Ball and Crane for Demolishing Masonry and Concrete Structures

One of the oldest and most commonly used methods for building demolition, the ball and crane uses a wrecking ball weighing up to 13,500 pounds to demolish concrete and masonry structures. During the process, the ball is either dropped onto or swung into the structure that is to be demolished.

The ball and crane, however, is not suitable for all demolition applications. Some limitations:

While the concrete can be broken into rather small pieces, additional work in the form of cutting rebar may be necessary.

Only highly skilled and experienced crane operators should be used on ball and crane demolition projects -- smoothness in controlling the swing of the ball is important since missing the target may tip or overload the crane and a mild swing-back may cause the ball to hit the boom.

The size of the building that can be demolished with this method is limited by crane size and working room, including proximity to power lines.

This form of demolition creates a great deal of dust, vibration and noise.

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