well after turning the 312 over this fall we are looking for a new machine(can't find a cab) so we are thinking about a 315 or 318 or even a 320 maybe if we can haul it. we are thinking that we need to get one that is plumbed for a hammer. we are tired of renting them, a 315 with hammer is over 1800 a day now. so i would like to hear from you guys that run hammers everyday about what hammers you like and things to look for in hammers for that size machines. and things to look for in the machines. what kind of service life do you get out of them and some of the cost of ownership you guys are experancing thanks guys
I buy NPK hammers and put autolubes on all the hammers. I have good operators who take care of the machines, but you use less grease, but it greases it more often and better than if you did it by hand. If that's your only machine then I would get one with a quick coupler so after you hammer you can switch to the bucket real quick to clean the hole.
I don't own machines with hammers but can add my two cents. With some excavators the hyd oil filter and oil change interval is reduced when a hammer is used extensively - check with Cat if there is any requirement on your machine. Make sure the hammer is of the right size, weight and pressure requirement for your machine. Match the flow requirements or hydraulic HP of the hammer with the pressure and flow that is available on your machine... but be conservative in the size of the hammer. Don't max out and get the biggest hammer that the machine can possibly handle because it will wear everything out more quickly in my experience. Be careful of rental hammers to avoid cross-contamination and be careful of poor quality couplings and connector hoses. Get your hammers set up by a professional outfit for flow, pressure, system back-pressure and don't tamper with the settings.
We have always rented machines with hammers, but we are getting so many rock jobs that we are going to be buying our own. We have used NPK, Cat and Indeco hammers and I believe that NPK is the best.
All 3 of our hammers are NPK with the largest being a 16,000 lb. We've had no major problems out of any of them besides normal wear and tear. All of our hoes that they are mounted on are also equipped with automatic grease systems. Check out this thread for pictures of our Cat 345C with the 16,000 lb. NPK hammer: CB's Fancy Smancy Photo Gallery
I have spent some hours in exc with hammers, and i agree with both cb and wulf. We got hammers for all our machines from the pc78 to the pc210. I would highly recommend automatic lubesystems both for the excavator and for the hammer. Our latest hammer, a Montabert, for the 210 got a simple system with cartridges and its just great. U can see the grease cartridge on the hammer, and when its empty u just screw in a new one. It always get the correct amount of grease. The grease pump is driven by a smal hyd hose attached to the main inlet on the hammer. Some years a go i drove a Kobelco 912 with a hammer and that was a nightmare. It was pretty worn out ,and after a couple of hours i had to go out grease it. You'll hear it in the machine when the grease get smacked out of the joints. It goes from the soft banking to a sharper sound. Then u got metal to metal contact. If u got a lube system on the exc u can add a extra grease round bu pushing the button in the cab. Real nice and would make your bushings and bolts last longer. General rule in hammer use, is to never have your sylinders totaly extended or retract. Then u don't have any oil damping the energy. Otherwise it's always smart to read the rock before starting to crack it. Rock is easier to split when u hit it between the layers. And more than a number of seconds/blows on the same spot makes your hammerpin round in a short time.
I run a Socamec Hammer It has an auto lube on it. It out performs other bigger hammers that I have tried(Indeco, Okada, Stanley) I also have an Atlas Copco with an auto lube and it is good hammer just bit pricey. I work mostly in Basalt It is the hardest rock you are going to find in my area. It really dosent mater what size hammer you have you are only going to brake the weather rock once you hit solid stuff it is time to drill and split or blast and then you can run a smaller hammer
Okada is the fastest, hardest hitting I've used. I did'nt like the way it shook the machine so I bought a 1500lb indeco for my 310 SE. Hits hard, not real fast and it does'nt shack my machine.
I have an Okada as well. Hits like a freight train.
We have 3 BTI hammers. All 3 are sweet. Easy to work on and cheap to repair. Are 312 is paires with a 3000 lb hammer and works great. It transports easy too. Our John Deere 160 lc swings a 5000lb BTI. Best of luck to you.
We've had good experience with a Kent KF12QT on a Volvo 180 wheeled excavator.
We don't run hammers, but we do run a 315CL and a 320C. 320 has a thumb and bucket. 315 has a compactor plate and thumb. They are always ready for the job.
I think I have a Tramac hammer, I boughtb it and the my 580E used, well more like beat to hell. One of the worst choices I ever made. Any way I got the machine running pretty good and have been using the hammer for last 2 years and it was doing pretty good against blue rock, but it finally broke. I need some advise on rebuilding it. Help please!
get us some pics on your hammers.great
id stick with a 315 or 320 id prefer a bigger machine for hammering also try to stay away from odd sizes such as a 318 or odd around here parts availability wont be as good as a 315 or 320 which are very common size
we run a okada top 60 on our cat 446.............its the best hammer in size i have ever run . but were thinking of switching to a bigger slower allied . hammers are getting really cheap .....we just picked up a teledyne 975x(5,000 ) in working condition for 2500 bucks from a failed buisness . if you look around you will find good deals .
NPK there customer service is great.
Whatever unit you choose I highly recommend buying the machine pre-plumbed. I priced out a HKX kit for my 315CL (mono directional valve, hard and soft lines kits, and direct return line) was over $6k. It will be less expensive to buy a unit that already has the kit installed.
yeah its hard to find used or stock machines pre plumbed seems dealers dont bring them in like that for some reason around here looking to purchase a fully plumbed 320 right now
Seeing if you still had the Okada breaker. Ours has been sitting for awhile and the piston seems to be froze and the pressure relief is going off. It is an Okada UB5a. was wondering if you knew of any trick to free the piston without tearing apart.