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Removing concrete sucks

Ricemarine

Ricemarine

Lifer
Like strategies to? I have 6 inch deep concrete with a 55 lb jackhammer. Right now we've only removed like 1/10 of the whole thing in an hour...
 
I did that all last weekend. Removed and replaced 32 bags of 60# concrete this week (~42 sq ft). 5" of crap with two layers of wire mesh going through it. I thought it would be 3" and easy. A lot of curse words came out of my mouth. But I got it done. It must have been funny watching a stick weakling like me swing a 10# sledgehammer. A prybar really helped get it off the wire mesh.

My back muscles are sore, but I'm happy to have done it all by hand. I nearly rented a jackhammer. If I was looking at 18 feet by 15 feet like you, I definately would have rented a jackhammer. And maybe a bobcat to lift it all up and put it in a rented dump truck.
 
18 by 15 feet, 6" thick? 4 small is well worth it, IMO. I have the equipment available to me, and we would charge more than that to remove and dispose of it. That is about 405 cubic feet, or 15 cubic yards of concrete debris. The recycle dump fees will be at least $150.
 
Dude can you get a backhoe in there and just rip it up then break it up with the bucket. You can rent a machine for about $300. Certainly beats 2k for an MRI of you back.
 
Originally posted by: mattpegher
Dude can you get a backhoe in there and just rip it up then break it up with the bucket. You can rent a machine for about $300. Certainly beats 2k for an MRI of you back.
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Don't try that. 6" will kick a backhoe's arse. If you can pry out a section and rest it teeter-totter style on another chunk, you can get it to break up but it is a long winded process.

I rented a concrete saw at RSC the other day, it was 92 for the 11Hp saw and 50 for the blade. It would take a while to saw all that up, but it is a lot easier to do than any breakage. Of course it helps to know what you are doing🙂
 
Jackhammer work is brutal, even when you know what you're doing, and in good condition. I've done a fair amount of it myself, and to me, the laborers on the job are worth what they get paid. (currently around $25./hr plus benefits)
Be sure to let the machine do the work, and use your legs to lift it out, NOT your back. You can use the chisel bit for a pry bar somewhat, and again, use your leg for leverage to move it around.
A few years ago, I had to break up some concrete in my back yard that the previous owner had tried to pour...HORRIBLE job...Some places, it was 3" thick, others over 8" thick...Spent most of a day busting it up with a 60 lb hammer, then 2 months trying to getting rid of it...Finally, when I had my patio poured, I talked the contractor into hauling off what was left.
 
Sounds like you are using an electric jackhammer. You probably should have gotten a 90 lb w/ compressor. Use bolt cutters to cut any wire.

Call the that company back tommorrow to see if he will remove the other half for $300.

This is probably one of the worst construction projects. Concrete demo will kick yer butt.
 
Originally posted by: skyking
18 by 15 feet, 6" thick? 4 small is well worth it, IMO. I have the equipment available to me, and we would charge more than that to remove and dispose of it. That is about 405 cubic feet, or 15 cubic yards of concrete debris. The recycle dump fees will be at least $150.
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Actually... remeasured...

544 square feet total... Woo... Now multiply that by 4...

I've only finished 1/8 in 2 hours...
 
Sh!t be a man. When I was doing driveways I used a sledgehammer and a pic axe. There is no "easy way" just grab the stuff and go to town.
A couple holes, close together, with the Jackhammer and a few swings with the sledge and the stuff will crack up but no matter how you go about doing it its going to take a long time and you will be sore for a few days if your not used to doing manual labor.
 
Didnt Mythbusters do something like this in a truck? I believe if you drill a few holes in the concrete put a few sticks of dynamite into them, you have to do like no work except cleanup.
 
Originally posted by: jadinolf
Originally posted by: Ricemarine
Originally posted by: Baked
Hire somebody who knows what they're doing to do it. /thread
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Too bad it costs $400 for them to do it. Its about 6X5 yards... woo.
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That's cheap.
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Yeah it is... Compared to the labor I'm doing now...

So now... 1/3 of the way done... at 4 PM PST.
 

Chip 2-3? off at a time, try not taking too much off at a time because it would punch a hole and jam the tip into the concrete. And, lots of elbow grease.






 
I actually prefer to use a sledge. Jackhammers make a lot gravel.

I'll pry up with a pry bar, then put a crack in it with 16 lb. sledge. 20 pounders also just break through the slab and just make a mess.

 
Originally posted by: dullard
I did that all last weekend. Removed and replaced 32 bags of 60# concrete this week (~42 sq ft). 5" of crap with two layers of wire mesh going through it. I thought it would be 3" and easy. A lot of curse words came out of my mouth. But I got it done. It must have been funny watching a stick weakling like me swing a 10# sledgehammer. A prybar really helped get it off the wire mesh.

My back muscles are sore, but I'm happy to have done it all by hand. I nearly rented a jackhammer. If I was looking at 18 feet by 15 feet like you, I definately would have rented a jackhammer. And maybe a bobcat to lift it all up and put it in a rented dump truck.
Click to expand...

heh..sounds like my kind of afternoon😀
 
Your question had it's own answer. If you have 6", that's heavy duty stuff. Get a backhoe with one of those cement cutters on it. You'll never break up that thick of cement with that small of a hammer.
 
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