Splitting Rock Questions

[Haoleguy]

I've added some pics below that show (1) largest rock, (2) medium rock, and (3) rocks I can manage with rented 14 ton excavator. My JD 5325 is shown in each pic for scale. As I said before I have 6-8 rocks I need to make smaller so that I can move them with excavator....Gary

 

[cowski]

i have had a big dozer dig a deep hole and push them into.to remove them ,i would get someone to shoot them.

 

[Whitnel]

Haoleguy,
It looks like you know how to operate machinery pretty good. Why not just rent a hoe ram for a day and break them up your self. Any rental house should have one. Around here a 1,500 lb hammer on a backhoe would be around 300 to 400 for a day before delivery and tax. I rented a takehuchi 175 with a 2000 lb hammer on it for around $800 a day. It was more money but the 500 lb's of difference was worth it.

 

[jwinner]

I'll let you in on a little secret. We use this method to "mine" our way through constrictions in cave passages to find new cave. Get some pyrodex pellets, I think they are .50cal? Anyways they are 1/2" in diameter pellets. Get a long 1/2 SDS+ hammer drill bit and drill. Drill the hole as deep as you want or can. The pyrodex has holes in the center that happen to match up with cannon fuse. Feed 5 or 6 onto the cannon fuse (or 10 or 12), slide them into your hole in the rock. Pack plumbers putty into the hole but being careful not to tear up the cannon fuse. Light and hide behind something. Your rock will be shattered. May have to take it apart in sections....

 

[Haoleguy]

Haoleguy,
It looks like you know how to operate machinery pretty good. Why not just rent a hoe ram for a day and break them up your self. Any rental house should have one. Around here a 1,500 lb hammer on a backhoe would be around 300 to 400 for a day before delivery and tax. I rented a takehuchi 175 with a 2000 lb hammer on it for around $800 a day. It was more money but the 500 lb's of difference was worth it.

Whitnel - Good idea! I'm a bit naive on using the hammer.... how does one choose the size for the job? I assume larger means it can break off larger chunks of rock and make the job faster? My local United Rentals might have the Takeuchi 175 hammer setup you described. I will check with them and compare pricing to having a local contractor do the job. Thanks for the idea. ...........Gary

 

[Whitnel]

The number is the lbs of force the hammer hits with. The higher the number the bigger the hammer.

I would say you can get by with a hammer mounted to a back hoe. Just ask them what size the hammer is. The 2000 lb hammer I got was a bit of an odd ball. It is the only one around Nashville that I know of. The next size up from the back hoe is usually a 5000 lb mounted to a 200 class excavator. You might find a middle of the road you will just have to call around.

This may sound wierd but it also depends on how hard your rock is. Some rock is softer and breaks up easier. Some rock is super hard and takes more time and force to break up.

Here is what I broke up on my driveway when I started with the backhoe.

 

[Carl Bert]

I'll let you in on a little secret. We use this method to "mine" our way through constrictions in cave passages to find new cave. Get some pyrodex pellets, I think they are .50cal? Anyways they are 1/2" in diameter pellets. Get a long 1/2 SDS+ hammer drill bit and drill. Drill the hole as deep as you want or can. The pyrodex has holes in the center that happen to match up with cannon fuse. Feed 5 or 6 onto the cannon fuse (or 10 or 12), slide them into your hole in the rock. Pack plumbers putty into the hole but being careful not to tear up the cannon fuse. Light and hide behind something. Your rock will be shattered. May have to take it apart in sections....

Wow, I would love to see how that works. I just don't understand what keeps it from just shooting out the opening like a bullet. I have a large rock myself, that I wouldn't mind getting rid of. I have some Betanomite, which is similar to the stuff the others were talking about, but you need to drill a series of holes 2/3 of the way through and then mix with a precise amount of water, which must be a certain temperature, depending on the temperature of the rock. Oh and the night before the betonomite itself must be kept in either the refrig or a warm area, depending on the outside temperature. To top it all off, you must mix and fill the all the holes in less then a minute, or you will have blowback, where the stuff actually shoots back out of the hole. Anyway, I still have (2) 15 lb bags of it sitting in my garage for the past year. I believe it has an expiration date. $150 thrown away, not the first time, sure it won't be the last.

 

[jwinner]

Wow, I would love to see how that works. I just don't understand what keeps it from just shooting out the opening like a bullet. I have a large rock myself, that I wouldn't mind getting rid of. I have some Betanomite, which is similar to the stuff the others were talking about, but you need to drill a series of holes 2/3 of the way through and then mix with a precise amount of water, which must be a certain temperature, depending on the temperature of the rock. Oh and the night before the betonomite itself must be kept in either the refrig or a warm area, depending on the outside temperature. To top it all off, you must mix and fill the all the holes in less then a minute, or you will have blowback, where the stuff actually shoots back out of the hole. Anyway, I still have (2) 15 lb bags of it sitting in my garage for the past year. I believe it has an expiration date. $150 thrown away, not the first time, sure it won't be the last.

I suppose it works because the gasses expand so quickly that the rock cracks before it has time to expel the putty. If you don't pack enough putty or don't pack it sufficiently it can blow back out the hole. It takes practice - how much pyrodex to use or how many holes to drill or how deep to drill depends on the size of rock, type of rock, and whether you're talking bedrock, or loose boulders. Loose boulders are good, they are much easier to shatter with fewer pellets. If you use too few pellets or try to take too much rock off at once, it will just make a muffled sound and nothing will crack. If you use too much, it's best to be in a safe place, as rock projectiles will fly everywhere. Sometimes we use too much on purpose heh heh. Obviously you can't use this method next to a home or in town, etc. If you use just the right amount, it makes a relatively quiet noise and cracks the rock with no projectiles. I use a Bosch 36 volt lithium-ion hammer drill with a couple spare batteries for the holes. Having a generator and line powered hammer drill would be faster...

 

[Carl Bert]

I suppose it works because the gasses expand so quickly that the rock cracks before it has time to expel the putty. If you don't pack enough putty or don't pack it sufficiently it can blow back out the hole. It takes practice - how much pyrodex to use or how many holes to drill or how deep to drill depends on the size of rock, type of rock, and whether you're talking bedrock, or loose boulders. Loose boulders are good, they are much easier to shatter with fewer pellets. If you use too few pellets or try to take too much rock off at once, it will just make a muffled sound and nothing will crack. If you use too much, it's best to be in a safe place, as rock projectiles will fly everywhere. Sometimes we use too much on purpose heh heh. Obviously you can't use this method next to a home or in town, etc. If you use just the right amount, it makes a relatively quiet noise and cracks the rock with no projectiles. I use a Bosch 36 volt lithium-ion hammer drill with a couple spare batteries for the holes. Having a generator and line powered hammer drill would be faster...

Where can I get the cannon fuse? Heres a pic of my rock.

 

[radioman]

Where can I get the cannon fuse? Heres a pic of my rock.

I just googled cannon fuse and there seems to be a bunch online you can buy. I just wonder If you need to register or something before buying.