Need a burke bar... Which one?

[mike93lx]

Edit... Bought a few gutster bars... Working great


It's time to get a burke bar. First job is ripping up a kitchen floor with two layers of linoleum and a layer of plywood above the original subfloor.

I'm tall and want to use this while standing, so 56", but there are three different ends. Monster, Fulcrum Monster and Open Angle Monster. They're all effectively the same cost. Which do you think is best?

 

[Renegade1LI]

Any of those will help but if you have an sds max get a floor scraper for it. There's a bunch of different ones but they will do the bulk of the removal.

Milwaukee 6 in. SLEDGE SDS-MAX Floor Scraper 48-62-4096 - The Home Depot

Milwaukee Carbide SDS-Max Floor Scraper Bit is the perfect tool for hard to remove thinset. Offers long lasting durability and stability.

www.homedepot.com

 

[mike93lx]

Any of those will help but if you have an sds max get a floor scraper for it. There's a bunch of different ones but they will do the bulk of the removal.

Milwaukee 6 in. SLEDGE SDS-MAX Floor Scraper 48-62-4096 - The Home Depot

Milwaukee Carbide SDS-Max Floor Scraper Bit is the perfect tool for hard to remove thinset. Offers long lasting durability and stability.

www.homedepot.com

I dont have a max, just a plus Bosch bulldog. Had to run it for a bit yesterday pulling tile and realized thah while it is very nice to have, I need a bigger demo hammer. I don't do enough to justify Bosch money for the bigger one, so I think I'll be grabbing one at HF.

I think it will help with the linoleum, but I will still have the 3/4 plywood, plus particle board that was under carpet, plus a lot of hardwood to pull. In all, about 1200 sq ft of flooring to come up

 

[Renegade1LI]

You can also rent a powered scraper from hd, since you have a large area it may be worth it. Also a hand held floor scraper is good to have also for the tight spots. Check with your local rental and see what they have, some will remove the plywood also.

 

[mike93lx]

You can also rent a powered scraper from hd, since you have a large area it may be worth it. Also a hand held floor scraper is good to have also for the tight spots. Check with your local rental and see what they have, some will remove the plywood also.

The linoleum is only the kitchen, laundry room and powder room, probably 400ft and lots of tight spaces. What I really need to do is hire this out to people with younger backs...

Thankfully the ply is just nailed and has felt between it and the main subfloor, so it should come up without tons of drama. I'm thinking about cutting strips all the way through and then trying to peel it up without getting into removing linoleum first. Probably guaranteed to hit every nail though

 

[cgrutt]

Not on your list but I love my Gutsters. More for overall demo but I just recently pulled up a few layers of plywood subflooring in a bathroom renovation I'm working on and it made short work of it. I have the 48" as well as the smaller one. The circled one with wheels is made specifically for subfloors but I don't own that one (stock pic).

 

[mike93lx]

Not on your list but I love my Gutsters. More for overall demo but I just recently pulled up a few layers of plywood subflooring in a bathroom renovation I'm working on and it made short work of it. I have the 48" as well as the smaller one. The circled one with wheels is made specifically for subfloors but I don't own that one (stock pic).

You had me at hello.

I just ordered the 60". Thanks!

 

[cgrutt]

You had me at hello.

I just ordered rhe 60". Thanks!

You won't be disappointed they're awesome.

 

[mike93lx]

You won't be disappointed they're awesome.

Hoping to not be disappointed for a buck and a quarter

The handle looks so much more ergonomic than a burke bar and the wheels feel like they'll be helpful.

 

[cgrutt]

They're really for total demo you can be very aggressive with them they're very solid. You can easily punch through sheetrock, plywood, tile, cement board etc with the tongs. There's a little ramp on each of the tongs that provides additional leverage once you get underneath whatever you want to pull up. You can easily remove joists and studs by putting between the tongs and twisting. The back has a bunch of tiny Vs that easily pulls nails and screws. I think the larger one with wheels is at a comfortable height for standing while pulling up floors. I've even used them to loosen up stones and roots while digging footings. I'm sure you'll find more uses after the flooring project. If not put it up for sale you'll probably get most of your money back. Good luck with it.

 

[mike93lx]

They're really for total demo you can be very aggressive with them they're very solid. You can easily punch through sheetrock, plywood, tile, cement board etc with the tongs. There's a little ramp on each of the tongs that provides additional leverage once you get underneath whatever you want to pull up. You can easily remove joists and studs by putting between the tongs and twisting. The back has a bunch of tiny Vs that easily pulls nails and screws. I think the larger one with wheels is at a comfortable height for standing while pulling up floors. I've even used them to loosen up stones and roots while digging footings. I'm sure you'll find more uses after the flooring project. If not put it up for sale you'll probably get most of your money back. Good luck with it.

