A recent post titled "hill-billy ruff-neck" sparked a bit of a debate regarding the pro's and con's of using reducing hoses, "ruff-neck"/double ended or otherwise. I have never used one because of my first impression upon seeing one..."looks like trouble" but thats my opinion. I'm sure they have a proper application such as pumping 60/40 pea, grout etc. But big rock??? The simple fact of having to beat a plug out of a 12' hose vs. a 3' steel reducer is reason enough for me, to leave it on the hose rack!

 If and when a pump "plugs", 9 times out of 10 where's it at?.......Exactly! But this is my opinion. What's yours?....

The makers of the reducing hose clearly underestimated the ingenuity of we fools that use them. They need to understand that an operator that can push 30yph through a hose will try and push 90yph through that same hose. That is where the trouble starts. Any time for any reason that a reducing hose plugs tight, you have a big problem. The hose stops looking like a hose and does a very good imitation of a banana. The fix? Take off the hose, wrap your safety strap around the small end and raise it off the deck and start pounding. It is worse than clearing a plug from a regular hose and far worse than turning over a plugged reducer and hitting it on the deck, or a lick with your beater and hooking it back up.

If these hoses were used as very low output devices and under very controlled conditions as to mix and speed they would be good tools. To think that they serve as an everyday discharge hose is folly.

The smart money on an everyday discharge hose is the ‘anti whip’ hose from Putz. And if you need a 4” discharge; a 5X4 steel reducer hung on your 90s and then a 4” putz anti whip hose is the safe way to go.

There are no guarantees in life, but why take chances that are not needed?

Just my opinion, I may be wrong ;~)

Too Tall and Bob,

Totally agree with you. This morning I was talking to the collegue I've mentioned before. Apart from the hose explosion on the second day, he had a plug on the first day he used it and he explained me how much trouble it was to empty it... 

I'd like to clarify that this post was not meant for any specific product or manufacturer but for reducing hose in general. I agree that they have a proper use or application and the users need to be aware of these.

 I was surprised to hear of this double ended reducing hose designed for a "lay down" application. This sounds worse than a reducing tip hose? A reducer capable of surging, bucking or whiping, hooked directly to the "assend" of a pump sounds like another injured mixer driver to me? But I'm sure they have their applications as well...Perhaps low pressure line-pumps?

I have not seen a "steady hose" in action but I'm eager to use one someday. I had an idea along the same lines years ago. It was on a job that had 16" thick p.t. decks. The deck had to be "pre-loaded" w/8"-10" of concrete, then slab grade was established then poured to grade due to form sag. I would pre-load one bay while the bay that was just poured was rodded & floated. Since there was alot of booming with no hose-man I came up with a way to "steady" the un-manned hose... I took a 4"-10'long, plastic sewer pipe (the green stuff) and split it open lenght wise. I sleeved it over my 4.5" whip and a few wraps of ductape leaving 2' of rubber showing at the top so the hose would still swing but not curl or whip. I'm surprized its taken this long for someone to market something similar?

KEEP YOUR REDUCTIONS IN STEEL , NUFF SAID

i have recently started using a reducing 5" to 3" roughneck hose. i have had great success with it. i use it 95% of the time for our foundation and flatwork pours using anywhere from a SG3000 to a LSG4000 ranging in slumps from 4" to 7". our mixes in the midwest i hear are a little bit "easier" than other states might have. i have had two plugs with the hose and had to take the hose off and dump it out by hand once and the other time i was able to simply manipulate the hose with my hands to get the plug out. i am using this as a discharge hose and has no intention of modifying it for other applications. i still use my 5" to 4" steel reducer and 4" hose for system pours.

never ever ever will i put one on my tip again. the very last time i did a baseball sized chunk forced it's way through and hit a rake man in the chest. he doesn't work anymore due to the internal bleeding and injury he suffered because of it. if i had a reducer pipe on it would have plugged in the 10 feet up and he would be alright. those things are great when the mud is 100% clean, but you can't rely on ready mix companies and their suppliers to have perfectly clean ingredients.

I have used the 5 to 4 placing hose and have had a few issues with it

 I have found that if you sway it a air pocket will form and cause it to shoot out and splatter the other is when you have a good mix and laying it out fast the hose a few inchs below the coupling will suck in on its self. Considering the thickness of the rubber it must be causing negative pressure anyway I dont use it any more and went back to a 5 to 4 reducer and a 4 inch placing hose.

It might take longer to set up but you will always know where it will plug and the 4 inch placing hose is easier for the placer to move The 5 to 4 reducing hose is heavy and has to many cons in my eyes so mine is somewhere in the yard....lol Anyone want it....lol

OK well I run a 5to4 "roughneck" hose on my 47.But that being said,My 47 reduces down to 4&1/2" pipe at the end of the 3rd section.And the end opening on my hose is slightly larger than 4 inches so any thing that will get through my 3rd will easily make it through the hose.Do you guys see a problem with them when running them in conjunction with the reduced pipe on the boom?

 Seeing that the rubber hose is pliable I feel that if some thing makes it through my 3rd section the hose will "give" a little and let it pass through the end with little or no resistance,Where as a 4 inch steel reducer may hang on to it for just a split second while it pressures up and then spits it out causing the dreaded "Hose whipping boom bounce of death"

But a double ended reducing hose....NAW ...that does sound like A bad idea and I personally would not want one even in our yard let alone on a pump!!

These are just my thought on the subject please if I am seeing this wrong be gentle,As I am still fairly new to the whole pumping world,coming up on four years AND I LIVE THIS SHIT!!! WOOHOO!!!!! 

Who?, That combination might be the only one I would consider hanging a reducing hose from (only if I had lost my 4.5-4" reducer ha,ha) Since the reduction is only 1/2" it would be less likley to have problems. I'm not afraid of plugs or blockage. I am more afraid of "plug and release!" Which reducing hoses have written all over them to me. I have seen 250lb men raggdolled, bodyslammed and tossed into the air due to "plug&release" and I would NOT want to see the result of an air-pocket with say a 5 to 3" reducing hose!!! I could never take my finger off of the off switch nor my eye off the pressure gauge, I'd be a nervous wreck! 

Exactly TT the Plug&Release is my concern as well,and the steel reducer on the tip section of my 4.5 inch piped 47 seems to be more likely for the P&R.Since the reducing hose will be more likely to pass something that would make it that far.

AS for a 5to3 I have used them they are definitely nerve racking.I do like them but they are for LOW SPEED discharge only!!!I will NOT try and pump a slab or something like that with one. Like I said LOW SPEED and very controlled and I must be able to see the end of the hose at all times I only use them for ICF walls I do like them better than the "Flat hose of death" or what is other wise known as a "Trimmy".THOSE things scare me.

Any how looks as though this topic is about to fade off into the back ground........