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Demolishing and breaking

Crocodile shear

A crocodile shear fitted at the end of the arm of a demolition excavator: the moving jaw has closed on a steel beam that it is cutting through, in front of a gutted building and ground strewn with rubble and scrap.
The name comes from the shape:
a jaw hinged at one end, which opens like a mouth.
Synthetic image.

A jaw hinged at one end, which opens like a mouth.
The name comes from the shape:
it does not designate a separate technical family.

Other names for this tool: crocodile grab, crocodile jaw, mouth shear, alligator shear.

The essentials
Family
Demolishing and breaking
Classes (t)
Depending on the size
Coupler
All, by plate
Power source
Hydraulic — flow and pressure: we calculate it with you for your machine

Identify your coupler →

01 Use

What it is for

On the left, mounted on the excavator, the crocodile shear grips and cuts a beam. On the right, not to be confused with the workshop crocodile shear, which stands on the floor. Computer-generated image.
mounted on the excavator, the crocodile shear grips and cuts a beam not to be confused with the workshop crocodile shear, which stands on the floor
Left: mounted on the excavator, the crocodile shear grips and cuts a beam.
Right: not to be confused with the workshop crocodile shear, which stands on the floor.
What sets it apart:
the opening is its argument — but it is judged where the piece goes in, not at the back.
Computer-generated image.

The geometry gives a wide opening in relation to the overall size:
the moving part pivots at one end and crosses the fixed part over the whole length of the mouth.
That is convenient for engaging a long piece and cutting it up in successive passes, without repositioning at every cut.

The word calls for a caution, and we prefer to give it at once:
“crocodile” also designates a workshop shear, set on the ground and powered separately, which is not an excavator attachment.
When that word appears in an offer, the first question is to know which of the two is meant.

Between crocodile shear, demolition shear and scrap shear, the boundary is more commercial than technical. All three cut metal between two crossing edges.
We shall not force a distinction that does not exist:
compare the cutting geometry, the useful opening and the blades. See the scrap shear.

02 Key technical data

On which machine?

On a machine from 2 to 110 t: a shear from 315 to 20 900 kg, to be checked with you.
The shear fits all couplers, via a mounting plate.

What the tool does

This crocodile shear is used for demolishing and breaking.
The recorded length is 2 300, 2 510, 5 425 or 6 260 mm depending on the model, to be checked with you.

What is needed on the hydraulic side

It needs an auxiliary hydraulic circuit.
The flow and pressure: we calculate them with you for your machine.

Figures taken from our models on the market.
Your study sets the exact value for your machine.

How to read these values →

03 Your study

Have your machine checked.

Tell us what you cut, where, and whether the tool has to be carried by an excavator or set on the ground.
That question alone settles half the misunderstandings.

What we need to answer you
  • Your machine Its make and its tonnage.
  • The auxiliary circuit Its flow in l/min, its pressure in bar, single- or double-acting.
  • The coupler in place Its system and its class.
  • The work The use, and the material.

Without these details, the study still begins: we will ask you for them.

Send my photos

or describe your need

Book an appointment with the specialist

Or call 01 84 16 55 49 · our lines are open 7 days a week, from 7h to 22h.

Written study within 3 working days, once the file is complete.

Not to be confused
  • Hydraulic shear Principle — two blades that cross, with no set jaw geometry.
    Use — it brings down a structural frame, sorts and processes, and the line between it and the crocodile shear is more commercial than technical.
  • Scrap shear Principle — the same cutting principle, the name describing a use more than a geometry.
    Use — it cuts on the ground in many passes, and its cost over a year depends on the blades more than on the stated capacity.
04 Choice

What determines the choice

  • 01 — The useful opening It is the argument for this geometry.
    It is judged where the piece goes in, not at the back of the mouth.
  • 02 — The least favourable cutting point A blade cuts less hard near the opening than at the back.
    The capacity announced is read at that place.
  • 03 — The rotation It decides whether you present the mouth to the piece, or the machine to the heap.
  • 04 — The holding of the blades A blade that moves under the force no longer cuts:
    it crushes, and it chips.
05 Check

What is checked before ordering

  • Which tool is meant An excavator attachment or a workshop machine:
    the confusion is frequent, and it costs dear.
  • The pressure available The cutting force depends directly on it.
  • The weight and the working reach Arm extended, in the real cutting position.
  • The interface Coupler designation or pin dimensions.
The other shears
The jaw carrier body
Sorting what has been cut
To go further
A question about an attachment? 01 84 16 55 49 Send my photos