Line Pump vs Boom Pump: Which Concrete Pump Do You Actually Need in 2026

Difference: A line pump (trailer/stationary) sits on a trailer; concrete runs through steel + rubber lines by hand. ~30–60 m³/hr, ~150m horizontal / ~30m vertical reach. A boom pump (truck-mounted placer boom) places concrete with precision wherever the boom reaches — 21m to 65m+, 80–180 m³/hr.

Quick answer: Line = small/medium pours, tight access, residential, slabs, footings, pools/shotcrete, basements. Boom = big volumes, reach problems, commercial, high-rise, complex formwork.

Volume rules of thumb: <15 m³ line every time (unless reach impossible) · 15–30 m³ line usually on price (boom if access bad) · 30–60 m³ boom usually on speed · 60 m³+ boom almost without exception. Heuristics, not laws — a 20 m³ pour over a two-storey house with no rear access is a boom job regardless.

Cost (AU): Line pumps ~$600–1,200 min call-out (first 2–3 hrs) then ~$200–300/hr. Boom pumps ~$1,200–2,500+ half-day (28–32m), rising for 42m+, hourly ~$350–500 after minimum. The metric that matters: dollars per m³ pumped — boom usually wins on bigger pours.

Questions before booking: volume (m³, round up); mix & slump; distance truck-park to pour; overhead powerlines/awnings/roofs; ground for outriggers; agi truck timing & m³/truck; does operator bring crew. Verdict: Boom for volume and reach; line for tight/small/weird. "That's the difference between a pumper and a pumpy."