. We still do not use grout. Slik-pak does the job. We prime 61's, 63's, and the 70 everyday using slik-pak. The only time we use grout is when we are firing up the placing boom.

Its funny because I asked Travelteck the same question about the wheels being off the ground the last time I saw him. He gave me the same response and since then we have tested it with all of the pumps and in most cases it seems to help.

most schwing pump manuals say you should have rear wheels of the ground and jack front until you see wieght come of the tyres without wheels coming of the ground.correct me if i'm wrong ,though i know this set up is'nt always possible due to unlevel ground/hopper hieght etc etc.smash it thru with water is how we roll australia.

when running the 63mtr.i will have a rake front to back with the front up and axl 6 and 7 just touching the ground.try having the offside outrigger's out as when they are full of water or fuel they can be used as a counterweight and in OSS mode you should set it up with the front up and off the ground.as for on smaller putz pump's i-e 47 and smaller i have found that it ok to have all the wheel's on the ground but still have a rake front to back to help with wash out at the end of the poor.one slick-pac in the priming port and fill half full of water worked every time for the 63/61/47 mtr pumps.hope the info helps.