Reasons why a hydraulic breaker fails
The hydraulic breaker is perhaps one of the tools most widely used on construction sites and one of the most misunderstood; this usually results in high costs for corrective maintenance, low useful life, and minimum efficiency values, among others.
The most common reasons for constant hydraulic breaker failures stem from an incorrect selection process, followed by installation, maintenance, operability, and storage. These points are below:
1.- Selection and compatibility with the base equipment: All manufacturers of hydraulic breakers provide information on compatibility with the carrier vehicle through tables with margins or suggested values that the carrier machine must meet; among the most common are weight, flow oil pressure, hydraulic operating pressure, etc.
Tipping a hydraulic breaker with incompatible weight, dimensions, or operating pressures can cause operating problems that are dangerous as they can damage the holder or tool.
2.- Incorrect Tipping: A common mistake that causes wear and even inoperability is the deficient configuration of hydraulic pressures and flows in the carrier vehicle during installation. Each breaker has been designed to work optimally in certain ranges of values, and these should match those provided by the carrier.
3.- Maintenance: Like all vehicles and tools, the hydraulic hammer must undergo scheduled maintenance periods every “n” number of hours and continuous review processes. To be carried out correctly, always use the operating manuals provided by the manufacturer, one of the most common mistakes will be to carry out the greasing process incorrectly.
4.-There are common errors within the operation of a hydraulic hammer such as vacuum hammering, incorrect inclination or angles of attack, the successive operation for extended periods, as well as alternative uses, among which leverage, elevation stand out. of objects, ignorance of operational limits, etc. Be sure to read the recommended practices outlined in the operation manual.
5.-Storage: Some manufacturers recommend that the storage for short periods be carried out horizontally on a pallet; however, for storage for months, this will not always be applicable since the position could vary vertically in addition to a discharge of gas pressure, removal of the tip among other recommendations, follow the recommendations in the operation manual to ensure correct storage.