Concrete Pump Stationary VS Mobile Type

Stationary concrete pump and mobile concrete pump are two common concrete pumps, which differ in structure, purpose, performance, application scenario, cost maintenance, etc.

1. Definition and structural characteristics

(1). Stationary concrete pump

- Definition: Equipment that is fixedly installed in a specific location and transports concrete through an external pipeline. It must be used with a concrete mixer truck.

- Structural characteristics: The main body is a fixed base, which needs to be installed on a concrete foundation to ensure stability. It is equipped with a long conveying pipeline that can be arranged on site, but it has no walking device. If it needs to be moved, it needs to rely on external equipment such as cranes.

(2). Mobile concrete pump

- Definition: Concrete conveying equipment integrated on the chassis, which can be moved by itself or transported by traction. Some models are called " concrete pump trucks".

- Structural characteristics: The chassis mostly adopts automobile chassis or special chassis (such as tire type, crawler type), with autonomous walking ability; the arm system can be folded and extended, and the end hose can directly pour concrete without laying additional pipes; it has its own diesel power system and can independently complete the movement and pumping operations.

2. Performance comparison

(1). Conveying capacity

- Stationary concrete pump: The horizontal conveying distance can reach more than 1,000 meters, and the vertical height exceeds 200 meters, which is suitable for long-distance and high-lift concrete conveying; the pumping displacement is large, usually 60-150 cubic meters/hour, which can meet the continuous pouring needs of large-scale projects.

- Mobile concrete pump: The arm length is generally 15-60 meters (some large pump trucks can reach more than 80 meters), and the conveying range is limited by the arm, but there is no need to lay pipes, and it is highly flexible; the displacement is mostly 40-120 cubic meters/hour, and some high-end models can reach 150 cubic meters/hour, which is suitable for medium to large projects.

(2). Power and installation

- Trailer concrete pump: Relying on an external power supply or a fixed generator, it requires a stable power supply; a fixed foundation needs to be poured during installation, and the debugging time is relatively long, which is more suitable for long-term fixed operation scenarios.

- Mobile concrete pump: It comes with a diesel engine and can operate in an environment without power supply, with strong adaptability; no complicated installation is required, and the boom can be deployed after arriving at the site for construction, which is convenient for debugging and suitable for rapid deployment.

3. Application scenarios

(1). Stationary concrete pump

- Applicable scenarios: large infrastructure projects (such as bridges, tunnels, and high-rise building foundations), long-term fixed concrete pouring projects (such as water conservancy projects and large factories), and scenarios that require long-distance and high-altitude concrete transportation (such as mountain tunnels and super-high-rise buildings).

- Advantages: long transportation distance, large displacement, suitable for large-scale and continuous construction, and relatively low equipment purchase cost.

(2). Mobile concrete pump

- Applicable scenarios: small and medium-sized construction projects (such as residential construction, municipal roads, rural infrastructure), operations that require frequent movement (such as multiple construction sites taking turns to construct, sporadic pouring), and sites with complex terrain or limited space (such as urban blocks, narrow construction areas).

- Advantages: Flexible movement, quick positioning, boom can be directly poured, reducing pipeline laying time and labor costs, suitable for rapid transfer operations.

4. Cost and maintenance

(1). Stationary concrete pump

- Equipment cost: The initial purchase cost is low, but additional fixed infrastructure costs are required.

- Maintenance cost: The structure is relatively simple and the maintenance cost is low, but long-term fixed installation may accelerate equipment aging.

- Transportation cost: Disassembly and hoisting are required when moving, and the transportation cost is high, which is more suitable for long-term fixed use.

(2). Mobile concrete pump

- Equipment cost: The purchase cost is high (especially long-arm pump trucks), but no infrastructure investment is required.

- Maintenance cost: The chassis and boom system (such as hydraulic system, engine) need regular maintenance, and the maintenance cost is high.

- Transportation cost: It can be moved or towed for transportation, with low transportation cost, suitable for turnover of multiple construction sites.

5. Summary of advantages and disadvantages

(1). Stationary concrete pump

- Advantages: The advantages of conveying distance and height are significant, suitable for super-large projects; large displacement, high efficiency, suitable for continuous high-intensity operations; simple structure, low later maintenance cost.

- Disadvantages: Difficult to move, requires fixed installation, poor flexibility; relies on external power supply, and limited applicable scenarios.

(2). Mobile concrete pump

- Advantages: Strong mobility, fast transfer, adaptable to multi-scenario operations; direct casting of boom, reducing pipeline laying, high construction efficiency; self-powered, no external power supply required, suitable for field operations.

- Disadvantages: The conveying range is limited by the boom, not suitable for ultra-long distance conveying; high equipment cost, complex maintenance, more suitable for medium and short-term projects.

6. Selection Recommendations

- Prefer a stationary concrete pump: if the project period is long, the pouring volume is large and the location is fixed (such as the main construction of a high-rise building), or if concrete needs to be transported over an extremely long distance and at an extremely high altitude (such as a bridge across a river, deep foundation pit pouring).

- Prefer a mobile concrete pump: if the project location is scattered and needs to be moved frequently (such as municipal pipe networks, rural house construction), or if the construction site is small and it is difficult to lay pipes (such as urban road maintenance, indoor pouring).

In actual construction, the two are often used in combination: the stationary concrete pump is responsible for long-distance main pipeline transportation, and the mobile concrete pump truck is used for terminal precision pouring to optimize construction efficiency.