High or Low Frequency?
Hydraulic hammers are one of the most important attachments for excavators. On compact excavators they are primarily used for two purposes: demolition and rock removal. With these applications the frequency of the hammer plays an important part, but what is better – high or low frequency?
Generally low frequency hammers with a higher impact force will offer better productivity on mini excavators than lower impact force higher frequency hammers.
Mini excavators are often underpowered when using hammers in terms of their hydraulic flow ratings. High frequency hammers require higher flow rates to run efficiently, however high flows are not needed to achieve the full power rating of a hammer. If a high frequency hammer is not receiving the required flow, it will be running at the same frequency as a low frequency hammer but without the higher impact force.
In a perfect situation where both a low and high frequency hammer is receiving the full flow rate required, we still believe (and our testing has shown) that a low frequency high impact hammer will perform better on mini excavators than high frequency hammers. An exaggerated likeness would be breaking a block a dozen times with a sledge hammer vs hitting it 100 times with a small claw hammer… the sledge will win every time.