Patent ID: 7462020

Claim:
A concrete pumping assembly comprising a frame, a pair of concrete pumping cylinders mounted on the frame, each of the pumping cylinders having an outlet end, a wear plate mounted on the frame adjacent the outlet ends of the pumping cylinders, the wear plate having a pair of openings, each of the openings in the wear plate being aligned with the outlet end of one of the pumping cylinders, a valve and hopper assembly pivotally mounted on the frame for movement between open and closed positions, the valve and hopper assembly including a hopper having front and rear walls, the front wall having an opening through which the wear plate on the frame extends when the valve and hopper assembly is in the closed position, an S-shaped tube valve having a first end pivotally mounted in the rear wall of the hopper and a second end which, when the valve and hopper assembly is in the closed position, is movable between a first position in which the second end of the S-shaped tube valve is aligned with one of the openings in the wear plate and a second position in which the second end of the S-shaped tube valve is aligned with the other opening in the wear plate, and a wear ring mounted adjacent the second end of the S-shaped valve tube, the wear ring engaging the wear plate on the frame when the valve and hopper assembly is in the closed position, the wear plate on the frame being separated from the wear ring and being exposed when the valve and hopper assembly is in the open position and the wear ring on the S-shaped tube valve being accessible through the opening in the front wall of the hopper when the valve and hopper assembly is in the open position.