A hydraulic rock breaker is an attachment that fits onto an excavator for breaking rocks, trenching or in demolition. Essentially, it is an over-sized jackhammer which utilises the excavator’s hydraulic system to power its pounding, impact action.
How does a Hydraulic Jackhammer work?
A hydraulic breaker hammer is traditionally mounted on yellow metal with booms such as excavators of all sizes and skid steers. It works to break large and/or hard substances into manageable pieces to enable construction workers to remove material from the area by transforming hydraulic power into impact energy.
How is this excavator breaker designed?
Also known as a hydraulic excavator breaker, this machinery comprises three major sections:
BACK HEAD
- The end which connects to the machine. This is usually connected with a Quick Hitch enabling operators to change to a bucket easily, making one excavator easily able to perform multiple tasks.
- An impact enhancer that controls the downward motion of the piston.
- A damper valve/plate that regulates the return motion of the piston.
CYLINDER ASSEMBLY
- This central portion comprises a control valve, a piston, a cylinder and seal kits.
- The valve controls the oil flow to the working parts.
- The hydraulic flow of oil drives the piston up and down in the cylinder.
FRONT HEAD
- The piston is the part which hits the tool fitted to the front head.
- The working tool is fixed in place with bushes and pins (wear parts which need replacing on a regular cycle).
Komatsu’s hydraulic breaker hammers
MMI, as Komatsu’s dealer in Zimbabwe, supplies Komatsu’s range of industry-leading hydraulic rock breakers, which fit on all sizes of construction excavators (PC18 to PC450). The range starts at 90kg and extends to 3.5 tons.
The larger variants of the Komatsu hydraulic hammer boast the following features:
- Two speeds,
- Variable speeds – this increases productivity by changing frequency automatically to suit the material, or the condition,
- Lower maintenance because of variable energy systems,
- Energy, recovery and regulation systems supply greater hydraulic efficiency,
- Fully enclosed nitrogen-filled accumulator,
- The hammer’s design is back-pressure tolerant, and
- High-impact strength.
Combined with Komatsu excavators, these hydraulic breaker hammers offer customers reduced downtime, higher productivity and lower cost per hour.
Komatsu is a global leader in the supply of Japanese-engineered mining, construction, earthmoving and utility equipment in Southern Africa. The MoJo Motor Industries (MMI) Team comes with over fifty years of combined experience in automotive, construction and mining equipment sales and support. MMI is the official Komatsu dealer for Zimbabwe. Please direct all your pre-sales or equipment enquiries on hydraulic breaker hammers to our professional staff.