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Operation
SP 500 / 750-15 / 750-18 / 1000 / 1250 Operation Manual
Special Pumping Situations
The following paragraphs describe operations that may
be required due to timing or weather conditions.
Quick cleanout
If concrete is setting up in the machine, you must clean
out in a hurry. Accidents happen when you panic. Stay
calm and work as fast as you can without skipping any
safety rules.
Prioritize the order of cleanout by calculating the amount
of time and money involved to replace any components
that are ruined by failure to clean before the concrete
completely sets. To help you make these calculations,
use the following list, which is arranged in order from
most expensive and dicult to replace, to easiest and
least expensive to replace.
• Rock Valve cast housing
• Rock Valve
• Material cylinders
• Hopper
• Pipeline
An experienced operator will dump the hopper and ma-
terial cylinders, and then rake out the bulk of the mate-
rial from the valve in just a couple of minutes, moving
immediately to the pipeline. The rest of the material in
the hopper and valve can be chipped out if it will not
wash clean. Be sure to disable the hydraulic system on
the unit by stopping the engine, putting the key in your
pocket, and putting a “Do Not Operate” tag on the igni-
tion switch before entering the valve or hopper area for
chipping.
When cleaning a machine with concrete setting up, do
not worry about getting each part perfectly clean before
moving on to the next part. Once you have used water
to remove the bulk of the concrete from a component,
it will be thinned enough to not completely set until you
can return to it.
Cold-weather pumping
It is possible (and routine in some parts of the world)
to pump concrete with outside temperatures as low as
-10° Fahrenheit, and even colder under certain circum-
stances. This can present a variety of problems com-
pared with pumping in moderate temperatures, such as:
• Water in the waterbox freezes while you are driv-
ing to the job.
• The hydraulic components are slow in responding
to your commands.
• Slurry freezes in the pipeline when you are start-
ing the pour.
• Concrete freezes in the line or the hopper while
you are pumping.
• The concrete is loaded with calcium chloride or
an equivalent to allow the concrete to set before
it freezes. This additive accelerates setting time in
much the same way that hot weather accelerates
setting.
• Washing components with water causes them to
become coated with ice, which will not melt until
the temperature rises above freezing.
• Machine parts that you sometimes stand on or
grasp become very slippery when they become
coated with ice.
Some of these potential problems can be solved or
tolerated, but others cannot. Here are some tips for
cold-weather pumping:
• In locations that have cold winters, store the ma-
chine indoors. If you do not have a heated shop,
consider renting one.
• Do not put water in the waterbox before driving
to the job. If possible, contact the ready-mix com-
pany and arrange for the rst truck to be loaded
with hot water to ll your waterbox and to mix your
slurry. Arrange for the last truck to be lled with hot
water and to be prepared to let you clean out using
this water.
• If you are expecting cold weather for extended pe-
riod, change your oil to a thinner viscosity type,
such as an ISO VG 32. Be aware, however, that
this oil cannot protect the components to as high a
temperature as the standard oil shipped with your
unit (ISO VG 46).
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