• 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!

whole house knockdowns

JPCobra105

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Messages
67
Location
long island
Occupation
owner/operator jpexpress demolition and excavation
i did my first few knock downs with just a 24'' bucket and a thumb. it works just fine. most guys i;ve seen use a thumb. (probably because the grapple cost so much) and i've also seen guys use just a bucket. a thumb will make it alot easier.
 

mikef87

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
433
Location
waltham
Occupation
owner/operator/mechanic/laborer/truck driver
I know your on a budget, but I would suggest a hydraulic grapple, its more versatile than a stationary thumb. I've got 4 machines with grapples, and 2 with thumbs. The grapples are nice, but for my PC300 it cost $19,500. The PC600 cost around $25,000. But they do hold up better in industrial demolition than a thumb would.
 

Countryboy

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2006
Messages
3,276
Location
Georgia
Occupation
Load Out Tech. / Heavy Equipment Operator / Locomo
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums wilddanz71! :drinkup
 

wilddanz71

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
165
Location
MA
thanks for the advise guys. I think I will strugle through this job with just the bucket. then this winter I will pick up a manual thumb. Like I said I do not use the excavator every day, just when I need a celar hole or septic system on one of the houses I build. Anyone know of a place I can buy a manual thumb for my 120. I have found them for around $1500, are there less expensive ones available?

thanks again DAN
 

Turbo21835

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2007
Messages
1,135
Location
Road Dog
As for capacity on no tails. Not a big deal at all. In fact im currently splitting time between a Komatsu Pc 200, and a Komatsu 128, depending on space available. The other night I set a 6ft diameter manhole with 6inch sides, 7 feet tall and a 12 inch bottom. I would say at 75% reach, no problem. The guys thought I was going to have o use the 200.

As for the grapple/thumb argument. Ive run both. I should say ive run both in the industrial demolition business. Ive said it before, bucket/thumbs are for home wreckers. Another one i like to hear is you cant move material or grade with a grapple. I get to differ. All you need is an I beam. Viola, you have a dozer.

Not looking down at anyones methods. Ive used em all. From using a grapple as a concrete processor, to using a bucket. The thing you have to learn with the bucket is how to pickup objects. Remember, tracks are your friend for this. Either pin a large object between the tracks and what ever your trying to pickup. Or in a pinch you can even use your tracks. Which is easier sometimes, because you can spin your tracks to "scoot" something into your bucket.
 

JPCobra105

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Messages
67
Location
long island
Occupation
owner/operator jpexpress demolition and excavation
1500$ for a manual thumb for that size machine is about as low as it gets. remember, if you dont weld yourself, that could cost you a few hundred bucks. i dont know about prices around you, but here there is about a 250$ field charge just to get someone into the field to weld for you. plus the price to do the weld.
 

wilddanz71

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
165
Location
MA
1500$ for a manual thumb for that size machine is about as low as it gets. remember, if you dont weld yourself, that could cost you a few hundred bucks. i dont know about prices around you, but here there is about a 250$ field charge just to get someone into the field to weld for you. plus the price to do the weld.

yea $1500 is about the cheapest I have found. And about the welding, lucky for me, one of my best friends is a pro welder with a truck that is all setup. So I will just have to return the favor to him.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

wilddanz71

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
165
Location
MA
You guys are right on the button.
I just paid $1500 for Fleco for a 120.

DID THAT PRICE INCLUDE SHIPPING, IF SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR, OH YEA DID YOU BUY THE ONE THAT IS 3/4" THICK OR 1" THICK. I THINK ALL I NEED IS THE 3/4" THICK MODEL
THANKS DAN
 

Sparffo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
223
Location
Finland
Occupation
Demolition contractor
Don't you find them 312s a little small?

?? you can demo a wooden house with a 8 ton machine pretty easily, the only problem is lack of reach...
don't you guys sort out the demolition rubble at all? when you smash down houses then you have a pile of **** that is impossible to sort out.
here in Finland you have to pay 220€ (270$)/ ton if you don't sort it out, if you sort it out the cost will come down over 10 times! then the 312 will beat the bigger machines when sorting at the same time as tearing down the walls.
sometimes we do sorting with our 30 ton, but thats quite overkill... but with the demo grapple you can do almost anything, even cut reinforcement bar by turning it round and round.

The Komatsu PC 75 high demolition machine wouldd be great for this type of jobbs!
 

JPCobra105

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Messages
67
Location
long island
Occupation
owner/operator jpexpress demolition and excavation
we sort out wood masonary products, glass and metals. 312 with the grapple makes it real easy.
 

Dozerboy

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
2,232
Location
TX
Occupation
Operator
Same here, but not glass. Can and what is most efficient are 2 different things I could take down a house with my bare hands if I wanted to. Most of the houses I did I was in and out in one day.
 

Taylortractornu

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2003
Messages
481
Location
Iuka, Mississippi
Occupation
Privvate landfill operator/manager
I do a good bit of demo with my little PC55 grey market. I made my thumb in the shop with my table burner. I get alot of trailers around the lake and mostly tight jobs. limitied access. I tore down a trailer no too long ago it was a small office trailer that had been placed with a wrecker and then over time the banks behind it were filled in and such. had a narrow landscaped drive and no tracks were allowed in it. I got the job as I was on rubber but I barl could get my 1 ton dump into the place. This little trailer was added onto over time and was a pita. I had a rolloff rented from work but nowhere to get ino it. I just set the can off and hauled to it with the 1 ton every hour I hadto load a can and move it to the community dump. I did have some big walls that I drug out with my skid steer to the container. This whole compound was 16 by 80 made of rock, brick, concrete,steele and wood. I had to put on my ripper shank and pull up some inground anchor rods. I like the little odball jobs with a challenge. Lots of trailers were put in the areal years ago with the most peculiar set ups Ive ever seen. Im going next week when I get my winch done on the skid steer to pull in 2 walkways and a boat house to remove from the same job.
 
Top