Recommended Sledge Hammer for Breaking Up Concrete Slab?
- Thread starter winlinmac
- Start date
LB-1911
ALLIANCE MEMBER
^ 
Rent an electric jackhammer
Rent an electric jackhammer
MattVette89
Well-known member
^
Rent an electric jackhammer
This! I had to break up a slab and borrowed an electric jackhammer....made short work of it.
metaldad
Well-known member
stop by home depot and hire a few messican temps.
pcmeiners
Well-known member
Dexpan.....
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dexpan-1...gclid=CKqXuNn7yswCFQ1ahgod514EfQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
Broke up plenty of crete with a sledge, I rate it as the top worst things to do when it is 90 degrees. Unless you have really old crete, easily broken, Dexpam is the way to go, amazing stuff.
"I like manual labor, forget Jackhammers"
Gee what do you have against a 125lb jack hammer and it's associated hearing loss.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dexpan-1...gclid=CKqXuNn7yswCFQ1ahgod514EfQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
Broke up plenty of crete with a sledge, I rate it as the top worst things to do when it is 90 degrees. Unless you have really old crete, easily broken, Dexpam is the way to go, amazing stuff.
"I like manual labor, forget Jackhammers"
Gee what do you have against a 125lb jack hammer and it's associated hearing loss.
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bcradio
Well-known member
I like manual labor, forget Jackhammers
Good, then get a 16oz ball peen and go to town
dbabicky
Well-known member
Most concrete company's rent the electric jack hammers also. I've busted plenty of crete up with the 12# and 16# malls in my day too. Get the jack hammer !! You'll still get a good work out !! LOL !!
Oh yea, if it's old concrete, you'll be amazed by what you find in there. I know all the old farmers around here would throw everything from bed springs to wheel rims in the concrete. LOL !!
Oh yea, if it's old concrete, you'll be amazed by what you find in there. I know all the old farmers around here would throw everything from bed springs to wheel rims in the concrete. LOL !!
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Antique Engine
Well-known member
I remember it just like it was yesterday.
I was 18 years old. My future father in law dropped me off at a jobsite with the compressor, jack hammer, and two bits.
I asked him why I needed two bits.
He said I would figure it out.
I sure did.
I was 18 years old. My future father in law dropped me off at a jobsite with the compressor, jack hammer, and two bits.
I asked him why I needed two bits.
He said I would figure it out.
I sure did.
Finky198
Well-known member
SO TRUE ^^^
An Electric one is hand down the least of physical exertion, hilti is nice but HFis cheap and works can also be rented, but to give you some advice on slabs that are over 3" its sometime a good idea to drill holes to assist in braking off bigger pieces don't try to much at once and start from the outside and work you way in...
if you go the hammer Route pick a head weight that your comfortable lifting for 20-40 min at a time before resting. most people think big hammer ( 14-16 lbs) but it will burn you out within one set. I'd say for for most avg size men in decent shape 150-250 lbs can usually use a 10 lbs hammer, a bigger guy might prefer a 12 lbs and the latter for someone a bit smaller its all relative.
Breaking slabs with a sledge hammer should be a long distance race not a sprint....
An Electric one is hand down the least of physical exertion, hilti is nice but HFis cheap and works can also be rented, but to give you some advice on slabs that are over 3" its sometime a good idea to drill holes to assist in braking off bigger pieces don't try to much at once and start from the outside and work you way in...
if you go the hammer Route pick a head weight that your comfortable lifting for 20-40 min at a time before resting. most people think big hammer ( 14-16 lbs) but it will burn you out within one set. I'd say for for most avg size men in decent shape 150-250 lbs can usually use a 10 lbs hammer, a bigger guy might prefer a 12 lbs and the latter for someone a bit smaller its all relative.
Breaking slabs with a sledge hammer should be a long distance race not a sprint....
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pauls_workshop
Well-known member
I recommend any brand of sledge hammer, as long as its name is "Tiny". Ideally, Tiny would also come with it, since it has his name on it. - Paul
shortykorte
Well-known member
I'm about to do the same thing. I saw cut concrete into 2' squares. Hope this will make life easier.
Have fun, a little (lot) exercise (work) almost never killed anybody.
Remember, if you don't post pictures, you didn't use the sledge.
Have fun, a little (lot) exercise (work) almost never killed anybody.
Remember, if you don't post pictures, you didn't use the sledge.
Done it with a 12lb sledge. When i was 18... It was a sidewalk and 2ft wide and about 30ft long and about 10-12" thick in some spots. Yea NEVER again. Id sooner pay for an electric or even a compressor run jack hammer and buy 3 bits!
chadster1
Well-known member
FullRaceMerc
Well-known member
How thick is the concrete? How solid? How old? A thin walk with weak concrete can be done pretty quickly with a sledge. But some of the old stuff poured in the 40s would be really tough with a sledge. Too thick or too solid would make a sledge a poor choice.
I helped an old guy (He must have been close to 50
) bust out a walk when I was a teen. His routine was to use the heaviest sledge you could swing over your head throughout the whole job. Swing big & hit hard to crack the concrete. Use a pick as a prying tool to lift out a chunk. Never using the pick to actually hit the concrete. The removed piece made room for the next piece to move as you cracked it. So it was break & remove one, then break a few more & remove them.
