Little (1-9/16) SDS or big Brute Breaker
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Little (1-9/16) SDS or big Brute Breaker Okay, an upcoming job will allow a purchase of a tool I’d had to rent until now. All discussion of undercapitalization aside, give me your input on the following choice. I’ve gotta break out old portland cement concrete with some accuracy across a 25′ run in a basement for new DWV lines. I do this maybe once a year, so a if its a little more tedious to use a big SDS vs. a breaker hammer that’s probably okay. But I emphasize the words “little more.” More often I need a rotary hammer that packs more punch that my Milwaukee hammer drill to takle jobs like boring small holes in concete for redheads and the like, which is why I’m considering settling in the middle with a big SDS. The question is, can the light-weight SDS do the occasional breaker job with enough reliabilty and not a whole lot of extra effort vs something like a 90 lb. Brute Breaker, or will trying to use it for that role rattle my fillings out before I even get halfway done? |
Replies
That 1-9/16 isn't as light weight as you may think... the Brute is pretty much a dedeicated tool. Go for the largest Bosch RH you can get your hands on. IIRC there are 1-3/4 and 2" RHs out there but I haven't a Bosch book handy.
Okay .. Google it is.
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The pragmatist in me would tend to agree, but still, should I decide to say, bust out a sidewalk or two with the rotary, would I be regreting my choice? I just want to know if the 1-9/16 SDS is really capable of much breaking?
I trust you score the concrete 1st. As you know once you get the breaking process started is gets easier.
The Brute you have in mind is the big electric 40 or 60# breaker hammer. I've tackled CC breaking with the SDS. Little slower but it worked. I suppose if the CC is substancial the 1-9/16 would be out classed but for the proverbial floor it would work.
Something to keep in mind the SDS would be more versitale. Trade offs here are in order.Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
I have the very popular Bocsch Bull Dog. It easily drills 3/4" holes, I've never tried bigger. When I say easy I mean a 3/4" x 6" deep hole in 10 or 20 seconds. For setting red heads mabey 5 seconds. I also use it to remove tile. I have used the big SDS max tools and they are too heavy for drilling normal holes and take double the time to open slabs compaired to a brute. Those big SDS tools are for serious coreing, like drilling 3" X36", and for odd demo work. A really hard foundation will leave you wanting to rent that Brute again. Not to mention that right now you are spending less than a hundred a year on the Brute and a big SDS costs at least 500. To do what you want it would cost more like 800. You won't enjoy hauling that big boy around to set new wall anchors . Having said that I would really like to have a monster SDS tool, those things are the baddest looking tools out there!! The big blue case would look great in my van!
MIKE
You'll use the SDS way more than you think if you have one.
And how much concrete do you want to break? It's not a good career move if you can avoid it.
Bosch Bulldog fan, it will do any hole you want & rent the big stuff when needed.
Joe H
So join the club of why do we have to have so many fkn drills.
2 jobs 2 tools get a deal and buy them both. It's good for the economy and it's enviromentally frendly cause you won't have to drive to the rental yard each time you need it.
Last large shop I worked for, 10 field guys, we had one of the very large Bosch 'electric jackhammers' that comes with it's own miniature hand truck. It almost never got used because we always called in backup when we had a lot of concrete to bust out, and backup comes with a towable compressor and real jackhammers. We had three or four of the medium sized Bosch/Hilti type rotohammers for drilling holes and you could never find one in the tool room--they were out in constant use. Bottom line, I would not own a tool for breaking slabs because I don't want to break slabs. Most I'd do is a couple squares of sidewalk. Maybe I'm getting old.
or smart.......
;)Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
I think it depends on the work you do. I bought the bosch brute many years ago,it is used regularly. It works well for breaking up slabs, but I also use it to dig into frozen ground for deck ftgs, breaking up hardpan, chipping the top off ledgerock,and I have even made a sling to hang it off the basement ceiling then blast through poured walls.
If i didnt own one, I probably would only rent one 4-5 times a year, but having one it is used much more than that.
If I was pretty sure that I would only need to swath out concrete once, I would follow your thinking and have the SDS, but I would hate to think about doing it more than once with anything smaller than the Brute. I think it is 64-67# by the way.
With the tamping plate, you can re compact the soils in those tight places before you repour too.
I've got hundreds of hours on mine, been re-built two or three times. It, not me - though I think it is part of the reaason I need to be rebuilt.
But for horizontal work, a smaller demo hammer would be nicer - say for taking down chimneys or punching holes in concrete walls.
This is a hard one to reconcile. For only once a year, I would probably keep renting the Brute unless it is a long trip to the rental yard. I want to be spending twenty percent of the tool cost in rentals before I buy it. otherwise the payback takes too long. When I bought mine, it paid me back the same month.
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Another vote for the bulldog if you're just drilling holes. It's a piece of cake and won't break your arm from holding it. I used it to break out a foundation for a brick wall and it took a long time, though. Would've liked to have a bigger machine for that work. Would be good for removing a mud job or similar thinner mortar bed, but not much more. Drilling is it's strong suit.
Well, I think the jury's in. Rotohammers are everybody's best friend, if I was smarter (stress the word if) I wouldn't want anything to do with bustin concrete in the first place, and trying to use a rotohammer like a jack hammer will just make me tired and sore.
Thanks to everyone for your input, I guess its off to the rental yard for me. Damn I hate that place.
-duke
Big brute, I've got one and it's pretty handy for what you have in mind.
Who Dares Wins.