Looking Back at the 50 Year History of the Hydraulic Breaker
Keywords: excavator concrete breaker, mini excavator hammer
50 years ago this year, the first hydraulic breaker was manufactured. However who can claim that they have manufactured the first in history? There are two sides to this story as Atlas Copco and Montabert are two firms that claim they developed the first hydraulic breaker. It is important to note that the concept believed to be pioneered by both firms has been taken up by many throughout the years, making the industry as big as it is today!
In 1967, Krupp Berco Bautechnik, the business that developed the hydraulic breaker range (which was bought by Atlas Copco) showed their rig-mounted hydraulic breaker HM 400 at the Hannover Fair. After much interest was shown in the breaker, 2,000 units were sold. Not to be outdone by Krupp Berco Bautechnik, Montebert also attracted strong sales with their breakers around this time.
Early hydraulic hammers were shown to have many shortcomings. For one, it wasn’t always feasible for a hydraulic breaker to be in constant contact with the rock it was designed to break. Due to this shortcoming, early-stage hydraulic breakers were prone to failure.
As more firms joined the market, including Indeco, NPK and Rammer, boundaries were pushed in the late 1980s as enormous 11 ton units were created. However, only a small amount of units were manufactured because technology for hydraulic seals was not yet readily available. Also introduced in the 1980s was Rammer’s G120 breaker, showcasing the viability of large hammers.
These units, along with others, have increasingly become popular as science and technology helps the industry evolve for construction and quarrying markets. Hydraulic Breaker Services LLC is one to thank for the evolution of hydraulic breakers!
