Kent/FRD Hydraulic Breakers

The History of Kent/FRD Hydraulic Breakers

The hydraulic hammer known today as FRD, is made by a company in Japan known as Furukawa Rock Drill. In their most likely attempt to “Americanize” the name, they were first sold in this country as the Kent Hydraulic Breaker. Those first series of hoe rams were green in color, and known as the “HB” series; standing for “hydraulic breaker”. Shortly thereafter, they introduced the “KHB” series; standing for “Kent Hydraulic Breakers”.

Most of these early hydraulic hammers had a side plated design. This design sandwiches the power cell, or main body, between two large plates that run the length of the breaker and are held together with large double ended cross bolts. The hammer top cap, or mounting bracket bolts to the top of each side plate, enables your skid steer, mini excavator, backhoe or full-sized excavator to pin on to the entire hydraulic hammer assembly. Most all of, the HB and KHB series of hydraulic breaker were of the today common nitrogen fired, or nitrogen assist design, which uses nitrogen in the back head of the hammer that acted as a bowstring. The bowstring was pulled back by hydraulic power.

The early Kent hydraulic hammers also featured on board accumulators, which would help to absorb spikes coming from the carrier’s auxiliary hydraulic system and redirect some of that energy. We are not sure who invented this design for hoe rams or rockbreakers, but it is used in our Gorilla Hydraulic Breakers, Atlas Copco, Okada, NPK, BTI, Chicago Pneumatic (CP) and more.

The Evolution of Kent/FRD Hydraulic Breakers

Kent followed those series with the KF series of hydraulic breakers, possibly standing for “Kent Furukawa”. These hoe rams were typically white in color with blue decals. The smaller models were available in the above explained side plated design, but most models were offered in the boxed or silenced design. In this design the main body, or power cell, is held in place by a series of buffers inside of a steel case whose only opening was a panel to access the accumulator and back head. Although the excavator operator could not always see everything that was going on with the hammer, whether it be from the cab of the skid steer, backhoe, or excavator, these breakers were much quieter than the open face hydraulic hammer versions. We are not sure who first came out with the boxed, silenced, quiet or soundless rock breaker design, but our Gorilla GXS series uses it, as well as Indeco, Montabert / Tramac, Caterpillar, Rammer / Sandvik, Atlas Copco, Epiroc and Stanley.

Modern Day

Over the last decade, Kent was renamed as FRD, going back to Furukawa Rock Drill, and they came out with the FX hydraulic hammer series, which is their current line.

We carry demolition tools and working steel in chisel moil and blunt shapes to fit all series of Kent, Furukawa and FRD hoe rams and rock breakers. We can also save you money on our own brand of Gorilla aftermarket hydraulic hammer parts that we use everyday in our guaranteed repairs and rebuilds. Contact us today for Kent/FRD Hydraulic Breaker parts (888) 814 – 6745. We stock upper and lower bushings, seal kits, tie rods, side bolts, diaphragms, tool retainers and more! See what our inventory carries below: