Using Gravity to Demolish Flatwork Reduces Wear and Tear on Loader and Operator
Fr. Greg Staudinger and crew use the drop hammer to break up a garage floor.
Looking for a way to save time and labor when demolishing concrete for sidewalk and driveway repair work last year, Fr. Greg Staudinger, a priest
with St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, Sidney, Mont., purchased the new Bobcat®
drop hammer attachment.
The hydraulically operated attachment, designed for Bobcat skid-steer loaders, compact track loaders and all-wheel steer loaders, features a 1,140-lb. weight. It’s lifted by a chain and drive motor to a height of
74 in. above the ground. Typically, the 3,600 ft./lb. impact fractures the material below the surface, leaving the surface free of jagged debris.
That was a key consideration for Fr. Staudinger in buying the attachment. It
eliminates sharp edged concrete debris which could cut the tires of his Bobcat S185 skid-steer loader when driving across the broken concrete.
The drop hammer doesn’t shake the loader. That’s because the ground, and not the loader or operator, absorb the impact of the weight. Eliminating the
jarring and jolting also reduces operator fatigue. The drop hammer cycles
at a rate of up to 20 blows per minute. That gives the operator about three seconds to reposition the loader between each cycle. The attachment also includes an exclusive cushioned safety valve which allows the operator to stop the hammer in mid-stroke and slowly lower it to a resting position.
This prevents the hammer from simply falling if the hydraulic flow is shut off.
Fr. Staudinger has used the drop hammer to break up concrete as thick as 7 in., including 3- to 6-ft.-long sections of sidewalks and driveways. It
also proved effective in demolishing some brick and concrete sidewalk steps.
Several drops of the hammer in one area are usually enough to produce chunks of concrete about 3- to 4-in.-wide. Once the concrete is demolished, he switches to a bucket for cleaning up the debris and preparing the site for new concrete.
The attachment’s performance has met Fr. Staudinger’s expectations. “It does a great job,” he says.