Used Concrete Pump Hoses for Sale: Buyer Guide for 2" to 5" Placement Hose

A used concrete pump hose can cut equipment cost substantially, but only when the hose body is sound and its history is known. A used hose differs from a new one in one important way: its remaining service life and its pressure rating can no longer be read from a data sheet. They have to be established by inspection and by test. This page sets out what to check, what to reject and what the typical price ranges are, so that a purchase decision rests on evidence and not on a seller's description.

Used Hose by Size: Typical Use, Acceptance Checks and Price Ranges

The table lists typical categories of used placing hose in the US market. It is not a live stock list. The prices are indicative market ranges per hose assembly and change with length, fitting type, condition and region. Confirm the exact item, its markings and its test record with the seller before you pay.

Inspecting a Used Concrete Pump Hose Before You Buy

The inner tube of a placing hose wears from the inside, where aggregate moving at speed removes rubber. That wear cannot be seen from the outside, so the inspection has to combine a visual check, measurements and a pressure test.

Markings and History

• Read the cover markings: manufacturer, inside diameter, working pressure, date and serial number. A hose with unreadable markings has an unknown rating and should be treated as the lowest class, and kept away from boom tip service.
• Ask for the history: the pump type, the mix, the service hours and any over-pressure or blockage events. An unknown history is a risk that has to be priced in.

Hose Body

• Cover: reject hose with cuts that reach the carcass, exposed cord or wire, deep cracking or oil-softened rubber.
• Shape: run the hose through your hands along its length. Bulges, blisters, flat spots from kinking and soft zones indicate layer separation or a failing carcass.
• Bore: look down the bore with a light, or a borescope for longer lengths. Check for an uneven or thinned inner tube, rough areas and cuts. Compare the wall thickness at both cut ends or fittings where it can be measured.
• Stiffness: a hose that is much softer in one section than in the rest has usually lost reinforcement or adhesion there.

Pressure Test

The only way to confirm the rating of a used hose is to test it. Test with water, to the pressure and hold time given by the hose manufacturer's procedure, with the hose restrained and the air bled out. Keep everyone clear during the test, and look for weeping at the fittings, slip of the hose in the ferrule and swelling of the body. A seller who has already tested the hose should supply the test pressure, the date and the result in writing.

When to Reject a Hose

• Exposed or corroded reinforcement, or broken cord.
• Bulges, blisters or layer separation.
• A thin, uneven or cut inner tube.
• Cracked, corroded or distorted end fittings, or a ferrule that has moved on the hose.
• Unknown pressure rating combined with an intended boom tip or high-pressure use.

Checking Used End Fittings, Ferrules and Flanges

The end fitting is the part of a used hose most likely to fail early, and it is often cheaper to replace than the hose. Concrete placing hose ends are machined from carbon steel as heavy-duty, metric or grooved patterns, and the groove is the part the clamp loads on every pour.

• Groove and flange wear: check the groove depth, the flange thickness and the bearing face with a gauge, and compare them with the clamp in use. A worn groove lets the clamp close without seating properly.
• Cracks and corrosion: inspect the stem, the shell and any welds on weld-on ends for cracks, and the wire ends for rust. Rust or fraying at the fitting means water has entered the carcass.
• Ferrule grip: check that the hose has not slipped in the ferrule, and that the bond between the rubber and the steel is tight. A loose or damaged end can be replaced by cutting the hose back behind the ferrule and fitting a new stem and shell, expanded internally so that it grips the hose on both sides. See the hose repair and fittings guide for the procedure.
• Steel pipe sections: for rigid pipe, measure the wall with an ultrasonic thickness gauge. Ultrasonic gauging is a method for steel pipe and fittings, and is not a reliable way to measure the rubber tube of a hose.
• Clamps and gaskets: fit new gaskets, and replace any clamp that is cracked, bent or missing its safety pin.

Safety When Putting a Used Hose into Service

• Do not use a used hose above the pressure it has been tested for, and not above the rating of the pump's weakest component.
• Fit whip checks or safety cables across couplings, and especially on boom end hoses.
• Keep to the pump manual on end hose length and weight.
• Reverse the pump to relieve pressure before opening any coupling, and keep everyone out of the line of discharge.
• Clean the hose after every pour with a cleaning ball and water, which extends the life of the tube and the fittings.
• Follow ACPA safety guidance and the OSHA concrete construction rules in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart Q.

Browse Hose Guides by Size and Topic

Use these guides to match a hose to your pump, your mix and your line:

• 2-Inch and 2.5-Inch Concrete Pump Hose – trailer pumps, shotcrete, grout and small-aggregate mixes.
• 3-Inch Concrete Pump Hose – line pumps and small boom end hoses.
• 4-Inch Concrete Pump Hose – commercial line pumps and mid-size boom pumps.
• 5-Inch Concrete Pump Hose – large boom pumps and high-volume placing.
• Rubber Compounds and Reinforcement – how the hose is built and why it wears.
• Concrete Pumping Hoses Guide – hose and pipe selection overview.

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