Jackhammer hire
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Which jackhammer: light, medium or heavy breaker?
Electric jackhammers (breakers) come in weight classes, and the weight sets how hard each blow lands. Pick the size by what you're breaking.
| Breaker (or similar) | Weight | Energy per blow | What it breaks | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light, up to about 11 kg (Bosch GSH 11 VC) | 11.4 kg | 23 J | Floor tiles with their adhesive bed, plaster, thin screed | R230–R400 |
| Medium, about 15–18 kg (Bosch GSH 16-28) | 18.3 kg | 41 J | Screed, brick walls, steps, paving, thin concrete paths | R270–R440 |
| Heavy, 27–30 kg (Bosch GSH 27 VC) | 29.5 kg | 62 J | Concrete floor slabs, driveways, foundations, stone | R380–R610 |
All three are built for concrete and stone; the difference is speed. A heavy breaker lands almost three times the energy per blow of a light one (62 J against 23 J), so it gets through a slab in a fraction of the time. A light breaker is the right tool when you want the tiles off but the slab underneath kept whole.
Electric breakers draw 1,700–1,900 W, so they run off a normal 230 V socket or a portable generator: see generator hire for sites with no power. Tell us whether you need a point chisel (for breaking) or a wide chisel (for tiles and screed).
Jackhammer, breaker and mixer hire prices
Day rates, machine only (no operator), excluding VAT. Delivery and collection are quoted as their own line, based on your town.
| Size | Rate | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy electric jackhammer (27–30 kg) | Per day, machine only | R380–R610 |
| Medium electric breaker (15–16 kg) | Per day, machine only | R270–R440 |
| Light electric breaker (up to 11 kg) | Per day, machine only | R230–R400 |
| Concrete mixer (300–500 litre) | Per day, machine only | R370–R470 |
| Diesel compressor with pneumatic breaker | Per day, machine only | R680–R890 |
Diesel compressors with pneumatic breakers, trenchers and lighting towers are priced per job on WhatsApp. Weekly rates and what changes the price are on jackhammer and compressor hire rates.
Get a jackhammer price on WhatsAppCompressor hire with a pneumatic breaker
For heavy breaking all day, road and kerb work, or a site with no power, a towable diesel compressor drives pneumatic breakers through air hoses. Pneumatic breakers of this class are made for breaking concrete, asphalt and brickwork.
| Breaker | Weight | Air use at 6 bar |
|---|---|---|
| TEX 230 PE or similar | about 25.5 kg | 64 cfm (about 30 litres a second) |
| TEX 280 PE or similar | about 31 kg | 68 cfm (about 32 litres a second) |
The breaker's air use decides the compressor: one compressor can run two breakers of this class when it is sized for both. Compressors also run air tools, spray guns and blow-out lances. Compressor and breaker hire is priced on WhatsApp: tell us how many breakers, the hose length to the work, the days and the town.
Concrete mixer hire
Our site mixers have 300–500 litre drums, at R370–R470 a day. A mixer with a 340-litre drum mixes about 280 litres per batch (Altrad Belle AT350 or similar, 1.5 kW electric, so it runs off a socket or a portable generator).
| Use | Strength | Cement : sand : stone (wheelbarrows) | Per 50 kg bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations, domestic floors (unreinforced) | 10–15 MPa | 1 : 3.5 : 3.5 | About 114 litres of sand and 114 litres of stone (1¾ barrows each) |
| Driveways, light industrial floors (unreinforced) | 20–25 MPa | 1 : 2.5 : 2.5 | About 81 litres of sand and 81 litres of stone (1¼ barrows each) |
| Mortar for bricklaying and plastering | 5 MPa | 1 : 5 : none | About 163 litres of sand (2½ barrows) |
Bags per mix: one bag at the foundation mix is about 260 litres of material, so a 340-litre mixer takes one bag per batch. At the stronger driveway mix a bag is about 195 litres, still one bag a batch with room for water. Bigger drums take more per batch; we confirm the batch size of the mixer we send.
Place concrete within an hour of mixing, so mix batch by batch as the work is ready for it. For pours of several cubes, ready-mix delivered by truck saves days of mixing; for footings, slabs and paths, a site mixer with two people loading is the usual way.
Trenchers, lighting towers and compactors
- Trenchers (walk-behind and ride-on) cut narrow trenches for irrigation, cables and small pipes: exact price on WhatsApp. For deeper or wider trenches, see trenching with a TLB or excavator.