Today we use an electric jackhammer, unless it is just something small & thin. But we still make room for broken pieces to expand into. Tough jobs we'll hire a skid steer with a breaker. Recently we did a hillside driveway that varied 8" to 16" thick. Our electric jackhammer was just silly there. And with either sledge or jackhammer, safety glasses are a must.
As for which sledge,it is really how heavy you feel comfortable working with over time. I always use the silly rubber protector on the neck. If you overstrike & hit with the neck instead of the head, the handle breaks. I don't do this, but I can't count how many handles have been lost with someone else using my sledge. Grrr.
I helped an old guy (He must have been close to 50
) bust out a walk when I was a teen. His routine was to use the heaviest sledge you could swing over your head throughout the whole job. Swing big & hit hard to crack the concrete. Use a pick as a prying tool to lift out a chunk. Never using the pick to actually hit the concrete. The removed piece made room for the next piece to move as you cracked it. So it was break & remove one, then break a few more & remove them.Today we use an electric jackhammer, unless it is just something small & thin. But we still make room for broken pieces to expand into. Tough jobs we'll hire a skid steer with a breaker. Recently we did a hillside driveway that varied 8" to 16" thick. Our electric jackhammer was just silly there. And with either sledge or jackhammer, safety glasses are a must.
As for which sledge,it is really how heavy you feel comfortable working with over time. I always use the silly rubber protector on the neck. If you overstrike & hit with the neck instead of the head, the handle breaks. I don't do this, but I can't count how many handles have been lost with someone else using my sledge. Grrr.
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^^^The concrete is a little over 10 years old, **** work done by the municipality, I'd say about 6-inches thick, handles foot as well as vehicular traffic
Then there is more concrete on the lot which is probably over 30-40 years old, almost appears as if broken into 3 large slabs, but technically was poured all at once (thus one slab) as far as others can recall
If I start sledge hammering the side walk, pedestrians are going to give me the look
I don't have a single sledge hammer (I do have 3lbs engineers Hammer, but only good for light work on the concrete pavement when used in conjunction with a chisel / pry bar),
I was going to buy a Stanley Fat Max from Amazon, but after I reviewing the responses here I think the moral of the story is...there is no shortcut. How much do they (workers at the Home Depot Lot) take hourly? Forget the sledge hammer, but was certainly worth asking
Then there is more concrete on the lot which is probably over 30-40 years old, almost appears as if broken into 3 large slabs, but technically was poured all at once (thus one slab) as far as others can recall
If I start sledge hammering the side walk, pedestrians are going to give me the look
I don't have a single sledge hammer (I do have 3lbs engineers Hammer, but only good for light work on the concrete pavement when used in conjunction with a chisel / pry bar),
I was going to buy a Stanley Fat Max from Amazon, but after I reviewing the responses here
I think the moral of the story is...there is no shortcut. How much do they (workers at the Home Depot Lot) take hourly? Forget the sledge hammer, but was certainly worth asking
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RedneckWelder
Well-known member
You're smoking crack if you actually want to do it all by hand.
Personally I have an electric jackhammer and it's still more work than you are gonna want to do but way better than all by hand
Personally I have an electric jackhammer and it's still more work than you are gonna want to do but way better than all by hand
May be I should have just tried hammering the slab for the heck of it. The tress have pushed the slabs up which drew lots of concern.
Oh well, will rent the right tool at Home Depot and go from there. I don't break concrete slabs for a living
Oh well, will rent the right tool at Home Depot and go from there. I don't break concrete slabs for a living
anndel
Well-known member
What's the size of the slab? If too big I suggest renting a Bosch electric buster or pneumatic if you can.
Otherwise C4 explosive will do the job.
Otherwise C4 explosive will do the job.
WhiffySpark
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2009
- Messages
- 6,252
Mini ex with hammer > Bobcat with hammer
This is all . . . . . Make Believe . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . . . . . 6" thick Sidewalk concrete put down by Municipality . . . .
. . .
. . . . . . . is the responsibility of CITY !!!
Once again . . . . PIC's or no such thing as "Winlinmac concrete" . . Ha, ha !!
IBTL . . . . Please Mods, hit the Nuke/Ban buttons simultaneously !!
. . . . .
. . . . . . . . 6" thick Sidewalk concrete put down by Municipality . . . .
. . .
. . . . . . . is the responsibility of CITY !!!
Once again . . . . PIC's or no such thing as "Winlinmac concrete" . . Ha, ha !!
IBTL . . . . Please Mods, hit the Nuke/Ban buttons simultaneously !!
Discrepancy in word choice, meant city 
Amazing how one word screws up the meaning of everything
Anyway, was curious to know what options there were to improvise without having to spend an extra dime. Thanks for saving my back.
Amazing how one word screws up the meaning of everything
Anyway, was curious to know what options there were to improvise without having to spend an extra dime. Thanks for saving my back.
This is all . . . . . Make Believe . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . . . . . 6" thick Sidewalk concrete put down by Municipality . . . .
. . .
