My dream set up for ripping through hard rock

[swizzle]

I saw this youtube video and I'm loving this set up big time. Only problem I see is that the company that makes these is in China. I'm thinking the shipping would be insane. Does anyone know of an american company that makes this set up or can tell me how to cob one up? I'd really love to start buying this set up piece by piece. Jason

 

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[Jim in Idaho]

That's no big deal.....the BIG deal is drilling the holes. The splitting wedges, and shoes can be driven by hand (and used to be). Those guys are using what looks like a 60lb breaker to drive the wedges. You can buy a Cobra-Combi 2 stroke rockdrill to both drill the holes, and drive the wedges. The Cobra-Combi used to be called Pionjar, and is made in Sweden. Very high quality. I've been using the older Pionjar units for 13 years in my concrete-raising business. They sell for about $6,000. The drills are imported by Atlas Copco Tools. Here's a link to one seller, but there are many others.
Gas Powered Jack Hammers, Breakers, Drills - Cobra Combi and CP Red Hawk Tools
Jim

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

 

[swizzle]

Thanx for the info Jim. I think my biggest hang up was how the hammer is gonna attach to the wedge itself. I've got 5 sets of 3/4" shim n wedges and i've decided that I want to go bigger and a bit faster then trying to drive the wedges by hand. Dardas are way out of my price range and I believe a bit more equipment maintenance then the video I posted. I'll start stockpiling a little cash and see what I can find for 1 1/2" shim n wedges that will work with a hammer drill. The 12" a minute sounds really really sweet. Thats a lot of rock to go through in a short amount of time but it doesnt say what size or kind of bit they used. Right now its taking me around 7 to 8 minutes per foot. I really would love a much faster drill and some top quality bits. That alone would save me hours a week. I did just order a new bosch bulldog extreme bit and I'll be trading it out with my old bit back and forth after every hole to help the bits from over heating.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Thanx for the info Jim. I think my biggest hang up was how the hammer is gonna attach to the wedge itself. I've got 5 sets of 3/4" shim n wedges and i've decided that I want to go bigger and a bit faster then trying to drive the wedges by hand. Dardas are way out of my price range and I believe a bit more equipment maintenance then the video I posted. I'll start stockpiling a little cash and see what I can find for 1 1/2" shim n wedges that will work with a hammer drill. The 12" a minute sounds really really sweet. Thats a lot of rock to go through in a short amount of time but it doesnt say what size or kind of bit they used. Right now its taking me around 7 to 8 minutes per foot. I really would love a much faster drill and some top quality bits. That alone would save me hours a week. I did just order a new bosch bulldog extreme bit and I'll be trading it out with my old bit back and forth after every hole to help the bits from over heating.

One of my Pionjars came with a rock-splitting attachment. That included a bit that slips over the wedges, some wedges & shoes, etc. The Pionjars will drill a 1 3/4" hole through 4 inches of concrete in about a minute...maybe a little less, depending on the strength of the concrete. I use carbide-tipped drills. The Pionjar blows air through the bit to clean the hole, as it drills.
If you use drill steels that take replaceable bits with the Pionjar, the smallest hole you can drill is probably about 1 1/4"....maybe 1 1/8". The threads are 7/8" so that limits the bit size. You can go smaller, but the bit will be a one-piece unit, rather than a separate steel and bit.
All the best,
Jim

 

[swizzle]

I talked to one of my friends at the mine today. He's running a bigger Bosch then I am. Says it cost him around $600 and he's drilling 1 1/4" hole a foot deep but says he's doing it in "only" 10 minutes. I really want to get the speed up a lot faster then 10 minutes per hole. I like the idea of running air through the bit to keep the holes clean too. I need to learn more about drill steels and which tips to get to increase the speed. I found a Pionjar for $1300 but for now its out of my price range. I'm working on saving up the cash for it now.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Be sure any Pionjar you buy is in good shape & rotates. They can be rebuilt a couple of times...each rebuild will cost about $2,800. What happens with them is the compression gets so low, they won't start. If you can get them started, they run fine, but you can't get them started. The other thing that happens is they will start, and run, but they don't hit hard enough to rotate. The rotation mechanism runs off the rebound from the impact...if they don't impact hard enough...no rotation. I sold my business in April, and the guy who now owns it is using a Pionjar I bought new 3 years ago. I would estimate that drill has drilled thru about 1,000 feet of concrete in the last 3 years, and is still running fine. They are a very high-quality machine. The old model is superior to the new Cobra Combi in drilling speed, but the EPA no longer allows the older model to be imported....the last two I bought were Swedish military surplus, but brand new. But all the models share the drive/drill mechanism...it's the motor portion that's different on the new ones (Cobra Combi)
Jim