- Lighting towers for night work and security on site: exact price on WhatsApp, with the number of nights and the town.
- Plate compactors and rammers (from R270 a day) for backfilling trenches and compacting paving bases are on roller and compactor hire.
Bigger breaking jobs: a TLB with a breaker
A jackhammer suits a bathroom floor, a path or a few square metres of slab. For a whole floor, a thick reinforced slab, foundations or rock in a trench, a TLB with a hydraulic breaker costs R5,000–R6,550 a day with operator and comes with an experienced operator. The TLB then loads the rubble too. For knocking down walls or whole buildings, see demolition.
Safety: hearing, dust and vibration
- Hearing. A breaker hammering concrete is loud enough to damage hearing over a working day. Wear ear muffs or plugs, and keep others back.
- Dust. Concrete, screed and tile dust contains fine silica that damages lungs. Wet the surface while breaking, use a dust attachment where the breaker takes one, and wear a proper dust mask (FFP2/P2 or better). Indoors, open up and keep people out of the room.
- Vibration. The manufacturer's hand-arm vibration figures are 7.6 m/s² (light), 12.3 m/s² (medium) and 8.5 m/s² (heavy). Take regular breaks, swap operators, and let the breaker's weight do the work instead of leaning on it.
- What's under the slab. Water pipes, drains and electrical conduit run in and under floors. Find out where before you break, and switch off circuits that run through the area.
- Feet, eyes and hands. Safety boots, glasses and gloves. The breaker can jump when the chisel binds; keep feet clear of the point.
More on how we keep machines and sites safe: safety and certificates. Booking works the same as any machine: see how it works.
WhatsApp us the job and townQuestions people ask
How much does it cost to hire a jackhammer?
A light electric breaker is R230–R400 a day, a medium one R270–R440 and a heavy 27–30 kg jackhammer R380–R610, machine only and excluding VAT. Delivery is its own line. See jackhammer hire prices.
Which jackhammer do I need to remove tiles?
A light breaker of about 11 kg with a wide chisel. It lifts floor tiles and the adhesive bed without smashing the slab underneath. If the tiles sit on a thick screed you also want gone, a medium breaker of about 16–18 kg is quicker.
Will a jackhammer break a concrete slab?
Yes, a heavy 27–30 kg breaker (Bosch GSH 27 VC or similar, 62 joules a blow) breaks house floor slabs, paths and driveways. For a big area, thick reinforced concrete or rock, a TLB with a hydraulic breaker at R5,000–R6,550 a day with operator does in hours what takes days by hand.
Do I need a compressor for a jackhammer?
Not for an electric jackhammer: it plugs into a 230 V socket or a portable generator. A pneumatic breaker needs a diesel compressor, which also suits sites with no power and long days of heavy breaking.
How many bags of cement go in a concrete mixer?
A mixer with a 340-litre drum mixes about 280 litres a batch (Altrad Belle AT350 or similar). At the 1 : 3.5 : 3.5 foundation mix, one 50 kg bag of cement with its sand and stone is about 260 litres of material, so it takes one bag per batch.
Can I hire a compressor for spray painting or air tools?
Yes. WhatsApp us the tool, its air use (on its plate, in cfm or litres a second) and how many run at once, and we'll price a compressor that keeps up.
Related
Sources we checked
- Bosch Professional GSH 11 VC demolition hammer: 11.4 kg, 23 J, 1,700 W, vibration 7.6 m/s²
- Bosch Professional GSH 16-28 demolition hammer: 18.3 kg, 41 J, 1,750 W, vibration 12.3 m/s²
- Bosch Professional GSH 27 VC demolition hammer: 29.5 kg, 62 J, 1,900 W, vibration 8.5 m/s²
- Atlas Copco medium pneumatic breakers (TEX 230 PE, TEX 280 PE): weight and air consumption
- Afrimat DuraBuild cement brochure: mix proportions by wheelbarrow, 65-litre wheelbarrow, two bags per wheelbarrow
- PPC: how to lay a foundation (place concrete within 1 hour of mixing)
- Altrad Belle AT350 mixer specification: 340-litre drum, 280-litre mixing volume, 1.5 kW electric
Need a jackhammer?
WhatsApp us the job, the town and the dates. We confirm the machine, the start date and the price in writing before the machine moves.
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