Last March, the superintendent walked into my office and dropped a stack of printouts on my desk. “We’re done renting,” he said. “We need our own pump.”
I’m the office administrator for a concrete contractor with about 45 employees. I handle purchasing, which normally means office supplies, safety gear, vendor accounts, and—when I’m unlucky—the annual printer contract. Heavy equipment was not on my bingo card. But there I was.
The project driving all this was a series of residential foundations on a ridiculously tight schedule. We had three crews pouring slabs on sequential days, and renting a boom pump meant working around someone else’s availability. If the concrete truck arrived late, we still paid the hourly rate. If the pump broke down, the rental company sent a replacement—but we lost a pour day.
The Why Behind the Purchase
I called a local dealer about a small Schwing concrete pump. The sales rep didn’t laugh at me. He asked about our average pour size, truck access, and whether we needed a remote control. I told him I didn’t know. Honesty seemed easier than pretending.
Every contractor I talked to used Schwing concrete pumps. The name kept showing up in online forums, conversations with other office managers, and even in the dealership yard. I wasn’t sure if it was marketing or momentum, but I figured if dozens of people with no reason to advertise Schwing kept recommending them, there was probably something to it.
With about three weeks before the first foundation pours, I had to move fast. Normally I’d get multiple quotes and compare line by line, but the schedule didn’t give me that luxury. I got two quotes, asked for references, and checked the machine’s service history.
The Search Queries That Made Me Laugh
While I was researching, I noticed something odd in our website analytics. A bunch of search terms were sending people to our pages that had absolutely nothing to do with concrete equipment. “Tractor supply.” “What is a fuel pump.” And one phrase that I still can’t mention without smiling: “pussy pump.”
I won’t pretend to understand why someone searches that and lands on a concrete pump page, but it taught me something: the word “pump” is a lot broader than our industry. It also reminded me that search intent matters. Someone looking for a fuel pump doesn’t want a Schwing concrete pump. But someone searching for a “Schwing concrete pump remote control” is usually a serious buyer.
(Should mention: the dealer offered us a choice between a refurbished remote and a brand-new kit. The new one cost extra, but it came with two transmitters and a case. I went with that.)
New vs. Used—and the Remote Control Question
Now came the decision that kept me up at night. New or used?
We didn’t have the capital for a brand-new Schwing boom pump. Not even close. The budget we had would cover a used machine plus a spare parts order, but just barely. I went back and forth for two weeks. New offered reliability and a full warranty. Used offered the chance to own a premium pump without going into debt.
The dealer was patient. That surprised me, honestly. We’re a small company. Our annual purchasing volume is nothing compared to the big concrete firms. I’m used to vendors who stop returning calls once they realize you’re not buying in bulk. This dealer didn’t do that. When I asked for a used machine with a six-month warranty, they said yes without making me feel like a nuisance.
In the end, we bought the used one. It was a truck-mounted boom pump—I won’t give the exact model because I don’t want to misstate the specs, and if I remember correctly, the boom length was around 24 meters, but don’t quote me on that. It came with a service record. The tires looked decent. The pump’s hours were higher than I’d have liked, but the dealer had replaced the wear parts.
The hidden cost was the remote. We ordered a Schwing concrete pump remote control with two transmitters. That was the line item that pushed us over budget. I still think it was worth it, but I wish I’d accounted for it before we signed.
I also called the Schwing parts line to verify the remote part number. The person on the phone was helpful, which I didn’t expect. I’d built up an image of big manufacturers being hard to reach. To be fair, they probably get a lot of calls from people who don’t know what they need. I tried to be specific: model number, year, boom size. That made the conversation easier.
Delivery Day and the First Pour
When the truck arrived, our operator spent two hours just testing the remote. I stood there watching him walk around the yard, moving the boom up and down, side to side. It was oddly satisfying. The remote gave him the freedom to stand near the placement point instead of shouting at someone in the cab. That was the whole point.
The first pour went smoothly. No leaks, no miscommunication, no emergency calls. I’ll admit, I held my breath for the first hour. But the pump handled it like it had been doing this for years—because it had.
What surprised me wasn’t the machine itself. It was how the dealer treated us after the sale. They called the next week to check in. Not to sell something—just to ask how the pump ran. When you’re a small customer, that kind of follow-up is rare. It made me think about the vendors I keep in my own life, and how the ones who bother to check in always get the next order.
What I’d Do Differently
If I had to do it again, here’s what I’d change:
- Ask about add-ons earlier. Remote control, spare hoses, backup sensors, radio licensing—some of these are included, some are not.
- Get the freight cost in writing before the deal. I was surprised by how much it added.
- Check the remote frequency. Schwing pumps can use different radio frequencies, and some frequencies require permits. We didn’t have a problem, but I can see how someone could get stuck.
I don’t have hard data on how much these extras typically cost. Based on our experience, I’d budget 5-8% above the pump price for remote controls and small parts. But that’s an anecdotal number, not a research statistic.
Also—about those search terms. If someone types “tractor supply” into Google, they’re probably looking for a tractor shop, not us. If they type “what is a fuel pump,” they’re trying to understand their car. And if they type “pussy pump,” well, that’s not a concrete pump either. But if they type “Schwing concrete pump remote control,” they’re probably one of us.
Oh, and one more thing. The vendors who treat a $200 order with the same respect as a $20,000 order? Those are the ones worth keeping. When I was starting out, the suppliers who took my small orders seriously are the ones I still call today. That’s true for concrete pumps too.
Would we buy again? Probably. Not tomorrow, but if the business grows, yes. And next time, I’ll know the right questions to ask.
