Cut, Grind & Sand with Precision

Breaker steels: shank first, then shape

A breaker steel has to fit the breaker before anything else matters. The shank size, usually 1" or 1¼" hex, is the thing to check against the machine, and the length quoted is the overall length of the tool.

Once the fit is right, the shape decides what it does:

• Moil point concentrates all the energy on a single point. For starting a break and for punching through slabs.
• Narrow chisel spreads the force along a line, so a crack runs where you want it. For trimming, following a line and controlled demolition.
• Asphalt and tarmac cutters are wide blades that slice rather than shatter, for cutting a clean edge in a road surface.
• Clay spade is a broad blade for cohesive ground, digging in clay where a point simply makes holes.
• Digger steel and digging spade sit between the two for general excavation work.

Carrying a moil point and a chisel covers most breaking. Adding a clay spade covers most digging.

Floor saws and splitters

A floor saw makes a straight, controlled cut through a slab or road surface to a set depth, which is what allows a section to be lifted without disturbing what surrounds it. Twin blade machines cut two parallel lines in one pass.

Cutting the perimeter before breaking is the difference between a neat excavation and a ragged one that costs more to reinstate than the original job.

A hydraulic block splitter cuts blocks and kerbs without a blade at all, which means no dust, no noise and no water. On a job with a lot of cutting to line, it is faster than a saw and it removes the silica exposure entirely.

Roller tubes and strikers

The Bunyan and Errut tubes here, from 3.2m to 9.2m, are roller screeds: a powered tube that levels and compacts concrete across its span in one pass.

Span is the specification that matters. Buy the tube to suit the pour width, because a tube that does not reach both rails cannot be used and one that is far too long is unwieldy. The drive unit and the striker are separate items, so check what is included.

Vibration

Breakers are among the highest vibration tools on any site, and exposure is measured over the whole working day rather than per job.

The practical controls are rotating operators, keeping steels sharp because a blunt steel means longer trigger time for the same result, and using a saw or splitter to reduce how much breaking is needed in the first place.

For compaction after excavation, see compaction equipment.