RARE? Gas Powered Jack Hammer, Will it ever Run again?? (Pionjar 120) 

I already replied to a comment but I'm going to repeat it here. The throttle is wide open when left alone. Pushing down closes the throttle. The fuel sucking back may be from the tank vent being left closed. You have to manually open the tank vent. Dennis at Creighton Rock Drill in Ontario is the expert on these. CRD has all the parts EXCEPT the plastic side handle that us broken on yours. They also provide repair and full rebuild services. If the fuel hose was brittle the gas hose & gas seal may also be brittle. That's the hose that channels gasses down into hollow drill steels (and the seal that seals around the steel) to eject dust & chips from the drill hole when drilling. You are using mixed gas right? CRD recommends normal SAE 40 non-detergent motor oil for the mix, the ratio is 1:12 because the oil passes down into the hammer mechanism to lubricate those parts. Lastly, I was able to get pdf files of the brochure, operation manual, parts manual, and full rebuild manual from Jim Phillis at Atlas-Copco.

Previous owner must of been a massive enthusiast to be having those manual pages stuck together.

Hello Matt. Awsome, as a Swedish person AND owner of a Pionjär Cobra i love this. I have an older model with a crank insted of magnapull. Suicidestart, because it can kick you bad. You can get parts They run with very low RPM. . The company now goes under "Atlas Copco". You probably also need the "ä" in Pionjär, insted of "a". "Ä" is pronounced like "And" but without "nd" . Pionjär means Pioneer in Swedish.

That brings back memories. We used the Cobra portable rock drill on mountain tops to drill rock anchor and ground rod holes for communication sites. It was notoriously finicky and hard to start, especially at altitude, which was 5,000 to 9,000 feet. If you became familiar with it, you could manage it, otherwise forget it. I heard the Pionjar was better. Thanks for the memory!

My father who was a swedish patternmaker made the patterns for the first model of the Pionjär around 1960!

Haha, God bless you Matt! I haven't yelled at the TV like that for a long time lol! I use to run those back when I was a young man. It appears to be running perfectly, but just above idle. She will jump a foot off the ground on hard granite at high speed. By now you no doubt know that the throttle is used to idle down the machine and as a kill button. Remember, primarily it is a drill and needs to be throttled down to start a new hole. Otherwise, she runs full throttle. After you get it started and the chock off, you adjust for highest reliable RPM. You lean the mixture as it warms up. If you start getting a lean pop, richen the mixture until it stops popping. The mixture changes with temperature and elevation so you make small adjustments throughout the day for best performance. If you want to idle down for more than a few seconds, richen the mixture instead of holding the button half way. Pionjar are very robust but simple. Basically, you are the carburator. I think the fuel mixture was 12 to 1, 30W motor oil, not 2 stroke oil. By design, black sooty oil runs down the drill chuck for lubrcation.

Hello, these units are very unique to use as we use them in the military to run spikes down for large hanger and fabric tension shelters, unfortunately the company doesn't make them anymore and the push button is used to shut the unit off as the turn know next to aur filter is the throttle to wide open and then metered by push button if you need a Manuel I can send you a full one as I have several at hand as atlas went to a much new unit and these units are made in China from original swedin.

Matt, I much older than you and tore my rotators years ago. Had everything reattached. But arthritist set in. I can't do pull start machines anymore so I've gone to electric with most of my cordless tools. I admire your perseverance. Been watching and subscribed from the start. 👍

I am from Sweden and i have used the pionjär ( Pioneer) and the bigger version Cobra a lot. They are notorius Hard to start but when they run they do a very god job. I dont see that you do anything wrong, i have used a lot of foul language över these , keep up the good work!!

Pionjär = Pioneer. They are popularly called Berg Kobra = Rock Cobra here in Sweden. I have a friend who has two of those. One of them is still in use. Watch out for the white spots on your fingers and hands though, first sign of damage when using high vibration tools. I've heard steaming the pages works if they're stuck together!

I have a new Chinese copy of one of these. After half as much pulling I ripped the side off and made a drill starter attachment for a big drill! I have sharpie all over mine, with notes to make it run.

