Breaker (hydraulic)

A breaker is mounted on the excavator on the left side
Hydraulic breaker attachment on a skid-steer loader

A breaker is a powerful percussion hammer fitted to an excavator for demolishing hard (rock or concrete) structures. It is powered by an auxiliary hydraulic system from the excavator, which is fitted with a foot-operated valve for this purpose. Additionally, demolition crews employ the hoe ram for jobs too large for jackhammering or areas where blasting is not possible due to safety or environmental issues.

Breakers are often referred to as "hammers", "peckers", "hoe rams" or "hoe rammers". These terms are popular and commonly used amongst construction/demolition workers.[1][2] The first hydraulic breaker, Hydraulikhammer HM 400, was invented in 1967 by German company Krupp (today German company Atlas Copco) in Essen.[3]

  1. ^ New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department - Hoe Ram Archived January 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Mobile Hydraulic Hammer". Archived from the original on 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
  3. ^ "The hydraulic breaker is now 50 years old". Archived from the original on 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2019-09-05.