Excavator-Mounted Side Grip Hammers and Pile Driving

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When it comes to selecting the right equipment for the job, maximizing a single piece of equipment for multiple tasks can certainly save money – but only if it can handle the work. How much room you’ll have to move around the job site is, of course, another major consideration. For pile driving, excavator-mounted side clamp hammers can give you the power, accuracy, and maneuverability required for low headroom applications and hard to access areas at a lower cost.

Mississippi Valley Equipment Company and its manufacturing component, MKT Manufacturing Inc, first introduced an excavator-mounted vibratory driver/extractor in 2007.  They’ve got over a dozen years of experience with side grip hammers, which is why we reached out them to help bring you latest specs, size options, and more.

Crane Hung  

Over the years, traditional pile driving was almost always accomplished with a “crane-hung” application. This method is still just as effective, however, cranes can be expensive to operate, move, and assemble/disassemble. Excavators are typically simpler, less expensive–and most contractors currently own or have easy access to an excavator. With this in mind, MKT Manufacturing developed excavator-mounted vibratory hammers with side clamp. These were originally developed out of their current fleet of crane-hung vibratory drivers. The V2 and V5 crane-hung hammers were re-designed with the idea of having a crane-hung application hammer as well as an excavator-mounted hammer option available. In this way, operators could use their hammers in both an excavator-mounted and crane-hung application.

Side Clamp Hammers  

MKT’s V-2Esc and V-5Esc model hammers feature removable side-clamp and RotoTilt attachments, allowing them to be hung from a crane and powered by an MKT hydraulic power unit, or mounted to an excavator of the appropriate size and powered by its hydraulics. For small jobs and excavators without the necessary hydraulic capacity, they can be pinned from the bucket cylinder of your selected machine, and powered by a hydraulic power unit.

What’s Old is New  

MKT Manufacturing redesigned their V2E and V5E standard crane-hung models to mount directly to any manufacture’s excavator. They now fit these models with a bolt-on RotoTilt and bolt-on side clamp feature. These two accessories allow their standard crane-hung hammers to use the excavator’s own hydraulic system to power the hammer. Or, an MKT power pack with a hydraulic hose bundle is available.

Fast and Flexible  

Equipment manufacturers offer attachments to expand the use of your excavator. MKT Manufacturing offers a RotoTilt attachment that allows your excavator-mounted vibratory hammer to rotate and also swing fore and aft. Piling can be picked up from the ground and installed using the side clamp. This setup speeds up pile production while giving the operator more control of the installation. It eliminates the need of having to be on top of the piling for driving. This is a great benefit in a low-head room application such as under bridges, power lines, and inside of buildings. The side clamp also allows piling that is taller than the excavator’s reach. This eliminates having to fit the boom with an extension.

Size Options  

It is critical to select a vibratory pile driving hammer that is sized correctly for the job and your equipment. For example, MKT Manufacturing offers four different sizes of excavator-mounted vibratory hammers. Their ESC line includes the V-2Esc, V-4Esc, V-5Esc, and V-8Esc. The V-4Esc and the V-8Esc are high-frequency excavator-mounted vibratory drivers that run in a high-frequency driving mode for different soil applications. They can also be adjusted to standard modes. Any model can be operated with a remote pendant, wireless remote, or joystick controls.

Excavator-Mounted Specs  

There are several specifications to consider to ensure you select the correct side-grip vibratory pile hammer for your excavator. These specifications include driving force, clamping force, and frequency. For example, let’s compare MKT’s V-2Esc to their V-5Esc. The driving force, clamping force, and frequency for the 2-Esc is 25 tons, 16 tons, and 1,800 CPM respectively. The V-5Esc is 53 tons, 62 tons, and 1,700 CPM. Obviously, you’ll want to talk with the equipment dealer to help you select the right model.

Crane or Excavator  

Some pile driving jobs are best handled by crane-hung vibratory pile hammers. Using an excavator-mounted hammer can save money by using equipment you likely own and reducing the amount of peripheral equipment required for the crane. Typically, fewer workers are needed to operate an excavator-mounted hammer. To select the right vibratory pile hammer for your equipment be sure to review your job requirements and excavator specifications with your equipment dealer.

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