Removing rocks with a jackhammer

KubotaSteve · Mar 29, 2006

Well, I finally decided it was time to remove the rocks in my front yard to make it easier to mow. I've spent the past month digging around them and and taking out the ones I could (using those for fill when doing my garage later this year). I'm getting the air compressor and two jack hammers this weekend. Most of the rocks appear to be limestone (that is what we specialize in growing in WV /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif).
I've used an electric jack hammer before at my brothers house and thought I would check in to see if there are any tips on using the jack hammer to remove the rocks. I've got the safety glasses and gloves ready to go as well as a team to help and plenty of beverages on hand all non-alcoholic of course. I know the basic stuff as far as trying to hit the seams and what not. My wife's doctor told me to use my hip as a brace not my stomach as it could rupture my spleen. I'll try to get some pictures. Once I get them removed and backfilled with dirt, it should cut down on my mowing time by an hour or so as well as save me money and time on spraying the rocks with poison.

tlbuser · Mar 29, 2006

( save me money and time on spraying the rocks with poison. )

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I live in a rock deprived neighborhood. What are you spraying them for?

HeyNow · Mar 29, 2006

I'm in Martinsburg and can verify that we simply live on one big rock. Good luck! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

HomeBrew2 · Mar 29, 2006

I'm just curious about your approach: Are you going to break up a bunch of rocks or chip off the top(s) of massive rock outcrops? I have a lot of rocks too and use my little backhoe successfully. I noticed you don't have a back hoe but, the last time I went to the rental yard, they had a neat mini excavator for $270/day. That's probably half again your rental cost for the compressor and hammers but sounds like a lot more fun for the money.
Cheers!

KubotaSteve · Mar 29, 2006

I'm getting two jackhammers and the air compressor for $188 from 7am Friday until 8am Monday but the catch is that I only get 8 hours on the compressor and every hour after that is $30. I have moved probably over 20 ton of rocks that were loose or I could get a chain around and pull out. While the backhoe would be nice, in my case it would be next to useless as the space between a lot of the rocks is just big enough for the claw of a hammer to fit through to dig them out.
My plan is to dig around the rocks as much as possible with a mattock and claw hammer /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif then use the jackhammer to break them off. Then back fill with top soil and hope to get a few inches over them. I would like to have grass gowing over them, but my main concern is for them to be out of my way when mowing.
Some of the rocks I am dealing with are probably 20 or 30 feet long and who knows how deep. I've all ready pulled out some that the FEL on the 7800 couldn't pick up and was even having a hard time pulling them around with a chain on the drawbar.
Just to give you an idea of how bad the rocks are, my neighbor's front yard is one huge rock ledge. When they drilled my well they hit solid rock at around 10 feet with a small gap at around 20 feet then solid rock again down to 455 feet.

MarkV · Mar 30, 2006

All I can say is eat your Wheaties that morning. A jackhammer will let you know what work is. I would also suggest adding ear protection to your arsenal of equipment. Those things can leave your ears ringing after a few hours.

I’ve only used a jackhammer on granite and we had to break off football size chunks at a time. Hopefully limestone will be easier and take larger chunks. Good luck and I am glad I am too far away to help.

MarkV

RonR · Mar 30, 2006

Ear protections for sure for everyone in the vicinity! Walmart has the foam ear plugs in the gun section. Works well.

Son and I, both big guys, rented an electric jack hammer to remove a 10x10 concrete patio. DARN, was that a lot of work!

I don't know about your rocks, but when the bit would break through the concrete, it would wedge in place. All the little dust that came out initially fell back in the hole and it wedged tightly several times. It took a lot of effort to get it out--sometimes we had to take the 2nd bit and cut yet another hole through close to the first to get the bit out.

Never again will I make fun of a crew with six guys standing around one running a jack hammer--it takes alot of trade offs among the workers to get something done.

My two cents.
ron

CurlyDave · Mar 30, 2006

when the bit would break through the concrete, it would wedge in place...

Been there, done that. The only real cure is to take smaller bites. I have found that taking small pieces actualy goes faster with concrete. I am not always fighting to get the bit back out, and it is a lot less tiring. Exerting maximum lift to try to extract the bit is very wearing. Just lifting the hammer and smaller pieces of rubble I can keep up for a lot longer.

Another trick with concrete slabs-- it is very worthwhile to trench under the slab someplace on the edge and lift the slab with a floor jack. Without support underneath it, the slab breaks up much faster.

Unless you are in superb physical condition, a lighter hammer will get more work done in a day. That 90 lb hammer seems managable in the rental yard, but after an hour or two, it seems very heavy.

Cord · Mar 30, 2006

( I'm getting two jackhammers and the air compressor for $188 from 7am Friday until 8am Monday but the catch is that I only get 8 hours on the compressor and every hour after that is $30. )

You could always just pull the wire off the hour meter...

