Mortar pump vs. hand mixing on a big retaining wall job

I ran a 40-foot retaining wall last Tuesday with a rented mortar pump and it beat hand mixing by a mile, we laid 600 blocks in one day instead of the usual 250. The pump kept the mud consistent the whole time and saved my helper's back, but the cleanup cost me an extra hour. Has anyone else switched over for big jobs or do you stick with the mixer because of the setup hassle?

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calebm461mo ago

Last month I ran a 60 footer with a pump and we hit 700 blocks by 2pm, my back was actually sore from standing around too much. The cleanup is a beast though, I spent 45 minutes just flushing the lines and I still found dried mud in the hopper the next morning. But honestly the consistency of the mortar is what sold me, hand mixing always gets too stiff by the end of the day and the pump keeps it perfect right up to the last block.