8:15 tips or tricks? Try steaming the book a while and "slowly" drawing the pages apart - then dry them one at a time until you have all pages "apart. DO NOT allow them to be closed - until long after the pages are dried - also after drying but before closing, sprinkle talcum powder on the pages to keep them from re-sticking again. WAIT - the front cover has THE MOST BENEFIT (to start it) if you consider that the compression needs BOTH pistons being forced together, not just the top one connected on the upper crankshaft. To "compress the bottom piston head UP - you need a bit in the machine to allow the machine's weight to bear down and FORCE the piston UP.

The throttle is permanently set for full speed. If you push it to the half way point that is the idle speed. If you push it all the way down that is stop.

Steam from a kettle is good for separating stuck pages i would imagine.

i've had a 120 for 20 years. it is a biatch to start unless you get it running and start it every day. do NOT push down on that throttle button. pushing down on it is how you stop the running machine [as you have basically discovered on your own!!]. you can get a straight segment of 6mm allen/hex key and insert it into the center hub of the starter. i have the other end of the 6mm hex in a drill chuck and i use the drill [on reverse] to crank the antichrist. if you get it started, for the love of god, do not attempt to use it unless you have allowed it to warm up for at least 3 minutes. i haven't run my 120 in a couple years and i'm [as usual] having a bitch of a time getting it running. i appreciate your break down of the fuel line problem - ultimately i may have to do the same and install new fuel line.

I vaguely remember my grandfather using these once or twice. He owned his own general contracting company and did lots of work for the local municipality fixing roads and doing rough groundwork back in the day however by the time my memory started to form he was mostly retired. I remember vaguely riding shotgun with him in the dumper and some of his trucks. Back then I remember it being boring days mostly filled with waiting. At least the truck trips. Now that he is gone remembering it just makes me miss him. I would take those boring trips any day over him not being here and seeing me start a family of my own. He was not technically savvy enough to get into RU-vid before he passed. He would have liked to see some of these old machines getting a new lease on life.

I used one of these machines that was adapted for collecting soil samples when I was doing geological field work. I don’t have fond memories of starting 🤬 that machine so I sympathize with you. You are one determined salvager …

When I saw that recoil fly out and your exasperated reaction I really thought the project was doomed. Your perseverance is incredible. You are a human version of a pit bull on his bone. Great results!

Watching you pull on that recoil starter over and over and over and over was starting to make my rotator cuff act up. Your tenacity is admirable, and one of the main reasons I like to watch your "will it run" videos so much. I've dubbed you "Tenacious D" in honor of your "never give up" attitude.

Once upon a time many years ago, I went to a construction job and told the job "Super" I wanted to be a carpenter, but I didn't have a hammer. He took me to a crew boss and he handed me a "hammer", a 90 pounder. Well, it wasn't long before I had earned my "street cred". That was over 55 years ago. I did work my way up the chain through hard work, and eventually had my own company. So it's with fondness to see a jackhammer back in use, although the closest I will ever get to one these days, is about the distance to the surface of the sun!

It kills my shoulder to watch this. I can’t believe you hung in there as long as you did. I’m a very patient guy , but when pull start engines keep giving me trouble, I go crazy. I have to admit , when this thing fell over in the snow, I was like “ that’s fine just leave it rite there” Thanks for the videos Matt. (Seth from North Carolina)

Thomas Paine once said "That which we achieve too easily, we esteem too lightly." Matt, by the time you get something working, you have really earned it!

The US Air Force ( in Germany ) used this to drive 3 foot X 3 inch stakes to support the 15 foot Parabolic Antenna used with the AN/TRC-97 microwave point to point radio set. We also used it to drive 8 stakes to anchors the OE-361 (QRSA) 20 foot Satellite antenna. As I remember this thing was A PAIN IN THE ASS to get started and keep running! But… when it work it did the job. There are three things to remember…. 1 Maintenance, 2 Maintenance, and 3 Maintenance… USAF Retired Satellite Communication.

The intro with the camera sitting on the box was an incredible idea. Well done

Hey Matt! The way you spelled the name of the unit, in Swedish it would be pronounced, " Pioneer ". Also I'm surprised you got the recoil spring for the pullstart wound as quick as you did and in the right direction. WTG! PS a guy has a link below in the comments for Maskinsalg in Sweden for ordering parts and accessories and everyone speaks English in Sweden so you're good to go.

