With all due respect,I can not refer to a pump truck as a her or she,nor can I say I love my pump truck.But I do respect the power of a pump truck and am still in awe of what man has accomplished in engineering such a marvelous machine,I think calling a pump a beast would be fitting nomenclature for such a machine.Now,a boat or ship can be referred to as "she",because she carries,protects,and delivers her cargo or passengers to a certain designation.

bisley57

If it breathes and has gender defining attributes, it can be a 'he' or 'she'.  Otherwise, objects such as machines, boats, planes etc... are 'its'.  It will get us to our destination.  It will keep us safe and secure.  It pumps concrete really well.

There is one exception:  and it comes from a passage in the movie - The Three Amigos - when the amigos were admiring an airplane...

Ned: "It's a Tubman 601, I Flew one in: Little Neddy Goes To War.  I think it's a mail plane."

Lucky: "Really, how can you tell?"

Ned: "Didn't you notice it's little balls?"

I guess its all in the "due respect". I've had some he pumps that had balls and pumped like hell with  fly-rod booms. And I've had some she pumps that lacked balls but were silky smooth and looked real pretty going down the road. It's all in the eye of the beholder?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.

Miss Piggy
US Muppet and Pig