Safety and efficiency: In addition to being words we live by, they’re also the standards we set when selecting demolition equipment. A Portland demolition contractor is only as good as the tools in its skilled worker’s hands, so we’re always on the lookout for the latest innovative technologies to help make our projects a success. To provide our clients with the best service possible, the crew at Elder Demolition uses a variety of demolition techniques to tackle challenges from multiple angles. This is made possible thanks to our state-of-the-art demolition equipment.

What’s in Our Portland Demolition Toolbox?

High-Reach and Long-Reach Excavators

Demolition companies in Portland use precision-enhancing tools to tear down buildings. Unlike traditional demolition methods, excavators allow us to complete projects in tight spaces while minimizing the impact to the surrounding community.

When they made their debut in the 1950s, excavators were great for digging and scooping out debris. They also provided a new level of safety in a labor-driven field. Today, excavators come in a variety of sizes and use multiple attachments, allowing them to reach heights once reserved for wrecking balls.

High-reach excavators extend as high as 160 feet. The equipment allows Oregon demolition crews to remove a building from the top down and reach into tight spaces.

Long-reach excavators have long arms that extend horizontally, up to 150 feet. Rather than reach the tallest sections of a building, the equipment reaches inside to break apart and remove its contents.

Elder Demolition’s specialty excavators have longer booms and arms than traditional excavators, which allows workers to remain farther away from falling debris. Because of features like computer-controlled hydraulic systems and boom extensions, we can accommodate the most challenging demolition projects.

Using excavators not only enhances the safety of our Oregon demolition projects, it also improves accuracy and efficiency. Instead of a ball and chain that obliterate anything in their path, the attachments placed onto the end of an excavator allow it to scoop, pinch, pick, spray and shear without having to bring in new equipment. Excavators are also an essential component for green demolition and asset recovery as they reduce waste and simplify material salvaging and sorting.

Concrete Crushers

Buildings are up to 80 percent concrete. To preserve precious space in Oregon landfills and help offset project costs, Elder Demolition offers on-site concrete recycling services.

After excavators tear down and break concrete down into smaller pieces, the salvaged material goes into a concrete crusher. The crusher breaks the concrete down into small gravel-like chunks that are great for:

• Sub-bases for building foundations and roads
• Leveling
• Landscaping
• Soil stabilization
• Pipe bedding

Contractors often find that recycled concrete performs better than virgin gravel in asphalt. When using recycled concrete to create new concrete, the result is a product that’s stronger and lighter in weight.

Recycling concrete doesn’t just make financial sense; it’s also good for the environment. Recycling one ton of concrete can help save up to 1,300 gallons of water and offset 1,984 pounds of carbon dioxide. The environmental benefits of concrete recycling are so great that your project may earn LEED points for recycling the concrete at your site or using the recycled material.

In addition, we go above and beyond to reduce air pollution and keep the community healthy. Dust control is always an important consideration for any demolition project. The dust produced by concrete contains crystalline silica, a substance that may harm the lungs if inhaled. Dust may also contain other harmful substances, such as fungal spores, asbestos and lead. To keep our workers and the surrounding community healthy and safe, we employ a variety of dust-control techniques—from using personal protective equipment and wetting dust to installing barriers and using HEPA-equipped vacuums.

Specialty Processing Equipment

Demolition is a carefully planned sequence of events to remove a building or its components. To maximize the assets recovered and aid with selective demolition efforts, we use a variety of processing equipment, many of which attach to the end of an excavator.

Scoops: Scoops are the traditional shovel attachments often seen on excavators. Some can shovel and remove up to 57 cubic yards of debris in a single scoop.

Breakers and hammers: Breakers and hammers apply 1,200- to 20,000-foot-pounds of force on an object. Demolition companies in Oregon use them to break apart tough materials like concrete, asphalt, rocks and bricks. Workers may also use them to compact soil or separate scrap metal from concrete.

Crushers: Crushers on the end of an excavator chomp down on concrete, crushing it with 800 tons of force.

Clamps: Clamps, or demolition grapples, grab objects with more than 4,000 pounds of force. They can lift more 1,000 pounds.

Magnets: Powerful electromagnets simplify scrap metal recovery. With the power to lift objects as small as a credit card and as large as a bed, magnets make separating scrap metal from other debris a cinch compared to hand-sorting. Elder Demolition gladly helps clients sell scrap metal recovered from a project.

Spray nozzles: Spray nozzles greatly aid with dust control. The attachment reduces dust by 90 percent or more.

Cameras and monitors: Cameras mounted on equipment relay images to monitors mounted in cabs, allowing operators to gain greater visibility, increase safety and be more productive.

Shears: Shears are instrumental for cutting and gnawing through tough objects, such as steel columns, making them a selective demolition staple. The attachment applies up to 15,000 tons of force and can cut project times by 30 percent or more.

Having the right tools for your Oregon demolition project amplifies safety, cuts costs and slashes turnaround times. Find out which tools we’d use for your project by scheduling a consultation today.