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Drilling and compacting

Driving hammer

Driving hammer mounted on an excavator arm, fitted with its black cap, ready to drive a section
It strikes with repeated blows, where the vibratory driver fluidises the ground:
that is what makes it effective in compact ground.
Illustration based on an existing product.

It strikes.
Where the vibratory driver fluidises the soil, it drives by repeated blows:
that is what makes it effective in compact or stony ground, where vibration refuses.

Other names for this tool: sinking hammer, pile driver, percussion pile driver, post driver.

The essentials
Family
Drilling and compacting
Classes (t)
Depending on the size of the machine
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, the ram strikes the post head through the cap, along a run of crash barriers. On the right, the vibratory pile driver sinks the sheet pile by vibration, a different principle from striking. Computer-generated image.
the ram strikes the post head through the cap, along a run of crash barriers the vibratory pile driver sinks the sheet pile by vibration, a different principle from striking
Left: the ram strikes the post head through the cap, along a run of crash barriers.
Right: the vibratory pile driver sinks the sheet pile by vibration, a different principle from striking.
Computer-generated image.
The mass of a driving hammer falling back onto the head of a tubular pile, the driving cap visible between the two, the pile already driven into muddy ground.
The cap is not an accessory:
it is what spreads the blow, and without it the head of the pile is crushed.
Synthetic image.

A mass is accelerated then released onto the head of the pile, through a cap that spreads the blow.
The energy passes into the ground through the point, not through the side friction:
ground that blocks vibration does not necessarily block the blow.

The common uses are the fence post, the safety-barrier post, the tube, the short pile of a light foundation.
On a long run, the output comes from the rate and from picking up the next post, not from the power quoted.

What it drives in, it does not pull out. Driving is a one-way trip:
a badly placed pile is cut off or left in place.
And it makes noise, which becomes a real subject in a built-up area — the hours, the duration and informing the neighbours are settled beforehand, with the client. See the vibratory pile driver.

02 Key technical data

On which machine?

On a micro-excavator up to 2 t: a driving hammer from 70 to 150 kg.
On a mini-excavator from 2 to 5 t: from 100 to 350 kg.
On an excavator from 5 to 10 t: from 190 to 600 kg.
On an excavator from 10 to 20 t: from 350 to 600 kg.
It attaches via a mounting plate to all quick couplers, in standard mounting, or side mounting with a 45° angle.

What the tool does

It is used for pile driving, from 400 to 2 300 blows per minute depending on the model.
Its impact energy ranges from 260 to 2 400 J, to be checked with you.

What is needed on the hydraulic side

An auxiliary circuit: from 14 to 120 l/min, at 90 to 170 bar depending on the size.

Figures taken from 17 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 your excavator model, what you are driving — section, length, material — and what you know about the ground.
State whether the job is in a built-up area:
that may tip the choice towards vibratory driving.

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
  • Vibratory pile driver Principle — no impact: a vibration that cuts the friction and lets the pile sink.
    Use — it suits soils that become fluid, and it extracts the pile by the same process.
  • Sheet-pile vibratory driver Principle — vibration instead of impact, applied to a sheet-pile section.
    Use — it installs shoring or a cofferdam, which is then extracted by the same process.
04 Choice

What determines the choice

  • 01 — The ground, once again Compact, stony, mixed:
    this is the field where percussion keeps the advantage.
    In clean sand, vibration does better and makes less noise.
  • 02 — The pile to be driven Section, length, material.
    A thin tube and a solid section do not take the same blow on the head.
  • 03 — The adapter cap This is the part that protects the head of the pile and transmits the energy.
    An approximate cap crushes the head and loses the pile.
  • 04 — Verticality and guidance A post driven crooked cannot be put right.
    On a long alignment, guidance is worth more than the rate.
05 Check

What is checked before ordering

  • The auxiliary line and its flow First eliminating criterion.
  • The neighbourhood and the working hours Driving noise is dealt with ahead of the job.
    We publish neither a threshold nor a permissible duration:
    it depends on the site and on the local authority.
  • The headroom available Machine, hammer and pile stack up:
    under a power line or a structure, that is often what settles it.
  • The interface and the condition of the pins Percussion travels back up into the dipper arm.
    Already tired pin bores show up on dismantling, never before.
The other way of driving
Drilling rather than driving
A real case
To go further
A question about an attachment? 01 84 16 55 49 Send my photos