The automatic hydraulic ram is a pumping device that has been widely used for nearly a century in rural areas, for lifting water to height of over 100 metres. It is an ideal machine for water pumping if certain conditions are satisfied, because it works solely on the power from falling water carried in a pipe from a spring, stream or river, without any need for an additional power wource. It is completely automatic, and has an exceptional record of trouble free operation. It cannot be used everywhere, however. It cannot be used to pump still water from a well, pond or lake, unless there is a separate, flowing water source nearby.