digging in frozen ground

[cw0909]

hey guys/gals,i need some advice on a pick hammer,what ill be doing is digging through
snow covered ground that is sometimes a couple of feet thick then breaking through the
hard frozen ground,that could be frozen from 2-6 in deep,depending on how cold the winter
will be this yr,i have a folded army shovel for digging the snow,i need something to break
the ground,or what is the best way to dig frozen ground,ive been looking at these
http://www.geo-tools.com/hammers.htm

 

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[metal mania]

this is my perfered tool of choice a tad heavy but should do for your purpose

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackhammer

or perhaps this may do better for yourself


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancor_Jackhammer

 

[cw0909]

this is my perfered tool of choice a tad heavy but should do for your purpose

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackhammer

or perhaps this may do better for yourself


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancor_Jackhammer

wow if i didnt want to be discreet ,those would be great LOL
the pancor looks like it could take out a small car

 

[Born2Dtect]

I tried a small rock hammer (3 lbs) last year here in Maryland. I would forget it. Only 4" was too much to dig. In any case bigger would be better.

 

[RGINN]

We just give up on it up here, cause the ground is froze 4 or 5 feet deep. Even no construction excavations goin on up here in the winter. You could take a sheet of styrofoam and lay it on the ground. I've heard that does thaw it out and gravediggers use that method. Otherwise, wait for the spring thaw, which kicks in good about the end of May up here.

 

[pennyfarmer]

Winter is a time for research and bottle digging. If you get permission to dig an outhouse you just need a large pick to break through the frozen top layer and then its easy digging. If you do this then make sure you screen the dirt back in.

 

[Bum Luck]

hey guys/gals,i need some advice on a pick hammer,what ill be doing is digging through
snow covered ground that is sometimes a couple of feet thick then breaking through the
hard frozen ground,that could be frozen from 2-6 in deep,depending on how cold the winter
will be this yr,i have a folded army shovel for digging the snow,i need something to break
the ground,or what is the best way to dig frozen ground,ive been looking at these
http://www.geo-tools.com/hammers.htm

I do this for a living in Wisconsin, and next to the bugs, this is the next worst thing for me.

I have a specially made spud bar with a 3/4" pipe handle 5 feet long with a welded car spring blade about 8" long and sharpened to a razor "V" edge, but that isn't my favorite tool. Fortunately, it can be bought commercially. Here is a picture and a link from your web site:

http://www.geo-tools.com/paleopick.htm

This is by far the best digging tool I found, and will go through an asphalt toad in just minutes. I sold my old heavy pick ax, just not designed right, and the paleopick is. It's also light, but here's a warning: Don't lend it out, and on a work site, keep your eye on it - it has a tendency to 'walk off' since it's so good. The difference is in the design.

It's still a bugger to dig through frozen ground, and I'm always looking for new ways to do it (even trying a hammer drill), but the difficulty is chiefly that frozen ground acts like a stiff gel, not really brittle.

If you can afford the time, the Styrofoam idea works well. Shovel some dry snow on top of it as well, it acts as insulation.

And for a shovel, use a serious tool, not a folded army shovel. For any quantity of snow, use a scoop shovel, unless it's too big to take along or you only have a few inches of snow.

For serious holes, there is no other tool like this:

And use a serious machine, like 50,000 pounds:

Or for larger areas, use:

Just as above, use a serious dozer, like a D8 or D9.

We routinely use these to get through frost, and they work well.

Here's a hole we made last year in about 3' of frost:


Good luck.