Removing rocks with a jackhammer

[Robert_in_NY]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Let it and its weight do the work. )</font>

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.