Anyone ever used a Concrete Breaker?

I'm hoping to hire one of these next week (weather permitting) to take up a lot of concrete driveway that runs along the whole of the left hand side of the garden. Concrete is roughly 3-4 inches thick.




Was wondering if anyone had any experience with breaking concrete with one of these heavy duty breakers. If so any advice they can give would be a great help as me and other half are a bit scared of them to be honest. :blush:

 

I used a pneumatic drill a few years back and apart from the noise, it was fairly easy. You do need to be reasonably robust as they are quite heavy to move around.
Actually you do not really need one to break up even thick concrete. If you can get a big crow bar, or pick axe under the concrete and lever it up, just a tiny amount will do and then hit the concrete with a sledge hammer, it normally cracks easily. And one you have made the first break, then the rest is even easier to lift and break.
I did a concrete floor in October using a 5 foot wrecking bar and a sledgehammer. I only used my heavy duty hammer drill to clean the concrete off the big rocks underneath so that I could use them.
Either way it is fun!

 

I agree with Palustric on this one ..
And from your picture it looks an easy breaking job . Obviously the breaker will ease the labour somewhat and if it is only 3/4ins it will wizz through it. Eiether way do take care of any small flying concrete chips and keep pieces to a nice managable size .. Have fun ..

Dave

 

"Concrete Breaker"

No fun at all! Hire a JCB for the weekend and have some real fun :thumb: Easier to clear up the mess than a Barrow too ...

 

When you hire it they will probably ask how thick the concrete is in order to work out how heavy a machine you will need.

I'm guessing you wont need any thing too big to break that up.

And do agree that with a long crow bar and a sledge hammer its fairly easy to break up such concrete once you get a start, using the bar as a lever and a chunk of wood for a fulcrum.
It can actually be a faster way of doing it.

 

We did try using that method. But found it didn't work.

I am a little concerned about hiring a big brute that will be too heavy to move around. Do you think I could get away with using a smaller lighter breaker like this one?

http://www.hss.com/g/2151/Vibration-Damped-Breaker-110v.html

 

Can Tarzan :impheart: use a Mini-digger?

It'd be a lot easier and faster than a hammer and it'll tip the concrete straight into a skip for you.

 

If your concrete is only 3/4in thick as you say , that breaker will do it easy .
Agreed it would be fun with a mini digger, but a lot more expensive and somewhat of an overkill if you only have what I can see on the photo to break up ..
Ask them for a point and chisel with the breaker and the point will be easiest to use .. (these are just the type of chisels that fit on the end of the breaker ..I noticed they have a tarmac chisel on the breaker in the photo you don't need that one on concrete)

There are bigger breakers if concrete is thicker that have a small compresser but are heavier
Let us know how it goes ..

Dave

 

Surprised that you could not break it with a sledge hammer. The concrete floor I just did was over 4 inches in places on a brick substrata and I had no trouble.
My hammer drill doubles as a jack hammer and comes with a set of chisels. The pointed ones are the easiest to use when breaking up the concrete.

 

I'm pretty sure the one in the picture would be big enough Jane.
Not wanting to pry, but how fit are you both?

It does take a certain amount of strength to use these kind of things but nothing the average person cant handle.
Just might ache a bit afterwards if your not used to manual work.

The one that does the breaking has the easy part, lugging it to the skip is the backbreaking bit.
Quicker if its in largish pieces.

But heavier.

 

Looking at your pic is the concrete solid or are they slabs

 

It's solid concrete. But there are a few expansion gaps down each strip.

We are going to try the sledgehammer again but with a longer wreaking bar this time. We were using a 60cm one but am going to buy a 90cm one tomorrow. Can't really find any longer ones in any DIY stores.

Once it stops raining at least. :dodgy: [hr]

We are both pretty fit. A little weighed down after Christmas I guess but nothing we can't handle. We just spent the last sunday moving the stones in the middle of the strip out of the way. Reckon we moved about a ton and a bit in a day. Did feel it afterwards though.

 

Ok.so get the bar well under the concrete, put a block of wood or a house brick under the bar as a fulcrum and put your foot on the end of the bar.
A short scaffolding tube on the bar might help with the leverage, if you cant get one long enough.
Builders merchants might be a better place to ask.

Once its slightly lifted with your foot, you hit the concrete hard with the sledge hammer.
Its easier with two but you can get by on your own if you have to.

http://www.buckandhickman.com/find/category-is-HT29+Levers+and+Bars/category-is-HT2901+Crow+and+Pry+Bars/product-is-010532

Longest one I can find, but still a bit of a lightweight as regards diameter

 

Pete ..you sound like a man from my own heart . and Jane, it is as easy as Pete says with the right leverage..
Enjoy

Dave

 

As Archimedes said; "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world"