School me on demolition hammers and jackhammers

[Wamsutta]

What is the best tool to power a clay spade? I need to dig down 5 ft. through hardpan soil to replace a main sewer line. I need something that will break up the concrete like soil. I think I found the correct implement, but don't what kind of demolition hammer to power it. Suggestions?

 

[signcrafter]

So down 5' but how long of a trench?

Might be cheaper to rent a mini ex. I use a spade with my bosch sds max and it works good. But 5' deep X maybe 2' wide X however long is a lot of digging. While a SDS and spade work good for certain things they aren't ideal for that much dirt. It does chip away at dirt and then you shovel it out but that is a lot of dirt to remove and having used a spade and sds you are going to be there a long time. It really only breaks hard pack up and then you shovel it up. Would be many days of doing that vs renting a mini for 250 or so and be done in a couple hours. This coming from a guy that hates to rent anything.

 

[finn]

Mini excavator

 

[Bockscar]

How about a garden hose....water the area for a few days and then use a shovel....

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[Wamsutta]

So down 5' but how long of a trench?

Might be cheaper to rent a mini ex. I use a spade with my bosch sds max and it works good. But 5' deep X maybe 2' wide X however long is a lot of digging. While a SDS and spade work good for certain things they aren't ideal for that much dirt. It does chip away at dirt and then you shovel it out but that is a lot of dirt to remove and having used a spade and sds you are going to be there a long time. It really only breaks hard pack up and then you shovel it up. Would be many days of doing that vs renting a mini for 250 or so and be done in a couple hours. This coming from a guy that hates to rent anything.

About 5 ft. deep by about 40 to 50 ft. long. I need to skim the top of the existing sewer line without disturbing the soil beneath it; that way I keep the original grade for the best gravity flow of the sewage water.

Supply line needs to be replaced too. It's in a trench near the sewer line but not as deep I hope.

How would I find a training class that teaches me how to operate a mini excavator?

 

[Zewnten]

A mini ex with a narrow and a wide bucket will be your best bet, don't forget to either trench it with 45'd walls or shore it up if you're going to be in it. Even 5ft deep can do some damage if it collapses best case scenario with you in it. Guy here recently was only buried up to his waste but it crushed his hips and messed up his legs.

Most smaller rental places will educate you on running the machine until you're comfortable with it, at least any place worth renting from will.

 

[Bockscar]

About 5 ft. deep by about 40 to 50 ft. long. I need to skim the top of the existing sewer line without disturbing the soil beneath it; that way I keep the original grade for the best gravity flow of the sewage water.



Supply line needs to be replaced too. It's in a trench near the sewer line but not as deep I hope.



How would I find a training class that teaches me how to operate a mini excavator?

Forget the garden hose and shovel

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[ItsNemo]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JSNCU84/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I've gone one of these things, works actually quite well with their spade bit attachment in hard ground. I've also used it to bust out 6" thick 4500psi concrete and once you open up a spot, it goes pretty well.

 

[Al Borland]

Excavator.
Maybe a hoe-ram too if the ground is REALLY hard.

 

[kctyphoon]

If this makes any sense - the lightest, heaviest hammer you can use.. its not a shovel. It’ll help break some stuff up though. Not fun.

 

[Danglerb]

5x50 no way I would pass up a chance to play with an excavator for a day or so. I think I would also buy one of the better, not cheapest, HF SDS.

 

[sreeb]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JSNCU84/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I've gone one of these things, works actually quite well with their spade bit attachment in hard ground. I've also used it to bust out 6" thick 4500psi concrete and once you open up a spot, it goes pretty well.

Amazing even cheaper ones work really well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016APNNQ6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

But for 5' down, I would want a mini ex.

 

[matt_i]

How would I find a training class that teaches me how to operate a mini excavator?

I just rented one. It was $300 for the day with trailer.

If you have used equipment like tractors, forklifts, snowplows then its pretty basic. Two joysticks and a couple of foot pedals plus the little levers that make the tracks work. Just start by making one move at a time and don't worry about smoothly coordinating multi-axis moves.

But, I couldn't have done that much hand digging in a month (foundation trenches) so I felt like it was money well-spent.

One thing to watch for, in my case I dug these beautiful straight walled trenches and then it monsoon rained for about a month and I probably took the same amount of clay-based mud out of the trenches by hand as a result. About 6 weeks of digging the trenches back to clean...that part I didn't enjoy but I did get in great shape More of a reminder to keep on the job, don't delay, use vacation time, and watch for windows in the weather.

 

[rlitman]

That pictured clay spade is for SDS-Max, but they also come in 1-1/8" hex for bigger hammers.

Here's my question. That was trenched already. Is it possible that the slot directly over the line will be easier to dig now?

 

[mcbane]

Mini-ex will give you a clean trench in one day, even if you have never used that sort of machine before. Save demo hammers and drills for the occasional bit of rock or concrete that needs to be surgically removed.


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