I’m impressed with your determination. I would’ve launched it across the yard and waited a few days before I picked it back up

Filter helped a ton to get the old girl running Nice to see she is breaking up Concrete like a Champ Born to do it 32:22 @Diesel Creek

Boy does this bring back memories! I worked for a drilling and blasting company for thirty-five years,they also had a equipment repair and sales company that was a dealership with many of the big names ,IR, gardner denver etc, they had a full staff of techs to service and repair equipment, when one these came in for repair the techs would hide or go home sick so they wouldn't have to work on them LOL

You are amazing... In a million years I could never do something like break down a machine I knew nothing about and get it to work. I guess that's why I love watching every video you produce; you do everything exceptionally well.

Again, I am amazed by your sense of adventure and fearlessness in just diving right into something you know nothing about. You've got good troubleshooting skills, however, which are very helpful, and, I see, you've got a very helpful bunch of commentaries on everything from getting stuck pages apart, to how the throttle apparently works opposite from what one would assume. God bless the Swedes - I have enough fun just trying to put Ikea furniture together!

29:55 I think from memory that "push button" is the decompression knob to stop it, hence why you find it not speeding the machine up - but rather killing it. Also - the harder you lean on them, the higher the compression from the lower piston and the better they run. Bloody hard yakka though - to have your whole body "vibrating away - all day"

That's a Homer Simson Moment It dosent have a carburetor that's what the Reed Valves are for and The Adjustable manual Needle valve always Great To see creators put the Oopsy Mistakes in the video Great work as always Matt Always Great entertainment 12:28 @Diesel Creek

Hi mat . I have used these machines in the past and they are fantastic, when you come to use it don’t put your weight on the machines all you have to do is guide it and let the machines do the work. I think you would like it.

Mat, what you have here is an equivilant of a 1960's 70's "McCullogh" chainsaw! get rid of it. It won't hurt you shoulder, it will do your head in. If it wont start up like your "Whacker plate" in the video, get rid of it! Donate it it to a museum of some such. Best wishes!

Lmfao 😂 "Maybe I have to ask nicer will you please come apart I don't want to break you" And then the indexing prybar comes out at the same time 9:50 @Diesel Creek

When I was working for a legal surveying company in the 90's we had one of those as well as a unit called a Kango. We used them for digging frozen and hard ground and also had a end that we could put over the steel survey pins and drive them into the ground. The punjar was lighter, cleaner, and nicer to use than the heavy, oily old kango

Working for a telephone company we often used the Pionjar to drill rock anchors. Always tough to start but once running it would plod along but with no air to blow out the drill hole you had to keep pulling it up to clear the hole or it would get the bit stuck. Not as good as a Pneumatic Jack hammer or drill but great for a right of way in the woods

That looks like one hell of a Exhausting Workout trying to start that Jack Hammer Sounded Mean When it started on the ether Matt 😮 20:18 @Diesel Creek

Matt. Put the book in a steam cabinet, moisture hot will free up the pages. Separate pages by placing cloth between. Cut up an old sheet.

So exciting to see old equipment. I used to be an order picker at a small engine parts warehouse; I've never seen a doughnut shaped tank. Don't forget to take a break Matt, we don't want you destroying yourself, humans a real pain to repair.

I would assume since the air filter itself is essentially the carburetor, having the correct air filter is critical to fuel metering.

Used alot for high and low voltage line work (poles) here in Norway. Most of it is military overflow. Great machines if you know how to get them started. Seems like everyone has its own temper 🙈 worked with some Chinese knockoffs aswell. They are hard on your joints compared to a Pionjär. Running procedure: full throttle, closed choke. When it pops turn the choke off. Adjust the needle. When it pops, give it more gas (counter clockwise). When it studders, give it less gas (clockwise). What you call a throttle is a gas strangler to make less rpm for finer positioning (drilling)