. . . . . . . is the responsibility of CITY !!!
Once again . . . . PIC's or no such thing as "Winlinmac concrete" . . Ha, ha !!
IBTL . . . . Please Mods, hit the Nuke/Ban buttons simultaneously !!
kctyphoon
Banned
I have on of these.. It's well worth the money and you can easily sell it when you're done..
Neiko ® 02845A Electric Demolition Jack Hammer, Industrial-Grade | Includes 2 Chrome-Vanadium Chisels https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K7U3G4/?tag=atomicindus08-20
But for 6 feet of sidewalk it's cheaper to just rent a an electric Bosch or Hilti from HD.
I have electric and hydraulic jackhammers at work.. The sledge IS possible, but trust me it won't be fun. If you insist I'd go with one of those Hart models in HD..
http://www.homedepot.com/p/HART-12-lb-PowerStrike-Sledge-with-Fiberglass-Handle-HS12FS1/204281027
You guys are crazy if you think you need a bobcat for 6 feet of sidewalk..
Neiko ® 02845A Electric Demolition Jack Hammer, Industrial-Grade | Includes 2 Chrome-Vanadium Chisels https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K7U3G4/?tag=atomicindus08-20
But for 6 feet of sidewalk it's cheaper to just rent a an electric Bosch or Hilti from HD.
I have electric and hydraulic jackhammers at work.. The sledge IS possible, but trust me it won't be fun. If you insist I'd go with one of those Hart models in HD..
http://www.homedepot.com/p/HART-12-lb-PowerStrike-Sledge-with-Fiberglass-Handle-HS12FS1/204281027
You guys are crazy if you think you need a bobcat for 6 feet of sidewalk..
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Thank you kctyphoon, found the electric one for $138 on Amazon Warehouse Deals, Used http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000K7U3G4/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
Will definitely consider one as its just practical. Again, not worth paying labor costs when we can do it ourselves. No time for me to be making excuses now.
Will definitely consider one as its just practical. Again, not worth paying labor costs when we can do it ourselves. No time for me to be making excuses now.
Carves
Well-known member
~6' Feet x ~4' Feet, 6" Deep. Cellucor it is
Only a 6 x 4 section ??
Jackhammer ..
... altho if you're still keen on swinging a hammer ... lift the slab, and poke something under it so that you're not hammering the concrete ... and the ground underneath..
bcradio
Well-known member
No you're not... that's why you specifically said you only wanted to use a sledge hammer and you wanted a good workout.
Did you change your mind on us?
A good workout comes to mind, but the real intention was to really save money down the line. Realistically, the way I look at this now is that its either saving money on labor, or spending money on health (surgery followed by physical therapy). Its better to save the money on labor and use the right tool, and that's certainly not a sledgehammer by all means as per the recent surge of comments on this thread.
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This is just another Winlinmac . . . . . . . GOOSECHASE !!!!
There is no concrete . . . . no sidewalk . . . . . no "tools" needed.
. . . . . . . no Zuzu's petals !!
This is all a figment of "his" imagination.
Likely not even New York . . . . I'm really thinking this is Catfish from ??? Philippines ??
IBTL . . . IBTL . . . IBTL !!! Nuke button please !!
There is no concrete . . . . no sidewalk . . . . . no "tools" needed.
. . . . . . . no Zuzu's petals !!
This is all a figment of "his" imagination.
Likely not even New York . . . . I'm really thinking this is Catfish from ??? Philippines ??
IBTL . . . IBTL . . . IBTL !!! Nuke button please !!
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catalytic
Well-known member
^^ THIS -- please! Worst job I have ever done was breaking through a basement slab to install a sump pump in a basement with a 6.5' tall ceiling. Tried it with a sledge...it was a horrible day of work. Hilti made it a million times better.
Wear PPE for your ears and eyes!
ZRX61
Well-known member
I recommend someone elses sledgehammer..... with them operating it
Hephaestus29
Well-known member
Rent a backhoe
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
Here We Go Again With This ****
As far as breaking concrete goes, recently partook in a bathroom rebuild and the contractor used a combination of sledge hammer and electric hammer on the concrete floor. Contractor claims to have used a sledgehammer-only on concrete slabs on his driveway. Because he never gave the specific conditions and I never asked, this gave me a false hope that it was a doable task without having to spend extra on renting equipment and hiring folks at a parking lot.
So my apologies for anyone that thinks this thread was curated out of nothing.
So my apologies for anyone that thinks this thread was curated out of nothing.
600SL
Well-known member
Dexpan.....
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dexpan-1...gclid=CKqXuNn7yswCFQ1ahgod514EfQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
Broke up plenty of crete with a sledge, I rate it as the top worst things to do when it is 90 degrees. Unless you have really old crete, easily broken, Dexpam is the way to go, amazing stuff.
"I like manual labor, forget Jackhammers"
Gee what do you have against a 125lb jack hammer and it's associated hearing loss.
I don't know. It looks to me that after drilling all those holes 1 shot with a good sledge hammer would be faster and easier than mixing and waiting. But I wouldn't be doing any drilling in 90° either. I vote for renting a skid stear with a hammer attachment.