Hydraulic trash pump for pumping water?

ndnewbie · Apr 4, 2008

I exploring water pumps for pumping out a flooded yard. Pumps are available that can be hooked up to PTOs. However, I have not found any hydraulic driven water pumps. I thought maybe hydraulics are not suited to that type of thing, but then thought of my snowblower and mower. They spin (and damm well...), and this seems like something that should exist.

Has anyone seen such a thing? (I suppose the problem is it would cost as much as the blower or mower.)

Thanks for any thoughts.

Snyder

mouse · Apr 5, 2008

aussiepumps make one according to their web page so it should be available.

otherwise join a pump and a motor which is what i intend to do one day - i've a few spare wheel motors off a great dane chariot - the specs look right so just need to figure out the gearbox of needed.

i want one for fire fighting purposes - i figure a 1000L tank on the back and a pump mounted somewhere and hydraulically driven. i'd like to be able to pick up water from a dam quickly as well.

Spudgunner · Apr 5, 2008

My solution to this was to buy one of those cargo racks that fits into a 2" receiver and then mount a gas powered trash pump to that. I'm going to add a suction hose carrier shortly along with something to contain the discharge hose. I purchased a Honda-powered trash pump and 80' of suction (semi-rigid) line from Northern Tool. The cargo rack is good to either 250 or 500 pounds and I purchased that at a "offroad supply" type of place (quadramotive.com IIRC). The rack easily mounts to the TC's 2" receiver.

Note: Depending on your rack config, it may interfere with the TC's tailgate when opened.

For firefighting, my plans are similar to mouse's... a 200-250 gallon tank that can feed a pump. Problem is...a trash pump may not be the best pump for that application...but proper nozzle selection may help that.

This is a new config that I'm trying but I've not yet run into any problems.

EddieWalker · Apr 5, 2008

When I was looking for a pump, I thought about moutning something onto my tractor to take advantage of that power without having to buy another engine. After several months of looking and comparing, I changed my mind. I realized that I didn't want to add hours to my tractor of it just sitting there running, nor did I want to have it tied up just to run a pump.

I looked at the local stores and online. I found that the best deal for the money was on ebay. Figure out what you need for hose size and GPM based on how high you will need to lift the water. A foot or two is insiginificant, but then it becomes very important the higher you lift the water.

A semi trash pump with it's own gas motor can be bought brand new for very little. For hoses, I found Northern Tool to be the best source for selection and price. Nobody on Ebay was even close when I was looking.

Eddie

Rip · Apr 5, 2008

Yes, it is wildfire season once again! I just set and filled my 100 gal tank I carry in my PU for 8 months of the year. Will do the 50 gal set-up in Polaris Ranger tomorrow.

The Toolcat will work well for first responce and/or mop-up. There are quite a few pumps available with hyd drive from AG and spray specialty outfits. Would not be hard to fabricate your own either. The standard or hi-flow aux hydraulics will be able to put out quite a bit more flow & pressure than a portable gas engine trash pump. An engine driven portable pump would be good to fill a tank from a pond or stream, but a higher pressure pump would be much better for fire fighting.

While the more-water-the-better, a smaller amount that you can realistically have instantly available is more practical. At 8.33 lbs/gal, several hundred gallons means you now have a dedicated fire truck!

You can greatly "extend" the fire-fighting effectiveness of a smaller quantity of water by using a wetting agent additive such as Drench (from fire equipment) or even class A foam concentrate with a simple air eductor nozzle. Drench will work at any pressure/flow, while the smallest size foam nozzle works best with minimum 100 PSI and 3 to 5 GPM. You just add a few ounces to the tank (after filling), no proportioner or fancy eductor needed.

While a trash or semi-trash pump can rapidly fill a tank from a "natural" source, be sure to use a floating suction inlet screen which is much better than trying to suck from the muck/sand/gravel on the bottom (www.darley.com). Even then, you will need a good screen for the intake for your pressure pump because the nozzle will not take kindly to any debris at all.

Sorry for long post, but a lot of things have to be considered ahead of time since there is no time to spare when flames are growing. A fire-retardant or Nomex jump suit that you can just pull on is worth having. Round that out with a shovel and a McLeod (www.NationalFireFighter.com) and you may be able to accomplish something and not die trying. Never put yourself in front of advancing flames....attack from the side. In some areas, basic cources are offered for ranchers/farmers/landowners that are well worth taking.