Ed wrote:


Hey - - great news. Thanks for telling us. Now, is there any chance
you might know what brand and model number of hammer drill you used?
If you know the model number of the fitting, that would help, too.
Ideally it would be fun to be able to find the model numbers in the
manufacturer's catalog to see what everything looks like, so when we
go to the rental place, we can tell if they have the right stuff, even
if they don't know it themselves.


Check out

http://bosch.cpotools.com/hammers_an...ammer_drills/?
ref=googaw808e

for quality hammer drills.

None of those drills is suitable for driving ground rods. They are all
regular electric drills, with a conventional 3-jaw chuck and a
lightweight hammer action that depends on the chuck going round.

For driving ground rods, you need a different kind of 'hammer' drill
that has a separate high-impact hammer action, that can be used
*without* the chuck going round.

The SDS+ system is the Bosch company's patented method to build
hand-held electric drills with a *serious* high-impact hammer action.
The system has been widely licensed to other manufacturers, so all SDS+
drills are basically the same. They all have a snap-lock chuck (if it
has a 3-jaw chuck, it ain't SDS) that takes a wide range of heavy-duty
drill bits and tools. Most have a shift lever that gives you the choice
between rotary action on its own, hammer action on its own, or both
together - all in a drill that you can hold in one hand. It makes those
old-style hammer drills look like toys.

The Hilti TE-76-ATC that Rick rented is based on the SDS Max system, the
'big brother' to SDS+, so it's no wonder those ground rods went right
in.


--

73 from Ian GM3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek