Breaking Concrete

[bigtiller]

How would you recommend breaking about 8" off the top of this 5' wide concrete tile so i can plant some grass? Part of it is 2" and other parts are 6" thick. Would a breaker on a skid-steer work horizontally? An electric jack hammer sounds like a lot of work, especially doing it sideways.

 

[4570Man]

What is the ID of the circle? It looks like there is room to saw it off. Is there any reason why you can't remove the whole thing. Me being as cheap as I am, would probably opt for the sledgehammer route.

 

[bigtiller]

It is about 5' round and it is 5' deep and partially buried. It was an old well pit.

 

[bigtiller]

What is the ID of the circle? It looks like there is room to saw it off. Is there any reason why you can't remove the whole thing. Me being as cheap as I am, would probably opt for the sledgehammer route.

There has been too many cigarettes and cheese burgers consumed over the years, so a sledge hammer won't work in these hands.

 

[4570Man]

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.

 

[LD1]

Rent an excavator or backhoe, pull the whole thing out.

 

[k0ua]

You could hire someone with the 13 to 20 lb sledge. I would tackle that one myself with the sledge.. I am getting pretty soggy in the middle, but I think I could still do that. I think hiring an 18 year old for 40 bucks and an hours work would be the most cost effective.

 

[CurlyDave]

I bet you could heat a section with a weed burner and crack it with cold water. Slower than the sledgehammer route, but a lot less exhausting.

The Romans used to dig some pretty big pits and tunnels in rock by building a fire, getting the rock hot and then pouring water on it. Of course they had slaves to fan the fires, carry the wood, pour the water and haul off the fractured rock.

If I wanted to remove the whole thing, I would be very tempted to fill it with firewood and use an electric leaf blower to force air into the bottom of the fire. I have done this in my burn barrel, and can get the whole thing cherry red if I want. Use a piece of 3" stove pipe to extend the plastic nozzle on the leaf blower to keep it away from the heat.

 

[stuckmotor]

What you really need to hire is an old Roman.:laughing:

 

[Egon]

Is there any reason to keep the old well? What will you cover it with?

You would probably be better filling in the hole and removing the top ring. Future safety. Considerations.

If you just want to remove an eight inch ring use a rotary SDS hammer drill to chip out a grove with a few verticals every two foot or so. Then dig out around the concrete ring and use the sledge. Only hit it on the inside.

 

[stuckmotor]

What you really need to hire is an old Roman.:laughing:

Seriously, Dave's recommendation might do the job. We roasted a couple of pigs in a freshly built pit a while back and the heat craked the firebrick. I can only imagine what it would have done had we'd fanned the flames and poured cold water on it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just had the the sewers redone around here... the crew calls it "Cutting the Cone"

Since I have 5 cones on my property and one was always too high I cut it myself... took the better part of the day.

Used my Bosch Rotary Hammer with a carbide half inch bit and just started drilling lots of holes... did the trick.

 

[oldballs]

I'd dig a trench around it then use my 12 lb maul to knock it out. Since my cheeseburger belly doesn't stick out as far as yours,. I can still see the ground... but heck, I'm only 83 YO, 150 lbs and at 5'4"..........I'm a lot closer to the ground or being in the ground.

 

[k0ua]

I'd dig a trench around it then use my 12 lb maul to knock it out. Since my cheeseburger belly doesn't stick out as far as yours,. I can still see the ground... but heck, I'm only 83 YO, 150 lbs and at 5'4"..........I'm a lot closer to the ground or being in the ground.

C'mon Mike, lets get our sledgehammers and go take care of that for him. I will bring the cheeseburgers...:laughing:

 

[oldballs]

C'mon Mike, lets get our sledgehammers and go take care of that for him. I will bring the cheeseburgers...:laughing:

Thanks James, but I don't want to split the $40.:laughing:

 

[EddieWalker]

If I couldn't dig it out, I would use my SDS Max rotary hammer to break off the top 4 to 6 inches. You can easily rent a SDS Max at any rental yard. They are a lot lighter and easier to handle the a jack hammer, but do the same thing on a smaller scale. I use mine all the time when moving drains around in a bathroom remodel with a concrete slab foundation. It's one of those must have tools for me.

Start at the edge and do it in small pieces. You'll find that it gets done fairly quickly if you stick with it.

 

[bigtiller]

Is there any reason to keep the old well? What will you cover it with?

You would probably be better filling in the hole and removing the top ring. Future safety. Considerations.

If you just want to remove an eight inch ring use a rotary SDS hammer drill to chip out a grove with a few verticals every two foot or so. Then dig out around the concrete ring and use the sledge. Only hit it on the inside.

When i get the concrete below grade, I will finish filling the well pit, cover it with some good soil and plant some grass. The well has already been plugged and I am trying to dress it up a little because it is in the front-side yard.

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.

 

[Egon]

Air hammer would also work.

Good plans for he old well!

 

[deanocraft]

Looks like an awesome fire ring... I'd keep it! I might cover it with a stone face, though.

 

[ultrarunner]

^^^ Great Idea if the placement it good.