Yeah it looks very versatile. Anything to help my back is worth it. Any idea on COO? For that price, I was hoping US, but based on the lack of information, I have to assume China

 

[cgrutt]

Yeah it looks very versatile. Anything to help my back is worth it. Any idea on COO? For that price, I was hoping US, but based on the lack of information, I have to assume China

Website says Made in USA.

 

[mike93lx]

Website says Made in USA.

Where? I can't find it anywhere

 

[cgrutt]

Where? I can't find it anywhere

See pic above

 

[mike93lx]

See pic above

That's weird. I can't find that and searching their site for USA yields no hits

 

[cgrutt]

IDK I just googled it here's the link

Get the Job Done Right with Gutster Tools - Trusted Demo Bars in New York, NY

Trust Gutster Tools, the demo bars that New Yorkers rely on for their toughest projects. Built to handle any demolition task, Gutster Tools are known for their durability and precision. Discover why contractors and DIY enthusiasts in New York choose Gutster Tools for superior performance.

www.gutstertools.com

 

[seber]

That's weird. I can't find that and searching their site for USA yields no hits

Look at the paragraph just above the map of New York.

 

[mike93lx]

Look at the paragraph just above the map of New York.

I can't find that page when going to their main website and googling their name with made in USA yields nothing.

Not a dealbreaker either way and I'll report how it's labeled when it arrives. I'll be beating the **** out of it this weekend regardless of where it made

 

[Firebrick43]

Not on your list but I love my Gutsters. More for overall demo but I just recently pulled up a few layers of plywood subflooring in a bathroom renovation I'm working on and it made short work of it. I have the 48" as well as the smaller one. The circled one with wheels is made specifically for subfloors but I don't own that one (stock pic).

My wallet damns you good sir!

 

[mike93lx]

My wallet damns you good sir!

Which size did you order?

 

[cgrutt]

I just checked both of my bars no COO listed on either one.

 

[driftpin]

I can recommend the HFT SDS-MAX 8.5 amp rotary hammer drill which also functions as a demo hammer. I have an older one, but it's worked well for me, I bought it on-sale for ~$89.

That Bosch SDS-MAX bit costs twice what my HFT did, but whatever it takes. HFT has a wide spade bit that is more-for clay soil than it is for floor scraping.



Words of advice on the maintenance and use of the tool:
I check the grease vault before every use. I add fresh grease to near-full.

The splines of the bits get greased. The hammer action seems to work much-better when greased. If what I'm doing is creating a lot of dust, at the end of the day, I wipe-off the grease on the splines, and I re-apply grease to the splines at the next use.

I find the HFT carbide-tip drill bits are capable of doing the work I need completed.

The drill has saved me thousands of dollars. We did a whole-home re-model just prior to retirement and I used the impact hammer/drill to demo the bathrooms down to the stud walls/outside CBS walls. That saved me $2K apiece, the line-item in the budget for the demo work by the contractor. We have four full bathrooms, I took ~one ton/bathroom to the county landfill. Thank-you HFT impact hammer/drill!

 

[mike93lx]

I just checked both of my bars no COO listed on either one.

India

 

[mike93lx]

Not on your list but I love my Gutsters. More for overall demo but I just recently pulled up a few layers of plywood subflooring in a bathroom renovation I'm working on and it made short work of it. I have the 48" as well as the smaller one. The circled one with wheels is made specifically for subfloors but I don't own that one (stock pic).

I owe you a beer.

This thing is amazeballs. Absolutely perfect for pulling subfloor and the rear nail pullers are awesome. The wheels help a ton

Only critique is that the handle grip slides around

I pulled up about 300 sq ft of particle board that was nailed down with ring shanks, all in 30ish minutes without killing myself. It was also super helpful pulling down a brick fireplace.

I'm going to order one of the smaller ones tomorrow.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Nice when a new tool works out!

 

[mike93lx]

I can recommend the HFT SDS-MAX 8.5 amp rotary hammer drill which also functions as a demo hammer. I have an older one, but it's worked well for me, I bought it on-sale for ~$89.

That Bosch SDS-MAX bit costs twice what my HFT did, but whatever it takes. HFT has a wide spade bit that is more-for clay soil than it is for floor scraping.



Words of advice on the maintenance and use of the tool:
I check the grease vault before every use. I add fresh grease to near-full.

The splines of the bits get greased. The hammer action seems to work much-better when greased. If what I'm doing is creating a lot of dust, at the end of the day, I wipe-off the grease on the splines, and I re-apply grease to the splines at the next use.

I find the HFT carbide-tip drill bits are capable of doing the work I need completed.

