“That’s the way we’ve always done it.” There is no truer statement about using a pneumatic jackhammer to break up concrete or pavement. Generations of professionals have endured this technology. Now, one of our most iconic tools is ready to smash the old-fashioned way of working.
The old familiar face
Think of a construction site. What do you hear? The sound of a classic pneumatic jackhammer is likely one of the first things that come to mind. The loud compressor and jarring hammering noise fill the streets of the world’s cities and can be a nightmare in quieter towns and villages. The trailer-mounted compressor can’t be used indoors if it is gas-powered. The hose delivering the air to the bulky steel hammer always trails behind and is prone to leaks. Time at the trigger will make even the toughest jobsite worker feel as broken and beat-up as the material beneath their feet. Despite its prevalence, it’s only begrudgingly favored because of the notion that only pneumatic tools are strong enough to get the job done.
A classic pneumatic jackhammer and compressor
Air-powered jackhammers are some of the loudest tools on the jobsite.
Hilti TE 3000-AVR (03)
Quieter impact sound and no noisy air compressor.
Our first big break
Hilti’s expertise in electropneumatic hammering tools forms the basis for the TE 3000-AVR demolition hammer, which launched in 2011. We joined the race with our competitors to push electric even closer to the performance of a 30-kg/60-lb pneumatic jackhammer. With the right-sized application, we assumed our customers might consider complementing their collection of pneumatics with electrics. We asked, and it proved to be true. Elimination of the compressor trailer and cumbersome hose saved setup time. Productivity remained high because the breaking power met that of the tool’s 30-kg/60-lb pneumatic counterparts. As the TE 3000 became a familiar sight at heavy construction equipment rental outlets, the conversion from air to electric was underway. Rental providers, and renters themselves, saw immense value in working more quickly and flexibly. Active Vibration Reduction, along with less weight and noise, also significantly improved the user experience and decreased the level of disturbance for those nearby. It was such an improvement that the TE 3000 was added to a list of recommended noise-reducing demolition hammers by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. It was our big break toward helping customers do the tough work of concrete and asphalt demolition in an electrifying way.
I just need a user, an extension cord and a hammer. I don’t need hoses, I don’t need a compressor, I don’t need a crane. I can get a guy in and out quickly.
Justin List, a field manager in Florida, USA
WATCH: Hilti customers give their opinion of the new TE 3000-AVR
New star of the show
In the world of construction, we’re fortunate that feedback on our products and systems is often clear and straightforward. After a decade of listening, as customers began to switch to electric demolition, there was a common theme: “Great solution, but it will never beat the big pneumatics.”
Matching the performance of a 45-kg/90-lb jackhammer takes a system approach. That’s where our development teams began their project to make the new TE 3000 even better. It starts with the redesigned tool body, which is lighter, more powerful and further reduces vibration for the user. The power is focused to the application below – whether that’s concrete and asphalt breaking, chipping, tamping or ground rod driving – through a completely redesigned chuck and TE-HX/H chisel collection. In many respects, the new chisel is just as exciting to us as the tool. As concrete dust is generated, it’s pulled away from the surface and the user through a well-proven Dust Removal System.
So, does it really stack up?
Our testing says that the new TE 3000-AVR demolition hammer and TE-HX/H chisel system can further increase user safety and comfort. As for the all-important goal of meeting the capabilities of 45-kg/90-lb pneumatic breakers, we asked people that use the tool every day if they agree.
Super light. I feel I can go longer without getting as tired and it has the same amount of power [as a pneumatic]. I’m a man that likes to get the job done but in the easier way, you know what I’m saying? I definitely choose the Hilti.
Allan Chirnios, a jobsite worker in Florida, USA
We are proud to constantly develop products like the TE 3000. For us, the tool is a bold statement of our promise to make solutions that are different from other options on the market or are a new and more efficient method for getting the job done. For our customers, it’s a simple and powerful solution for demolition and renovation jobs when the hardest of hard materials must go, including the all but impenetrable opinion that a classic jackhammer is the only way to do it.
It’s all about production – the longer I can keep the hammer hitting the more I’m going to get done. The quicker we get it done, the more profitable the job is.
Anthony Erale of Florida, USA
I feel like the TE 3000 is as powerful as a regular 90-lb jackhammer.
