Jackhammer technique I had backwards for 5 years

Been finishing concrete for about 12 years now. Always held the jackhammer with my arms locked straight, thinking that transferred more force into the slab. One day last fall I was working on a demo job near Portland, tearing out a 40 year old driveway. My neighbor on the job, a guy named Dave who's been doing this since the 80s, comes over and asks why I'm fighting the tool so hard. He showed me to let my elbows bend and let the weight of the machine do the work. Felt wrong at first but after 10 minutes I wasn't feeling it in my shoulders near as bad. Turns out locking your arms just sends all the vibration into your joints. We broke through that slab in about 3 hours instead of the 5 I budgeted. Has anyone else had an old timer correct their basic technique like that? What did you learn way later than you should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese55019d ago

Bend your elbows after 12 years, that's like learning to breathe in your 30s.

roseb4719d ago

Bend your elbows after 12 years. Okay Picasso, maybe you're onto something. But honestly, it's more like learning to tie your shoes after using velcro for a decade. We're all just out here unknotting our stiff arms and hoping for the best. Bet his form is still more tangled than Christmas lights.