Rotery Hammers?

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Jerseydaze

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I have a job coming up that I would like to use a rotary hammer to make a hole to fit 1 1/4 PVC. Ive never bought one of these anyone have a tip on what to look for I plan to get a g-rod attachment also .My old boss would have broke out the hammer and chisel. Oh yeah and I'm a cheep skate for what its worth.
 
Jerseydaze said:
anyone have a tip on what to look for I plan to get a g-rod attachment also .
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I like the large Bosch SDS drills they are pretty tough and you pretty much can't kill a large Hilti.

Oh yeah and I'm a cheep skate
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With ground rod attachment, 1.75 bit and maybe a couple of others I think you will be into $800-$1,000 quickly.
 
Jerseydaze said:
Oh yeah and I'm a cheep skate for what its worth.
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Bring out the rod and chisel. :grin:

The bosch is also my choice but I believe you can get it cheaper than Bob says or at least get a cheaper model.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I believe you can get it cheaper than Bob says or at least get a cheaper model.
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Yeah you can get the gun cheaper, but my estimate includes the bullets. :cool:

The ground rod adapter and large bits are not cheap 1.25" PVC is 1.66" OD so at least a 1.75" hole will be needed, if he plans on sealing the hole I would go up to a 2" bit.
 
drills

drills

If you ever need a "jack" hammer style drill you can't beat a Bosch. It comes with a pull cart and all tips/attachment. I rent this at a great rate from a tool rental store. The Hilti 70 series is hard to beat for horizontal drilling, but can get heavy fast. I used mine a couple of weeks ago with ground rod attachment to drive a rod. The ground was really hard but the Hilti knocked it out in about 3 minutes!!
 
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I have a Dewalt D25404K Sds Plus Rotary Hammer Drill. It will do whatever I need it to, I have a 2" dry core bit that has been through poured walls, and I use a 3/4" core bit as a groundrod driver. (Hey, it works!)
 
If you are a cheapskate you may want to spend the big bucks now. I wish I had the money I have wasted on cheap tools that don't perform, only to go back and buy the good tool anyway. The good quality stuff (Hilti, Bosch, etc.) is almost always the best value.

When I'm looking to purchase an expensive tool I usually go to the rental yard and see what they buy. They know what holds up and what doesn't.
 
I have always been a firm believer in buying the best tool you can afford. Even if it's more than you need today, you will need it tomorrow.

If you need a DVM, don't go buy a $25 model if you have $200 you can afford.
 
On the other hand, if you buy a lesser model now, and end up needing a better one down the line, you have a "backup" to fall back on. Either that, or you have all your old cast off's to set up the next truck with tools.

For what it's worth, I use the Milwaukee 5321-21 Spline drive rotary hammer for most drilling and coring. Does up to a 1-1/2" masonry bit or a 6" core. I like spline drive because I can get the bits most easily. I'd have a harder time sourcing the SDSmax and SDS+ bits in the larger sizes in my area, which is why I picked spline drive. Your mileage will vary. Before you settle on one particular chuck for your rotary hammer, I'd suggest that you pole your regular jobbers to see what drive type of bits and core shafts they normally stock.

For the smaller anchor hole sizes (maybe 3/4" and less), I think it's fair to say that the regular SDS (not plus or max) is pretty much the standard drive type.
 
i have both hilti and bosch units. i have the light weight and heavy duty sized for the hole needed. i have never had them serviced or in the repair shop and used them for over 25 years..........
 
Hilti and other ...

Hilti and other ...

Whats the largerest size Concrete or even circle bore drill bit that one can get for a SDS chuck? Hilti's sight all
the drill bit looks equal to the SDS shank size :confused: ... IE same photo for all there listed drills... ?
1" is the biggest?

I'm thinking my "Best Deal" Hilti TE 6-S won't cut it ~ 40% of the time.

Even though theres plenty of attachments still to buy for it... Like a quick change for stanrdard drill bits.

I really need to go to Hilti city counter, and learn some stuff before I treat myself...

Seems there was a near exact post some time back where a comparison on Hand & Heavy Drills was made.

I've used most of them over the years, I've never burned one up one but have stuck a few drill bits...:rolleyes:
 
Jerseydaze said:
I have a job coming up that I would like to use a rotary hammer to make a hole to fit 1 1/4 PVC. Ive never bought one of these anyone have a tip on what to look for I plan to get a g-rod attachment also .My old boss would have broke out the hammer and chisel. Oh yeah and I'm a cheep skate for what its worth.
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I use a Dewalt 1" spline bit will handle a 2" bit and will switch to chisel.
If you are a REAL cheep skate be prepaired for sticker shock.
 
My two cents worth

My two cents worth

Here's what we have done for driving ground rods. Took a 12 lb. sledge hammer head and removed the wooden handle. Cut a piece of 1" IMC for the handle and formed the end to fit into sledge head and welded. Then, about 28"-30"" from head end, we cut handle and welded a plug into handle. To drive the ground rod, slip sledge over rod and pound rod down to within 24" or so from grade. Then we made an "adapter" that fits over remaining ground rod and also fits into sledge handle. Finish driving rod down to grade. We use a Macho I rotary hammer when we have power, but this home-made sledge setup takes alot of work out of it.

RLK
 
almost all our trucks carry a bosch or dewalt like the ones metioned earlier. but a friend of mine turned me on to a tool store we have here called harbor frieght tools. the have an online store harborfrieghtusa.com and they sell these off the wall sds, sds max drills for a third of what the others cost. we bought one about 2 months ago while a dewalt we had was in the shop getting a new trigger and the darn thing works great. i dont know how long it will last but it has a 3 year warranty that is 100%. i bought a 4.5 angle grinder last week for $16 and its working just fine. I have always been a firm believer in that you get what you pay for and usually get the most expensive for my company stuff, but these tools are showing me a little something.
 
tyha said:
almost all our trucks carry a bosch or dewalt like the ones metioned earlier. but a friend of mine turned me on to a tool store we have here called harbor frieght tools. .
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They're a good source for disposable tools.
 
rkrieger said:
We use a Macho I rotary hammer when we have power, but this home-made sledge setup takes alot of work out of it.
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I have a 2500w (continuous) inverter, so I always have 120v power. :cool:

I used to use a fence-post driver and finish with a sledge. Never again. :rolleyes:
 
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