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good Ground Rod Driver??

22K views 60 replies 16 participants last post by  480sparky 
#1 ·
I'm looking at buying a demolition hammer, and ground rod driver bit: I'm getting sick and tired of trying to sledgehammer ground rods into the soil in my area (seems to be filled with boulders, at least in some neighborhoods). Does anyone have experince using demo hammers to pound ground rods? is it an effective method? which demo hammer does your company use? if you have used more than one type, what was your preference?

Thanks alot! in advance
Eric Klassen
Falcon Electric

PS. I'm pondering a reconditioned Dewalt D25900K, or one of the big Hilti Hammers TE-805, 905, or larger(off ebay)
 
#3 ·
I use an adaptor for my Bosch hammerdrill. The adaptor slips over the end of a ground rod and you just pull the trigger. Works good unless you hit solid rock. It seems to be able to blast through shale just fine. I also use something called a buster bar. It's a heavy thing that has an adaptor that slides on top pf the ground rod, you slide the shaft up and down and literally smash the rod into the ground. Both work well and beat using a sledgehammer anyday.
 
#6 ·
I use the big Bosch and can usually get it done without an adapter, but sometimes 5/8 inch ground rods will get jammed in the Super SDS chuck. Somebody got my driver adapter, but I have also used a 1/4 inch drill to put a guide hole in the end of the rod and then use a driver point. Works pretty good.

The ground rod driver worked best.
 
#7 ·
If you intend to drive ground rods, do not buy anything with less than a 10lb blow energy. If you have rocky soil, you're really going to need one with a 20lb blow energy or greater. Sorry for the bad news...
 
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#8 ·
Hilti has a new driver accessory that sorta clamps to the rod in the middle so you dont have to put the driver on top of the rod. I cant find it online but its in the print catalog.
 
#9 ·
Yeah, 480 Sparky has one of those. Keeps you from having to start the ground rod standing on top of a ladder.
 
#11 ·
Yes, indeed. If you've ever spent a half an hour to an hour sledgehammering in ground rods on each service upgrade, you'll start to appreciate your soil type you have down there. Around here, you can't stick the tip of your shovel in the ground anywhere without hitting a rock. Shale sucks too. That's about like driving a rod through concrete.
 
#13 ·
Around October of last year, I got a call specifically to install ground rods for an older gentleman who did his own service upgrade (legal in many jurisdictions in my area). He saw me somewhere putting them in with a rotary hammer, and decided he just didn't want to go to the effort of putting them in himself with a sledgehammer.

He actually did a really nice job on his service upgrade. He spent some serious time making it picture-perfect. He had me look it over as a "preinspection", and I could find no fault with his work. He was sort of a tinkerer in his retirement, so he spent a great deal of time researching exactly how he wanted it done.
 
#14 ·
cool - its nice when anyone takes the time to do something picture perfect. I rarely have the approved time to do it. However the company I am with now does afford more time than others to do it pretty.
 
#18 ·
At least twice now in my time as an electrician, I've installed the ground rods, only to go back down into the basement and find it sticking out through the basement wall. :laughing:
 
#19 ·
At least twice now in my time as an electrician, I've installed the ground rods, only to go back down into the basement and find it sticking out through the basement wall. :laughing:
Whoaaa...You must not know your own strength...That's what makes me nervous about driving those things, you don;t know what's beneath it...I try to be really careful.
 
#32 ·
Hey mate what is the part number on that thing? We may not be able to get those things here in Australia as I asked my Hilti rep yesterday (My wife is SOOO happy that the Hilti guy just oved into in our street haha) and he said he had never heard of it but if I gave him a par/model # he might be able to chase it up.
 
#30 ·
I had a job that had 75 ground rods. The ground was so darn rocky I used a 90lb Jackhammer to drive 70 of them! I had an operator lift me up in the front bucket of the backhoe, put the jack hammer over the rod, hit the lever,and as the rod was driven the operator lowered the bucket. After the first 2 or 3 we had it down to a perfect science.
 
#31 ·
I had a job that had 75 ground rods. The ground was so darn rocky I used a 90lb Jackhammer to drive 70 of them! I had an operator lift me up in the front bucket of the backhoe, put the jack hammer over the rod, hit the lever,and as the rod was driven the operator lowered the bucket. After the first 2 or 3 we had it down to a perfect science.
That's Awesome!!!

And thank you all for sharing, now I just have to muscle past my automatic stinginess reflex and actually shell out some $$$
 
#36 ·
A demo hammer is a great tool to have. If you do lots of service upgrades, the grond rod driver is a must. Mine is a Makita. I think it was about $600 at The Home Depot many years ago.






The ground can be brutal around here but this tool usually drives them in about a minute. Once in a while it will hit a rock and just flat ass stop. That's when the Dewalt cordless vertical adjustment tool comes out.

 
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