Under construction: excavators replace wrecking balls as controlled demolition becomes more popular on job sites.

To much of the general public, the wrecking ball swinging on the end of a crane and the implosion of large structures are the images brought to mind when thinking about the demolition industry. But most demolition professionals know that implosions bring down less than 1 percent of all buildings and that the wrecking ball is becoming rarer in demolition projects in favor of controlled demolition.

Loosely defined, controlled demolition is the taking down of a building in a safe manner that allows the debris generated to be under the control of the demolition contractor as much as possible and not bouncing around the job site.

Perhaps the best means for achieving controlled demolition is to use modern demolition equipment--a high-powered excavator with a specialized attachment.

IN WITH THE NEW. "It used to be that excavators and loaders were only used to sort and load out materials," says William Gumbiner of Demolition Industry Consultants, Noblesville, Ind. "Now, with all the attachments, excavators are on the front line of the demolition job."

These machines are taking the place of the long-time industry stalwart, the crane equipped with a wrecking ball. According to some demolition contractors across the country, cranes are still being used, but not as much as they used to be for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost seems to be a dearth of skilled operators. There are few replacements for the large number of older operators retiring. "Everyone used to have a lot of crane operators," says Gumbiner. "They are just not around any more."

Berger Jostad of Viking Demolition, Glendale, Calif., is an industry veteran who says he "never did like that thing wobbling on the end of a string." He adds, "It didn't seem to matter how experienced the operator was, he couldn't always control the ball."

Jostad says he sees very few buildings being taken down with the wrecking ball anymore, in part because "cities won't let you swing the ball any more; it is a violation of permit." When a wrecking ball is used, it is usually just dropped to break up concrete floors.

Drew Lammers of King Wrecking in Cincinnati uses an example of a 15-story building being demolished while flanked by 10-story buildings to illustrate the importance of control. "It takes much more experience to control the wrecking using a crane and ball."

Indeed, Lammers says he is of the opinion that the ball and crane are being phased out and may even be banned altogether one day.

Another reason

the wrecking ball is not being used as much may be simple economics. Lammers says the cheapest way to demolish a smaller building is with an excavator and skid steers equipped with primary demolition attachments.

Gumbiner says cranes were needed in the past to get taller buildings down. "You can still do it that way," he says, "if you can find the operators."

But with today's high-reach excavator equipment, a more than 90-foot reach is possible. (See sidebar, page 72.) And while commercial work can often be taller than that, almost all industrial demolition is shorter than that, making the excavators ideal.

Economics also favor modern demolition equipment because of labor savings. Gumbiner recalls the days when some jobs would require 80 torch operators to complement the crane, just to get the building down. "Now you might only see 10 on the job, so the excavator makes it safer," he says.

In fact, many demolition contractors say that projects where the ball is appropriate are dwindling, making operators difficult to find.

However, Dennis Wager of Impact Demolition, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, says that having cranes and operators make sense "if you can keep them busy."

Robert Elster Jr. of Apollo General Insurance Agency, Sonoma, Calif., says that a lot of insurers won't insure the wrecking ball jobs anymore. "It is a perception from the old days," he says, "when everybody seemed to have a claim." He adds, "But if we have a good contractor with an experienced operator, we don't have a problem getting him insured."

But Elster wonders why someone would want to use the crane "with all that great [new] equipment we have out there to do the job."

This new equipment, especially the hydraulic excavators and their primary demolition attachments, has helped reduce the number of claims and improve the demolition industry's safety record.

Gumbiner says he thinks there always will be a place for the wrecking ball and crane in the marketplace. "Cranes will never go away," he says. "You still have buildings that are heavily concrete, very tall and can't be shot. For those, the best option could be the wrecking ball."

This feature originally ran in Construction & Demolition Recycling. The author is associate publisher of that title and executive director of the Construction Materials Recycling Association. He can be reached at [e-mail].