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"Usually, you can mount three or four different size breakers on a carrier," Elliott notes. "If you have a 30-metric ton carrier and you're going to be breaking up a bridge deck, you may not need the biggest breaker the carrier can handle. You may be able to use a smaller size breaker to do the job or task. On the other hand, if you're using a 30-metric ton carrier for trench work in an area with extremely hard rock, then it may be necessary to get a larger sized carrier and breaker to complete the job in the time frame required."

Compact carriers with smaller breakers are typically preferred for work performed overhead or horizontally, because there is less force needed from those direct angles. However, if you're working over an embankment, you will likely need a larger breaker.

A larger model is also typically required if you're working in a trench to break apart rock. "There is dirt and other objects around what you're trying to break. They hold the energy in," Meisel explains. "If you hit a rock on top of the ground, it will split wide open. But if that same rock is surrounded by mud, it will take a lot more energy to break it because... the ground surrounding that rock is absorbing the impact energy."

Take into account the material type and condition, as well. Are you working in soft, medium or hard rock? Does the material contain cracks and crevasses, or is it solid? What is the average thickness of the material?

"Small breakers are not efficient for thick concrete, and large breakers might be 'overkill' for softer rock," Smith points out. "Also consider if the concrete has reinforcing steel in it. The thicker the concrete and more steel reinforcement, the bigger the hydraulic breaker will have to be to break it productively."