A breaker is a powerful percussion hammer fitted to an excavator for demolishing concrete structures or rocks. It is powered by an auxiliary hydraulic system

Auxiliary hydraulic system

An auxiliary hydraulic system delivers pressurized hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic pump to operate auxiliary equipment or attachments. The addition of an auxiliary hydraulic system to heavy construction equipment increases the versatility of the vehicle by allowing it to perform addition functions...

 from the excavator, which is fitted with a foot-operated valve for this purpose. Additionally, demolition crews employ the hoe ram for jobs too large for jackhammer

Jackhammer

A jackhammer is a pneumatic tool that combines a hammer directly with a chisel that was invented by Charles Brady King. Hand-held jackhammers are typically powered by compressed air, but some use electric motors. Larger jackhammers, such as rig mounted hammers used on construction machinery, are...

ing or areas where blasting is not possible due to safety or environmental issues.

Breakers are often referred to as "hammers", "peckers", "hoe rams" or "hoe rammers." These terms are popular and commonly used amongst construction

Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...

/demolition

Demolition

Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....

workers.