Darren · Mar 30, 2006

I agree with Curly. A 75# hammer will be easier to use but at the end of the day, you still won't be raring to go. Another tip is to wear any kind of gloves that helps insulate your hands from the vibration, don't get a death grip on the handles. Use as light a touch on the hammer as you can and still control it. Let it and its weight do the work. If you're using anything longer than a standard (short) steel, don't pry with it unless you want to buy a new one.

Robert_in_NY · Mar 30, 2006

( Let it and its weight do the work. )

This is the best advice anyone has given in this thread so far. I actually enjoy running hammers when we get a job requiring them and the first thing I was taught was to let the weight of the hammer do the work for you as it will save you a lot of strain and pain. We always use 90 pound hammers but when we use them it is because we are going thru 8-12" floors on up to 4' of concrete foundations with steel beams cemented in. The heavy hammers will do a much better job on thicker materials. We won't use any hammer unless it is air powered as the electric hammers just don't have the umph of the 90# air hammers.

Two people per hammer is usually a good rotation. Take small bites and you won't have much trouble with the bits wedging. You can usually feel when the bit is going to wedge before it does and if it feels like it is starting to tighten pull out and move over 6 inches and start again.

If I lived near you I would love to come over and help out as I enjoy running these hammers. It is great excercise and you get to destroy things in the process /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

KubotaSteve · Apr 3, 2006

Well, the nightmare is over. We took out quite a few rocks. We all did have the ear muff protection. The two jackhammers we had were a 90 pound and a 60 pound. That 90 pound one would work you to death. We tried to let the weight of the hammer do the work but when you are working on a rock and have to go in at an angle that is no always possible.
We took out about another 10 ton of rock. We are all bruised and battered and my pocket got another $90 lighter as we broke 3 bits (I think they got too hot). We didn't get all the rocks taken out. Some of the rocks didn't want to cooperate and were quite hard. Everyone was exhausted so I was happy with what we completed. I even had two hours to spare on the compressor.
The real kicker is my neighbor came over with a Bobcat and helped me move all the rocks. His brother has a construction business and he was using his Bobcat. He said he looked at the shop for the jackhammer that goes on the front of the Bobcat but only saw the one that goes on the big Backhoe and the big Backhoe wasn't there. That would have made life so much easier. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm so glad to be back at my desk at work since I can barely move. The upside to everything is that I have about 35 ton of rock to put in my garage floor which will save me money on buying stone and since 20 ton of stone costs about $300 I made out since my 35 ton only cost me about $270 and a lot of pain /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. Maybe I didn't make out to the good afterall /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

Ken_CT · Apr 3, 2006

I took out a lot of rock by using a product called Dexpan. You drill 2" holes in the rock, mix and pour in the Dexpan and let it sit for a day or two. It expands and shatters the rock and then you can more easily break it up with the jackhammer. The site for Dexpan is Dexpan
Good luck.

MarkV · Apr 4, 2006

Steve, glad the project was a success. I thought of you and that jackhammer this weekend. Had to smile. I find that Advil and a 6 pack of your favorite works well after jackhammer projects. That Bob Cat with a hammer mounted would have been just the thing.

MarkV

KubotaSteve · Apr 4, 2006

I'm going to look into Dexpan for the rest of the rock I didn't get busted out. About what does Dexpan cost? Also what kind of bit did you use to drill your holes as well as the drill?

bugstruck · Apr 4, 2006

I ran some jobs with rock excavations where we had rock drills, explosives, mats, and track machines. Still a ton of slow exhausting work. You actually made more progress with a jackhammer than I'd have guessed.

Maybe if you pushed down hard enough on those rocks, they'd pop up in my yard /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Where I'm located we don't have any so we buy them, pay to haul them in, and place them in our yards /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif. Ever notice that we all want what we don't have? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

KubotaSteve · Apr 4, 2006

You come take them out and you can have all the rock you want!!!!
Funny story about our land. Before we bought it, a farmer owned it. After we built the house, my wife stood on the back deck and saw this huge walnut tree in the back yard. She asked me to mow all around it and put in a bench under it. I explained to her that anytime you buy land from a farmer and there is a huge tree on the property, then that section is loaded with rock which it was. The only good thing about the rock is that you have to pay very little for casing when drilling a well. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
I'm sort of dreading starting my garage because I'll probably burn all the money I have put back for it in excavation (more rock)

bugstruck · Apr 4, 2006

Residents in Colorado have to deal with rock from time to time. Seems a number of the rural people and ranchers out there keep some explosives handy just for that and blowing ditches back open after slides or blockages. They don't do much drilling to place the explosives from what I understand. Just dig in close beside, place the stuff, and cover it up with some materials. Then stand way back and watch I presume. That wouldn't work so well on your garage, depending on the house proximity /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. Not sure how legal it is in WV anyhow. In Maryland they'd lock us up just for thinking about it.

Maybe some of the Texas crowd will chime in. If anybody would know....... I think they still have fireworks down there that will move boulders.

Your right about costs to move rock. Just the thought makes one cringe.