Breaking Concrete

quicksandfarmer · Apr 18, 2016

bigtiller said:
I have an SDS drill but it is an old one and the only thing it does now is hammer-drill. The 3-way switch will turn but it won't just drill or just hammer. I think I will rent one with a chipping bit and see what happens.

I find with my SDS drilling a line of holes and then hitting with a sledge works better than a chipping bit.

ultrarunner · Apr 18, 2016

Me too... it also works well to make a break line.

bigtiller · Apr 18, 2016

I thought about that but i didn't know how close the holes had to be. I thought maybe 3" apart but the tile is 5' in diameter so that is a lot of holes.

GLyford · Apr 19, 2016

A good heavy sledge (I think mine is a 12?) is wonderous thing, took out my prefab front steps with one, never had to put my back into it and give it a real overhand swing, I'd just pick it up a couple feet and guide it to the next hit, alternating with side swings sort of like a wrecking ball. Didn't take long at all until I had a pile of concrete and rebar. If I had been using a 6 or 8 lb'er I'd have been swinging hard, like you do for a splitting wedge. Can still be fun, in its own way, but letting the weight do the work made it so easy.

DT86 · Apr 19, 2016

Fill it up with dirt and use as a planter. I'm thinking strawberries would be a good fit.

EddieWalker · Apr 19, 2016

It doesn't sound like anybody has any experience with an SDS Max rotary hammer. No need to drill holes, just start at the edge and work your way down. I own a Makita 1 9/16's model. I had a Hitachi for quite awhile, then rented a Bosch to finish a job when the Hitachi died on me. The Makita is hands down easier to handle, smoother and more powerful.

They are fairly cheap to rent, it's just a tool I use all the time and doesn't make sense for me to rent them.

Ford850 · Apr 19, 2016

4570Man said:
You might be able to take a bottle jack ( the crank will have to be at the bottom or it won't work), and a proper length board and break it up.

I think I would try this first. Seems like an easy effort to get things crackin'. If you try with a hammer, be sure to smack from the inside-out. There's little structural strength that way compared to hitting the outside. Since the wall is 6" thick, it's going to be pretty stout no matter what you use though.

Cord · Apr 19, 2016

If you want a clean edge, I'd saw it and then snap off what remains. If you don't care about the edge the a concrete breaker will do the job. Handheld would work because it's not too thick and a machine mounted breaker will take just moments.

bigtiller · Apr 19, 2016

Cord said:
If you want a clean edge, I'd saw it and then snap off what remains. If you don't care about the edge the a concrete breaker will do the job. Handheld would work because it's not too thick and a machine mounted breaker will take just moments.

A friend of mine has a breaker on his skid-steer but he is working 20 miles away on several concrete projects. I told him my project would take him less than 20 minutes to do, if he included the time it takes to drink a beer and put some cash in his pocket. I'm pretty sure he isn't interested so I'll do it myself or just cover the thing with an extra load of soil and be done with it.

bigtiller · Apr 19, 2016

I have an update.

I drilled a few holes in the thinnest area of the tile and hit it with an 8lb sledge. 4 whacks and I had an opening.

Then I dug around it with the loader, drilled a few more holes and swung the big hammer some more. I was using a 1/2" bit that is 3" long. I quit drilling holes when I got into the thick stuff. But I kept swinging the sledge.