lbs of impact For ground rods

[jmsbrush]

How many pounds of impact do you need for a hammer drill to drive ground rods? Soil condtions are good here. Would Ten be good?

 

[mdshunk]

At least 10. You can do it with an 8 or 9 pound blow roto-hammer, but you'll still need to break out the sledge to get through a tough rock. Ten or better for best results.

 

[jmsbrush]

Lowe's has a 10lb on clearance for $236.00 normally $479.00. Its a Hitachi. I'm not sure if they make a ground rod tool for that drill. Or does one size fit all?

 

[mdshunk]

Lowe's has a 10lb on clearance for $236.00 normally $479.00. Its a Hitachi. I'm not sure if they make a ground rod tool for that drill. Or does one size fit all?

Depends on what chuck it has. A 10 pound drill will probably have either SDS-Max or spline drive. You can get a ground rod driver for either chuck. Expect to pay about 50-75 dollars for the driver. Resist the urge to use the chuck itself to drive the ground rod.

 

[bkludecke]

I've heard that story about not just putting the bore of the driver right onto the ground rod, but my experience has been very good doing it that way. I rent power poles so we drive hundreds of rods in rocky soil every year. I've got both Makita and Bosch Hammers and have not damaged either tool doing it that way for years. Also, the driver bit soaks up quite a bit of the energy, so when things get really tough I'll remove the bit anyway just to get a little more power to the rod. My guys in the field never use the bit in the first place.