Faced a tough call on pump impeller material for a gravel job

We were starting a big gravel pit project near Spokane and the main pump needed a new impeller. The choice was between a standard chrome iron one for about $1,200 or a high-chrome alloy version that cost nearly double. I went with the cheaper option, thinking the material wasn't too abrasive. Two weeks in, the wear was way worse than I figured, and we lost almost a full day swapping it out for the tougher alloy. The downtime cost more than the price difference. Anyone have a good rule of thumb for judging material hardness on site before you order?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilyfisher3mo ago

Honestly, is one day of downtime that big a deal in the grand scheme... seems like it all worked out.

betty1441mo ago

My uncle had a similar situation with a concrete mixer truck once. He bought a cheaper drum liner to save money, figured it would hold up fine for his small jobs. Three months later, the liner started peeling and flaking off, and he had to haul the whole drum to a shop to get it stripped and relined. The repair bill was more than twice what he would have paid for the good liner from the start. He always says now that he measures the material cost against the labor to swap it out, not just the part price. Maybe it's just me but that downtime math is almost always the thing that sneaks up on you.

shane8383mo ago

My rule of thumb is to always guess wrong, so maybe try the opposite of what I'd do.