Nice to see a real Pion-jaer [-jair] in Swedish, "Pioneer" officially in English! Made for the Army Engineer Throops and then painted matt olive green. Still in use! All variants are called "Cobra" here, what is the brand from another "small" Swedish rock-drill equipment manufacturer with name Atlas Copco. When you're addicted to yours then buy a new (A C) Cobra! Haha! Often the old ones run on a very fat 2-stroke "old type gas" (~ + additives) with about 5 to 7% old not PC 2-stroke oil (or just add mineral engine oil in worst case). I have several of them from Civil Defence surplus here in Sweden. Easy to buy new spare-parts here and in Africa, where a lot of them ended! ;D So good when lifting huge granite boulders with a big tripod in fields with ring stone anchor and also when blasting rocks in ditches. Can be hard started especially cold, but small amount of ether will solve the problem! They live forever if you use grease and have clean air-filter when rock-drilling. Check the channel that make compressed "air" into the rock drill bits to clean the drill holes with exhaust fumes. Print out and give this to your wifee because she isn't so proud to NOT read instruction manual. This is the original one in Swedish for Military version: www.maskinsalg-as.no/delelister/Bruksanvisning_Pionjar_BR_80.pdf Note printed 1974. She will translate it with ease like the line Petrol to Oil ratio 12:1 !!! (Page 5 upper part!!) Try a steam iron from your wife at the same time to get pages apart! Works for nearly everything except extreme glues like epoxy resin. But be careful so you don't get text on both sides.

Is it possible the mixture dial is also your throttle and the “button” is actually a decompressor to kill the motor? Always look forward to your videos, Matt. Thank you for all the effort.

Great video as always Matt thanks for the entertainment Sir 36:18 @Diesel Creek

here matt i found this for you ok :- If the pages are stuck very firmly together and have a high likelihood of tearing if you apply more force, steam the pages by placing the book above a pan of hot, boiling water. This softens the pages and allows them to separate with less force.

Pionjär, I believe 🙂 Could call it the Pioneer, it's the translation at least. Really cool!!

I remember seeing similar machines here in Australia about 1970. They were similar to the trench compactors made by various manufacturers. the most common were made by Wacker. When portable generators became common, electric jackhammers became available and were more reliable.

I have heard of gas powered jack hammer But never ever seen one that is cool its also a rock drill 😮😎 that is So Cool Matt 2:00 @Diesel Creek

Hello Mat. Thanks for all your videos. The pronunciation of the Swedish brand Gas Powered Jack Hammer Pionjär (look like a 120) is almost like "Pioneer" meaning just that - "a new settler". Best regard Jim from Norway :)

Soak the book in warm water and the papers will unstick, then separate them and hang then up in single pages and allow to slowly dry. I restore old books and regularly need to do this.

Real good Matt! I’ve used the exact same model the last 8 years in the land surveying world! The little momentary switch near the handle is the kill switch. That’s part of your issue. I see you are holding it and trying to start it. There is different mix of fuel these need with sae 30 and 91 octane. 50:1 normal tcw3 mix is not good. I know the old chainsaws said to use 30 weight and fuel at 16:1 etc and modern oil and 50:1 is the ticket but his one actually needs the sae 30 and 91. They are always a real pain in the neck to start and run either way! If you need parts, may trail equipment in Idaho is your best bet!! General rule is turn both the top handle to the left to start.

Used this to drive arrow point anchors and ground rods for a mobile radar system in the Air Force. A pain to start but once running it would wear you out. LoL. Great video. Thanks for bringing back some good memories.

In the early eighties I worked for a big rental company and had the pleasure of working on several gas powered jackhammers

Hey Matt, when small engines don't work the way they should, just remember, Mustie1 is one click away!😂😂

Thank you Matt, I love your channel, the fact that you dont claim to know everything and we can watch you discover how things work is awsome, you are honest, authentic, real and i learn so much from your channel, you inspire me to go out and discover/ learn and fix a few things, thank you

Put the stuck pages in a very cold freezer for two weeks. This tip came from a professional restorer and it does work much of the time.

Man do I feel your pain starting that little bastard. We have some small engines (and bigger, like Wacker diesel plates) where starting will nearly cause a stroke! Helpful tip unrelated, mikasa jumping jacks - if your crew chucks them around like ours do-the throttle control area is a poor design easily bent and can screw up the operation. Check that if poor running or starting. Thanks for posting.

Dude!!! Watching how excited you get every time you get an old tired worn out engine started is justification for a lifetime subscription to your channel. I mean, who hasn’t been there. I had so many different small engines that I spent hours and hours pulling on to no avail.

There are videos out there on how to extract the ethanol from gasoline using the simple and cheap water separation method. I'd love to see you do a video on that, and then do a long term test on "purified" gasoline to see if it will not rot fuel line like the ethanol based gas does.

