A friend needs about 60 feet of a city sidewalk removed. I suggested he rent a jackhammer and I'd help. We're both fit and husky. I plan to handle the hammer. Any tricks or techniques I should know about before I start?
ibuprofen and lots of it, you will peel your fingers off the handle by days end because of stiff joints
Know where your feet are at all times.
To prevent "white finger" from the vibration, tape some hot water pipe foam insulation on the handles if they are insufficiently padded. Work to a free face, i.e. start on the outside and work outwards. Get the heaviest jackhammer you can rent and make sure your towable compressor supports it.
Alternatively, if you are feeling really muscular, get 12 pound or larger sledges, pad the handle with the pipe foam and have at it. On safety, remember what has already been said, note if there are any hot elements on the hammer and wear a cartridge respirator and wraparound safety glasses.
Regards,
Edward Hennessey
Great advice here, men. Thanks a million. The handle wrap is somethign I probably wouldn't have thought of nor would I have had any idea of the size to get. I'm lookin' forward to this!
First that comes to mind for me is why you're tearing up city property. The road shoulder, any space between the curb and sidewalk, and the sidewalk is considered easement. The owner of the property does not own the easement, although he/she may be required to care for any plant growth on that easement in some cases.
There are other easement examples, but do not apply here.
Get permit from the city? Make sure you know what's under the surface in the way of services.
For best results take the ibuprofen in 800 mg doses, as that is the amount needed to treat inflmation. (that's four 200 mg tablets).
Then consider some Ben-Gay or other rub, a heat pad, and a lover who will consent to rub sweet smelling oil into your aching shoulders!
If you are in New England, have I got a deal for you!!!!
Irrelavent to the issue at hand here, Dave. Fact is... this is part of a deal made with the city; my friend removes the slabs to expose the roots and the city agrees to cut down and remove three large trees that not only have cracked the sidewalk but at threatening the roadway. They both benefit. But this has nothing to do with operating a jackhammer.
Okay.
A little buzzing bug in my brain is saying something about using a rocksaw instead. Investigate it.
Consider renting a bobcat, ive seen whole walkways done with only a bobcat and a dumpster, no sore back or broken fingers or toes and it goes quick. If you have never done it its a hard, tough job. In my city the city pays 50-98% , contact them first. I had a corner lot of
120 ft done for $220Bobcat, huh. I'll investigate. Sure sounds easier on all body parts. All three of us are 65... but in decent shape. Nonetheless... sittin sounds a hellova lot better than bouncin' up and down.
Consider renting a bobcat, ive seen whole walkways done with only a bobcat and a dumpster, no sore back or broken fingers or toes and it goes quick. If you have never done it its a hard, tough job. In my city the city pays 50-98% , contact them first. I had a corner lot of
120 ft done for $220Found it on the net. Looks like it's used for "trenching through rock". I'm not quarrying, Dave. Just removing some concrete. :-) P.S. Maybe there's a differnt one you have in mind? I'm lookin' for the simplest way to do this and thought for sure it would be that jackhammer until Ransley came up with the Bobcat. That sounds like even more fun!
How about cutting the sidewalk into its natural sections. Move the sections out with the bobcat. Make the repair work on the sidewalk later easier.
Bobcats are fun and effective for small jobs, but too big a job for quick work manually. Used a bobcat for clearing small tree stumps, general leveling of land, moving lots of soil/gravel/rock, and excavating a french drain. Always point the bobcat straight up an incline or straight down. They can topple on an incline if going across, instead at the incline.
Another approach is to drive wedges into the score lines of the sidewalk segments with a sledge as an alternative to sawing and the machine and blade rental costs. To test your capacity and the efficacy of this would be easy and allow you a comparitive procedure to weigh against contending possibilities.
Frankly, an accomplished sledgehammer man could do the breaking job in a day if rental expenditures were a concern.
Regards,
Edward Hennessey
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