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thats very good advice that Todd gave you!Go to work for a pump company first, learn what its all about, most importantly the safety aspect of it. any monkey can get concrete thru a pump with a little training but there is ALOT more to it then just that.SAFETY!!!!

What area are you looking into starting up?Pumping is a trade just like carpentry or plumbing you learn through expereance and sweat. It is the easyest job in the world till something breaks or goes wrong. Then it is the absolute most stressful. I would advise you to do as the others have stated work for a pump company first before taking the leap into starting your own business. I pumped concrete for 10 years before I decided to start my own business.With the skidsteer you dont need one to move the system around the contractor usually supplys a few labors to help with the hose. I am not sure what kinds of jobs you will be bidding but if I was going to start off try using a 2inch ball and seat pump such as a mayco hd30 or a schwing p88 these pumps are relitivly cheap to both purchase and maintain but they have higher maintance than a HBV (Hydrolic Ball Valve) Such as an Olin 545 or schwing HBV450. these small mechanical ball valve pumps are used for pool decks, side walks, Cell fill, shot crete, grouting, and other smaller jobs that do not require high volume or long distance pumping. If you can sucessfully operate one of these pumps you will be setting yourself up for sucess in pumping. Concrete pumping is fundementally the same in all different machines from the smallest trailer pump to the largest boom pump. There are diferent tricks for pumping wild cat mixes such as light weight concrete and flowable fill and other unusuall mix designs and situations but Learn the basics and you will be rewarded with many sucessufll jobs. Hope this helps,JeffThis message was edited by pumper on 3-22-06 @ 11:32 PM

I just started a new trailer pumping business about six months ago. I would be willing to talk to you and let you know about many tips and unforseen cost. It also might be a good idea to look into having a partner, it is alot of work for one person. Email if you would like to talk.

I wanted to thank everybody for their advice...sounds like safety is key.Thanks...swice

start out with a schwing p88 and get pool companies and small contractors its all about how you prime your pump and knowing how to get a jam out. if you plug up go to the end of the hose and work your way back to you find the hard spot, then beat it out and shake it all the way through. my secret is to take a half a bucket of water and a half bag of stucco mix with out sand and a plastic bag at the end of your reducer. email for more info.