Harbor Freight Jackhammer Opinions

[Bull]

Hi Everyone,

I need to break up two very large sets of concrete stairs as part of a side porch renovation. These things are massively thick, maybe close to 3' tall and absolutely solid, nothing hollow in the center.

I began with a sledgehammer, not knowing what I was really up against. After an hour or so, I went to HF and bought a Herculess HE33 demo hammer. It works very well, but it is just too small and it's taking forever. I think it has 12lbs of force.

I called the store and the fellow said I can return it and get a larger unit, a proper jackhammer instead of a demo hammer. They have a Bauer 15 amp 35 lb unit and a Bauer 15 amp 70 lb unit for $369 and $499, respectively. They are having a sale on the 35 lb unit if you join the ITC; it's $29 for the club membership for the year and the hammer goes down to $299.

Do you guys have any experience with either of these tools? Obviously, I am tempted to get the 70lb version because I want the job done quickly and well, but $500 is a lot of money for a tool I will only use a few times in my life. I do have other concrete around the property that I could break up over time, though it's not a big priority. If the 35 lb version is a pretty heavy hitter, then maybe I can save some money and go that route.

Thanks for the help, folks.

 

[dadsEH]

Get a big *** rental unit.

 

[TommyK]

I don't have experience with the HF hammers but I do have experience with makita, metabo, and hilti electric hammers. IMO based on your description you need an air compressor and a 90 lb jack hammer to get it done in a reasonable time frame.

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

I have the 35 lb one it is fantastic for the price. I own a construction company and it has paid for itself. $200 to purchase or $75 for a rental. We have used ours more than three times so it works for us.

 

[Bull]

The rental option isn't really doable for me. One set of stairs is ready to be demoed now, and in fact I got maybe 1/2 or a bit less of the way through the job this weekend. The second set of stairs is currently being used by the builder to support one part of the overhanging roof, so I can't do those stairs until later. I'd have to rent a machine twice, which would be costly and sort of wasteful.

 

[Bull]

I have the 35 lb one it is fantastic for the price. I own a construction company and it has paid for itself. $200 to purchase or $75 for a rental. We have used ours more than three times so it works for us.

What have you broken up with it? Anything thicker than your average walkway or concrete floor?

 

[BreeStephany]

I have the 35lb Bauer, that picked up 'open box' for less than $200, but really don't use it for demo as much as I use it as dedicated ground rod driver and occasionally use if I need to do a little slab demo to move conduits.

For my purposes, the 35lb is a beast and does a GREAT job and I haven't had any complaints over the last couple of months that I have had it.

 

[metaleltr]

https://www.menards.com/main/rental...-hour-base-rental/5760200/p-1444422653060.htm

Just one example. I suspect other resources will be competitive. At $50 for 4 hours renting it twice is small potatoes compared to buying a $500 tool for one job.

Is it possible to move the first set of stairs to another area of the property until the other set is also ready to be demoed?

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

We have broken 8 inch thick alley way, several 4 inch slabs, a pier about 18 inches thick by 24 inches deep by 36 inches wide. I have also loaned it out a few times also. So for I am happy with it. The 70lbs are really only good for downward slabs/driveways. The 35lbs can be used in more positions if needed. But even out of position it is a handful.

 

[rlitman]

I don't have experience with the HF hammers but I do have experience with makita, metabo, and hilti electric hammers. IMO based on your description you need an air compressor and a 90 lb jack hammer to get it done in a reasonable time frame.

I have a Makita 35lb hammer. The HF is a clone of it. It's a beast, and it hits almost as hard as the Bosch Brute 70lb (which the larger HF is a clone of). Neither comes close to a pneumatic hammer of a similar size, but both make an SDS-Max look like a toy.

Still, the fact that we're talking about a solid cast stairway makes me think that all of these are too small.

We have broken 8 inch thick alley way, several 4 inch slabs, a pier about 18 inches thick by 24 inches deep by 36 inches wide. I have also loaned it out a few times also. So for I am happy with it. The 70lbs are really only good for downward slabs/driveways. The 35lbs can be used in more positions if needed. But even out of position it is a handful.

Exactly. The impact energy difference between the 35lb and the 70lb is not all that much. HF lists the 35lb at 46 joules (at 1300 BPM), and the 70lb at 58 joules (at 1000 BPM). SDS-Max tools for comparison are around 10-14 joules and up to 3000 BPM.

Since the 70lb is a little slower, I wonder if you can even feel the difference in effectiveness between the two. For comparison, a 90lb pneumatic pavement breaker should be in the neighborhood of 250 joule and 1250 BPM.

But if you have to have a plug in electric machine, I recommend the 35lb size. It's possible to use it horizontally (if you don't like your back), whereas the 70lb is vertical only.