• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

What will it take to break this chunk in half?

ETMF 58 White

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
184
Location
SEC West
Building a state highway detour in preparation for replacement of a bridge, and today I encountered this huge chunk of concrete just under ground level. It must have been a footing from the bridge previous to the 1962 bridge that is being replaced. It had to come out and state guy said based on its size they will pay me about $3000 extra. But it is too big to lift it onto my lowboy to haul it off - I barely moved it out of the ground with a 210 hoe image.jpgand a D5 working together- so I need to break it in half or even three pieces.

Anybody got an opinion if renting a hammer equipped backhoe for a day will do the trick? That will run about $600.

I'm not a demolition guy and have hardly any experience with this sort of thing. Seeking advice.
 

ol'stonebreaker

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2015
Messages
333
Location
Idaho
Occupation
retired
Build a dirt ramp well compacted w/ the sheepsfoot and at least a foot higher than than the lowbed deck and I see a cat under the bridge that should be able to push it up on the lowbed.
Mike
 

Scrub Puller

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
3,481
Location
Gladstone Queensland Australia
Yair . . .

ETMF 58 White. I believe ol'stonebreaker is on the right track but with BHT's like that, rather than build a ramp I always preferred to dig a slot for the trailer. Much easier to push across on level ground or even have the trailer a little low.

How would you get it off?

Cheers.
 

fast_st

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
1,468
Location
Mass
Occupation
IT systems admin
Well, it would take a few hours with a diamond wet core drill, make a dozen holes and fill them with dexpan, tomorrow you'd have multiple smaller bits of concrete. Is it wire reinforced or just a block? I'm wondering if it was a footing or just the cast off excess concrete, looks about a truckload.
 

CM1995

Administrator
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,250
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
A backhoe hammer is not going to do much with that hunk of concrete anytime soon, it will break it up but it'll take some time. A hoe mounted breaker would handle it but might cost more to rent than your getting paid to break it and get rid of it.

After reading the first post Dexpan came to mind as Fast_st suggested. It may be the cheapest way out. Drill 2 lines of holes and break it into 3 pieces.

http://www.dexpan.com/dexpan-non-explosive-controlled-demolition-agent-silent-cracking-breaking.aspx

I think the chunk is too large to try the poor mans hammer trick.
 

tawilson1152

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2016
Messages
20
Location
Theresa, New York
Well, it would take a few hours with a diamond wet core drill, make a dozen holes and fill them with dexpan, tomorrow you'd have multiple smaller bits of concrete. Is it wire reinforced or just a block? I'm wondering if it was a footing or just the cast off excess concrete, looks about a truckload.

Good question. If it's a footing won't it be full of rebar too?
 

fast_st

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
1,468
Location
Mass
Occupation
IT systems admin
Well, a metal detector would show you that, but looking it over, it looks more like go dig a hole over there, we have one extra truck of concrete. Doesn't appear to be a proper footing. I'm not sure if dexpan would crack the steel, it just might. I broke up a dozen car sized boulders, 1.5 inch wet core drill, punch a hole every 12-18 inches, clean them out with a shop vac and then fill with the dexpan mix, come back later. I found on the big rocks, to get the cracks started, put two holes closer together at the edges.

NCM_0040.jpg

The other half of this rock extended another five feet toward the backhoe. The little holes were 5/8 to bolt the core saw down, I used one split anchor to make about 50 holes in different rocks.
 
Last edited:

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
12,259
Location
Canada
Can you pick up one end of it and block it up? Then a breaker might be easier or you could drop another heavy rock or something on it.
 

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
Building a state highway detour in preparation for replacement of a bridge, and today I encountered this huge chunk of concrete just under ground level. It must have been a footing from the bridge previous to the 1962 bridge that is being replaced. It had to come out and state guy said based on its size they will pay me about $3000 extra. But it is too big to lift it onto my lowboy to haul it off - I barely moved it out of the ground with a 210 hoe Seeking advice.

I take it they won't let you dig a hole & put it back to rest .:)
 

TexasTailboard

New Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Messages
1
Location
Texas
If you have anything to block it up suck as another piece of concrete, try dropping the larger piece on it or dropping it on another piece. The key is to get as much of the chunk off the ground, the ground will absorb the force and once you get t cracking it will break. If you have a 210 size machine with a little work it will break. We break them all the time, most people try a few times and give up. I would give it a shot before you rent a hammer. Also regarding the backhoe hammer or skidsteer hammer they will break it also, you wont need to rent a ex hammer, just block it up and elevate it. That piece will not have much strength on the long flat side. Good Luck
 

ETMF 58 White

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
184
Location
SEC West
Lots of good ideas here for me to consider. This forum has helped me countless times over the last few years! There is rebar in the chunk, so I'm pretty sure it was a footing of some sort in times past. Scrub's idea of digging a slot for the trailer might be the way to go. There is plenty of room on the right of way to do that. I'm thinking that my D6R could do that quickly and then I can take it and a 700JD and push it across. I will have to measure and make sure the chunk is not longer than the 24 ft in my trailer well.

The trash disposal pit is only 2 miles away. Once I get there I think I can drag it off with the 210 hoe that is there. Hope I don't tear up my almost new trailer.

BTW, I won't be pushing on the chunk with the dozer you see up under the bridge. It's a brand new dual mast GPS D6K2 from Cat rental. Zero working hours when I picked it up; not even any paint off the blade bits. It won't be me that puts the first dent in it (I hope).

I will post a photo of the footing loaded on the trailer when I get that far. Many inches of rain has shut this job down for a while, when normally in August we would be full speed ahead. You think the bank and Cat will agree to stop interest and rent while we are sitting around in the daylight reading HEF on the Internet?
 

Scrub Puller

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
3,481
Location
Gladstone Queensland Australia
Yair . . .

Good one ETMF 58 White. Please keep us posted with progress.

Hope you get a break in the weather, We are getting TV coverage here in Australia of disastrous floods in the Southern US my thoughts are with all folks affected . . . Keep you and yours and your gear safe.

Cheers.
 

lantraxco

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
7,704
Location
Elsewhen
New Orleans is underwater, California is on fire, a plague of invaders crossing our borders by invitation, WW3 ginning up in the Middle East and Europe, anybody seen the fourth horseman?
 

fast_st

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
1,468
Location
Mass
Occupation
IT systems admin
New Orleans is underwater, California is on fire, a plague of invaders crossing our borders by invitation, WW3 ginning up in the Middle East and Europe, anybody seen the fourth horseman?

I'm hoping for a hurricane, we need the water.
 

CM1995

Administrator
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,250
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
Many inches of rain has shut this job down for a while, when normally in August we would be full speed ahead. You think the bank and Cat will agree to stop interest and rent while we are sitting around in the daylight reading HEF on the Internet?

Same here. All summer has been wet. We were rained out yesterday at 3, spent 1/2 of the day today drying out and getting ready for a compaction test. Tech shows up, punches two holes which passed and then rain dumped at 12:30.:mad:

If you can get the bank and Cat to stop payments and rent let me know your secret.;)
 
Top