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Demolishing and breaking

Demolition grabs

Grey demolition grab on the end of an arm, jaws closed on the edge of a brick wall being demolished, reinforcing bars sticking out.
The grab squeezes the wall of a silo:
the concrete bursts, the reinforcing bars appear.
No impact is passed on to the structure.
Photo:
Huhu Uet, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

The grab demolishes by squeezing, with no percussion and no vibration.
It separates the concrete from its reinforcement as it goes, which turns demolition into a sorting operation.

Other names for this family: concrete crusher, hydraulic shear, concrete grab, demolition jaw, concrete pulveriser, pulveriser.
These tools differ in their jaws, not in their principle.

The essentials
Family
Demolishing and breaking
Classes (t)
1.3 to 140 t
Coupler
All, by plate
Power source
Hydraulic — flow and pressure: we calculate it with you for your machine
Percussion
None

Compare with the breaker →

01 Use

What it is for

On the left, the jaws squeeze the wall, the concrete bursts and the bars stay accessible, without percussion. On the right, the breaker strikes the same wall, it transmits the vibration and throws out dust. Computer-generated image.
the jaws squeeze the wall, the concrete bursts and the bars stay accessible, without percussion the breaker strikes the same wall, it transmits the vibration and throws out dust
Left: the jaws squeeze the wall, the concrete bursts and the bars stay accessible, without percussion.
Right: the breaker strikes the same wall, it transmits the vibration and throws out dust.
Computer-generated image.
Steel jaws closed on a reinforced concrete beam that they are breaking, the reinforcing bars showing in the break
Demolition jaw at work. The bars show in the break:
the concrete is broken by squeezing, with no percussion transmitted to the structure.
Synthetic image.

Two jaws close on the element to be destroyed.
The concrete bursts under the pressure, the bars stay accessible and are cut or separated.
The material comes out already sorted, ready to go to separate channels.

The absence of percussion is its decisive advantage on an occupied site:
no vibration transmitted to the neighbouring structure, far less noise than a hammer, less dust thrown up.
It is what makes it possible to demolish a party wall without worrying the neighbour.

Depending on the jaws, the tool is specialised.
A crusher crushes the concrete and separates the reinforcement.
A shear cuts scrap and sections.
A sorting grab, for its part, does not destroy:
it grips and separates.

Concrete crusher closed on a reinforced concrete wall, the bars showing in the break
Concrete crusher on a reinforced wall. It crushes and separates the concrete from the reinforcement — that is what sets it apart from the jaw, which breaks.
Synthetic image.
The two jaws of a grab closed on a reinforced concrete wall, the concrete burst and the reinforcing bars left straight and accessible.
The concrete goes, the bars stay:
it is a shear that will take them afterwards, not this.
Synthetic image.
02 Key technical data

On which machine?

On a mini-excavator from 2 to 5 t: a grab from 85 to 550 kg.
On an excavator from 5 to 10 t: from 160 to 1 100 kg.
On an excavator from 10 to 20 t: from 420 to 2 800 kg.
Beyond that, on an excavator over 20 t: from 1 000 to 11 000 kg.
It fits all quick couplers, via a mounting plate, or directly on the pins.

What the tool does

Its closing force ranges from 100 to 130 t, to be checked with you.
Depending on the model, it is fixed or rotating.
It comes with interchangeable cutting blades and teeth, or bolt-on teeth replaceable without welding, to be checked with you.
It is also available with two cylinders, or with a pressure intensifier, to be checked with you.
It works without percussion.

What is needed on the hydraulic side

It needs one hydraulic line for clamping, and a second one for rotation.
On a 2 to 5 t mini-excavator: from 50 to 70 l/min, at 200 to 280 bar.
On an excavator over 20 t: from 130 to 260 l/min, at 250 to 350 bar.

Figures taken from 46 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.

Give us the model of your excavator, the nature of what is to be demolished and the surroundings of the site.
An occupied site changes the recommendation.

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.

Orange long-reach excavator demolishing the top of a building with a grab, behind a wooden hoarding, under a blue sky.
A building is demolished from the top, the grab on the end of a long-reach excavator.
It nibbles away floor by floor, without shaking the rest.
Photo:
Spielvogel, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized, company names removed.
04 Choice

What determines the choice

  • 01 — The dominant material Reinforced concrete, masonry, scrap or a mixed structure:
    it is what decides the type of jaws, and so the tool.
    A concrete crusher gets damaged on pure scrap.
  • 02 — The opening of the jaws It must accept the real thickness of the elements to be gripped.
    An insufficient opening means breaking in several grips, which multiplies the time.
  • 03 — The rotation It makes it possible to present the jaw at the angle of the wall or the column without repositioning the machine.
    It calls for a second hydraulic function.
  • 04 — The working height On a demolition at height, the weight of the tool at the end of the arm limits the height that can be reached.
    It is the machine's load chart that settles it, not the tool's catalogue.

Grab or breaker? The grab sorts while demolishing and transmits no vibration:
it is made for selective demolition on a sensitive site.
The breaker is faster on an isolated slab in an open field, and it is the only tool on sound rock. See the breaker page.

05 Check

What is checked before ordering

  • The hydraulic functions available One line for the squeezing.
    A second for the rotation, if it is chosen.
  • The weight of the tool in relation to the working reach In demolition, you often work with the arm extended and at height.
    It is the worst case, and it is the one to check.
  • The condition of the wear parts and whether they can be replaced Blades, counter-blades, teeth:
    those parts get consumed.
    They must be designed to come off and be available.
  • The machine's suitability for demolition Cab protection, operator's position, safety perimeter:
    those are requirements peculiar to this activity.
  • The interface Coupler type and size, or pin dimensions.
    The tool is supplied with the matching plate.

A modified tool is no longer covered by its declaration of conformity. Replacing a mounting plate or adding an adapter engage the liability of whoever does it.
Those operations are described and traced before they are carried out. See the conformity notices.

In the same family
After the demolition
Case studied
To go further
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