There are a multitude of cheap replacement Epiroc / Atlas Copco SB hydraulic hammer steels available but only genuine Epiroc SB steels are designed, manufactured and supplied to withstand the rigours of the operation of the powerful Epiroc SB hammer, the UK’s most popular 1 – 9 tonne excavator hydraulic hammer.
If you have decided to purchase a genuine Epiroc / Atlas Copco SB hammer point or chisel, rather than one made out of recycled baked bean tins, below is a guide on how to get the best possible use out of it without breaking it. If you decided to buy a non-genuine Epiroc SB chisel or point don’t bother reading any further because no matter what you do it’s probably not going to last long!!
- Don’t try and break the biggest rock or the largest area of concrete by sticking the Epiroc SB hammer point or chisel in the middle and ‘give it some’. It’s far more productive to work from the edges and work your way in. A little and often is better than one big bite.
- Don’t operate your Epiroc SB hammer for more than 30 seconds in any one go. After 30 seconds excessive heat may build up on the cutting edge effecting the heat-treated hardness of it and then this heat is transferred up the tool and into the Epiroc SB hammer itself which eventually will cause seal failure and leaks. This may also put strain on bushes, pistons etc causing premature wear.
- Try not to blank fire. Blank firing is when you operate the breaker without the Epiroc SB chisel or point being in contact with the rock or concrete. If it is not in contact all that energy generated has to go somewhere and it can cause serious damage to not only the Epiroc SB breaker but the dipper and boom of the excavator. A simple solution is to push down with the Epiroc SB breaker on to the surface until the tracks of the machine are slightly off the ground. Hit the button and watch the Epiroc SB chisel or point enter the material and adjust accordingly on the downward pressure until the material is broken. As soon as its broken stop the operation, re-position and start again.
- Don’t use the Epiroc SB hammer as a pry bar to speed the process up. The strength of the genuine Epiroc SB chisel or point is vertical not horizontal, as soon as you use it as a pry bar you are put horizontal strain on the tool that it was not designed for and it will snap. Not only that the bushes that the tool runs in will wear prematurely.
- Match your Epiroc SB hammer to the size of the carrier. Don’t try and run an Epiroc SB102 designed for a 1.5 tonne to 3 tonne excavator on a 5 tonne excavator. It will work but you are putting too much flow and pressure through the Epiroc SB hammer which will damage the hammer and also the point or chisel. Always check that your excavator is producing the correct flow and pressure for your Epiroc SB breaker.
- Grease the bottom bush, with the genuine Epiroc hammer grease, not multi-purpose grease that you do your excavator pins and bushes with. The genuine Epiroc grease is thicker and heat resistant and if you use multi-purpose grease it will just melt and disappear quicker than a pint of cider down a Devonian throat.
