Remove Boom Cylinder from Putzmeister Concrete Pump Without Getting KILLED!
A concrete pump is the most efficient way to place concrete in specific area, but they can be very dangerous.
To start with this process, its important to know a bit of information. On a 4 section Putzmeister concrete boom pump, each section is recognized as A, B, C and D, with A being the main section. When resting sections on the ground, it’s always good to use a 4×4 to do so and you will also need a high/low or a fork lift to remove the cylinder.
Position the Concrete Pump for Cylinder Removal
For the safest removal of the boom cylinder, extend it almost all the way out (leave ½ inch to play with). Also, make sure the boom is all the way down and to the side of the truck, making the cylinder at a vertical position. Position the forklift close to the cylinder and strap the forks to the cylinder with a high-strength strap to protect from damage or personal injury when the cylinder drops to the ground.
The concrete pump boom cylinder section positions are going to be as follows:
- A is straight out
- B is at a 45-degree angle to the ground
- C is at 90 degrees flat on the ground, making the whole boom rest on B and C, so when breaking away the A section, B will hold it to A, C/D are going to hold it to B, so the boom cannot drop down.
If you are working with the boom off the ground and break the pins loose, WATCH OUT!! It is coming to the ground.
Remove the Boom Cylinder
On the concrete pump boom’s holding valve, note the TANK PORT or “T port”. Start by loosening the “12L” hose (12 meters long) because on the “T port” back to tank, it’s a barrel fitting. Turn this one full turn. You will hear fluid hissing from it as fluid is returning to the tank, do this on both the ROD side and the PISTON side. REMEMBER there are 2 holding valves, one to push up and one to push back. Once you have relieved the pressure on both sides, mark the lines using color. (There are 3 lines: forward, reverse and tank). MAKE SURE YOU DON’T MIX THEM UP. Now bust out the keyways to the pin. Once the keyways are removed, beat the pins out to the boom. Then support it and back off the cylinder support.
VERY IMPORTANT! Make sure you work on the “T port” and not something that might look like it. We saw someone loose an arm by thinking he had worked on a “T port”. But what he actually did was remove the bolt on the holding valve, and the fluid exploded out. The boom was sticking in the air, so it came to the ground and took his arm off.
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