How does the Xcentric Ripper work?

99% of the breakdowns suffered by hydraulic hammers are due to improper use, when using them as rippers

After more than 12 years on the market, the Xcentric Ripper is a tool known to most, but there are still many people who have not heard of it. There are also people who confuse the Xcentric Ripper with a vibro ripper and even many disbelievers who continue to argue that the hydraulic hammer is better in all applications. Let’s clear doubts.

This attachment arose thanks to the idea of combining the benefits of a hammer and those of a conventional ripper. Many professionals use the hammer both to chop and to drag the material towards themselves, to clear the work area. What this practice does is damage the equipment which is not designed for this function, just as they are not designed to chop at an angle other than the perpendicular one, 90 degrees with respect to the ground. This misuse causes damage to both the hammer and the excavators.

The purpose of the Xcentric Ripper is to cover both needs, chop and drag the material, in addition to adding the option of chopping by changing the angle to get more material torn off. Combined with minimal maintenance and more comfort for the operator. For this, an “impact technology by accumulation of energy” (patented technology) was developed together with a system of eccentrics. It is precisely this accumulator inside what differentiates it from the vibro ripper, which works by vibration instead of percussion (impact). The Xcentric Ripper transforms hydraulic energy into percussion thanks to the simple eccentric system combined with the energy accumulator and some directional pivot arms systems.

This hydraulic ripper is made entirely of anti-wear steel and can be used underwater without any risk of damage or modification. It has numerous applications such as excavation (quarries, trenches, construction…), frozen ground (permafrost), tunnels, demolition, recycling (slag), mining, dredging, etc. It is also less noisy than any other digging tool. (See test with the noise level comparison between the Xcentric Ripper and the hydraulic hammer)

Comparing it with the hydraulic hammer in terms of productivity, we can say that the Xcentric Ripper, at least, doubles production and can be up to 4 times more productive than the hammer, depending on the material. It achieves high productivity in materials such as concrete, quartzite, limestone, slate, marl, asphalt, plaster… However, it should be noted that it is not efficient for extremely hard materials such as granite or marble.

Regarding benefits with respect to the environment, we can highlight several points:

• This attachment has a minimum consumption of wear parts, which generates less waste.
• By achieving greater productivity, it reduces times and fuel consumption (also a benefit for the customer, less costs), and CO2 emissions are significantly reduced.
• It is also an efficient alternative to drilling and blasting, reducing all the environmental risks that this entails.
• As we have already seen, it also produces less noise pollution.
• The sealing of the chambers containing the lubricants eliminates the possibility of leaks. However, the oils and greases we use are biodegradable.

All these are the main features and benefits of the Xcentric Ripper, and its comparison with the hydraulic hammer. If you have more questions you can contact us or one of our dealers. You will find all the information on our website: www.xcentricripper.com

You can also watch videos of different models and applications on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/XcentricRipper