The drill has saved me thousands of dollars. We did a whole-home re-model just prior to retirement and I used the impact hammer/drill to demo the bathrooms down to the stud walls/outside CBS walls. That saved me $2K apiece, the line-item in the budget for the demo work by the contractor. We have four full bathrooms, I took ~one ton/bathroom to the county landfill. Thank-you HFT impact hammer/drill!

I hate to say it, but I just ordered a vevor demo hammer. One of the bigger 50lb jackhammer-style units. It was only $180, so the cost of two rentals.

I need to demo out a fireplace hearth and my Sds plus Bosch is woefully inadequate

 

[Jarhead0408]

This thread is going to cost me at least $350…

Thanks a lot OP.

 

[mike93lx]

This thread is going to cost me at least $350…

Thanks a lot OP.

Here to help!

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Kind of want one of those Marshall Town Burke Bars now. Didn't know they existed until this thread. Dont even have a specific job in mind for it, just seems like a really useful tool that I don't otherwise have anything that can do the same thing.

 

[Firebrick43]

This thread is going to cost me at least $350…

Thanks a lot OP.

Need to put a sticker on the side to make it more palatable?



https://decalfly.com/products/crayo...9V98MuPXLPK9HKryYacap8D5QaijcojxoCsysQAvD_BwE

 

[mike93lx]

Now that right there is funny

 

[carmantl]

Klein also makes a heavy duty bar called the "Grizzly Bar". It's a great option and I like the oval handle. Available for around a C-note.

 

[mike93lx]

Klein also makes a heavy duty bar called the "Grizzly Bar". It's a great option and I like the oval handle. Available for around a C-note.

That does look pretty nice and lighter weight, too

 

[snickers muncher]

Kind of want one of those Marshall Town Burke Bars now. Didn't know they existed until this thread. Dont even have a specific job in mind for it, just seems like a really useful tool that I don't otherwise have anything that can do the same thing.

I've got one and rarely use it, but when I do it's incredibly handy. The last use was about 2 months ago when I was cutting up a huge fallen oak. It made the job much easier and safer.

 

[mike93lx]

So I bent the 60" today. Probably was leaning on it a bit too much, but this thing is sold for professional demo, so I'm a bit disappointed. I got the work done I needed to, but the angle made it a bit harder. Either way, this thing let me get work done that I otherwise wouldn't have, so I have no ill will

It bent a bit further and lost a decent amount of paint from the pic below.

I sent an email, will see what they say

 

[cgrutt]

Well that ***** I hope they make it right. I wonder I the longer length on handle had anything to do with it haven't had any issues with my 48 and I've used it to twist joists out etc. The 30 has a rectangular tube vs round. There is a 48 with that option no idea which would be stronger but they definitely shouldn't be bending like that. Wonder if COO has anything to do with it?

 

[Firebrick43]

So I bent the 60" today. Probably was leaning on it a bit too much, but this thing is sold for professional demo, so I'm a bit disappointed. I got the work done I needed to, but the angle made it a bit harder. Either way, this thing let me get work done that I otherwise wouldn't have, so I have no ill will

It bent a bit further and lost a decent amount of paint from the pic below.

I sent an email, will see what they say

Well its safe to assume heat treatment was missed on this bar or the factory doesn't perform it.

Maybe its good I had a delay in ordering one.

Was an extension applied to the bar?

And by the pic of your legs you don't appear to be Mongo.

 

[mike93lx]

Well that ***** I hope they make it right. I wonder I the longer length on handle had anything to do with it haven't had any issues with my 48 and I've used it to twist joists out etc. The 30 has a rectangular tube vs round. There is a 48 with that option no idea which would be stronger but they definitely shouldn't be bending like that. Wonder if COO has anything to do with it?

Let me be clear, I beat the **** out of this thing. I'm sure the length contributed, but it also let me get a ton of work done. I'm at least 215lb and I was full on it when it bent.

The only other complaint besides the grip sliding around is that the right wheel unscrews itself. I need to get some loctite on it.

I am still lookong forward to the 30 and have a bunch more to do

 

[mike93lx]

Well its safe to assume heat treatment was missed on this bar or the factory doesn't perform it.

Maybe its good I had a delay in ordering one.

Was an extension applied to the bar?

And by the pic of your legs you don't appear to be Mongo.

No extension, just a huge friggin guy on the end of it

 

[spike99250]

One option if you get it replaced would be to cut the handle on the straight part.
insert a piece of rebar or solid bar stock in the handle and weld back together with some plug welds to secure inside piece.

this will make it heavier but also a lot more durable.

I did this to my hickey bar(for bending rebar) and to a form pin puller.