Very common also in the Finnish military. FYI Pionjär translates directly as "pioneer" but actual means a military branch you would call combat engineers in the us. Good for laying anti tank mines in asphalt of hard gravel with the shovel blade. And drilling holes to explode rock by the side of a highway to, again, block russian t-72's. Use very thick 2-stroke mix. 8% if I recall correctly. The excessive 2-stroke oil also lubes the hammer mechanism.

Reminds me of several vintage dirt bikes I've got...they're beasts to start, and once you've finally got them started, you're so exhausted you don't have energy to ride the darn thing.

This beast is even more gigantic than the Bosch electric jackhammer I used to run on my first job (laborer for a basement waterproofing company - ugh). On a later horrible job, I got to use a regular air jackhammer which was AWESOME. It destroyed everything almost effortlessly and it was waaaaaay lighter than the Bosch.

Hey Matt! Another GREAT job bringing an old piece of equipment back to life! I'll bet that I'm just as thrilled as you are when you get them running again. What would thrill me even more is a group meet on camera with Dirt Perfect and letsdig18. Matt, Mike and Chris....what a laugh fest that would be!!!!

For fishing those fuel lines through tank hole to add filter I use a length of piano wire (spring wire) bend it and put it though the bottom hole and out the cap. Then feed the fuel hose over the wire starting from the bottom. The wire guides it right out of the tank. Add on the filter. Pull out the wire, then rebend the wire if you need, reinsert it into the hose to move the hose into the new location. You have my sympathies I have cursed things and like yourself refuse to stop pulling until either it breaks or I do.

I used one of these through the 1990s and into the early 2000s for environmental soil sampling. A place called Sonic Soil Sampling in the southern Ontario area supplied it to us. Tended to foul up the spark plugs after a few weeks of use. Eventually wore out the rings so I changed them, installed a new spark plug and ran great again for another 10 years.

A damp towel and a steam iron, check frequently as you steam. Most other solvent based solutions would have a good chance of dissolving the ink. A parchment paper designed for oven use will not absorb water or oils, much like freezer paper. A test run is advised ;-)

I've never been so worn out watching a video. Matt you're amazing I would have tracked over that thing by now.

@Diesel Creek - ebay has the air parts you need, search on ebay using "atlas copco 120" and there is a housing, a prefilter, and more

Hi Matt! I use to use those years ago when I was a lineman… we used them to drill holes in rock to drive in anchors for guy wires. We pronounced them as Poonjars. They were the biggest pain in ass to use! We spent more time pull starting them then we did using them. It’s been a while but I thought the button with the spring was the shut off. You had to keep frigging with the mixture knob to keep it running smoothly and at peak rpm and push the button to shut it off. I gotta say, you had yours running way smoother than we ever did!

Great job at getting the Gas Powered Jackhammer, running! Your Persistence paid off. Well done, Matt!

Year 1988 in my military service we do some training with those. Good to drill holes rock for explosives or mounting bolts. Heavy and noisy of course.

I used a similar device back in the 60s to remove some ledge in my driveway. It was quite large and it took several weeks to complete. I only worked on it an Hr a day after I came home from work. Neighbors did'n like the noise. The unit I had was very old, probly made in the 30s, but worked veru well. Gramps

you can see why it was in such good condition nobody could get it started plus you end up with muscles like arny best of luck matt.

I use think you were a lucky guy but now I see your a determined stubborn guy that does not want to give up. good for you Matt

Had me crackin up watchin you pull on that so many times. Ive been there myself and that will flat wear you out quick

We use hydraulic Pionjar hammer drills for environmental sampling when you need to get into tight spaces! Really cool to see such an old school one on the channel!

These Sweden 🇸🇪 model is a beast , my grandfather bought one before 45 years ago and still running perfectly

I know some version of the Pionjär was used by US armed forces so it might not be too hard to find a manual in English, but if not I could translate a Swedish original for you. Just let me know. It's probably 15-20 years since I last used one but I can confirm the reversed throttle action mentioned elsewhere in this thread - "full throttle" is supposed to be used for stopping the machine, and that sure seemed to work. ;-)

Kusos, Matt! My arms and shoulders ached from just watching you try to start that beast. You stuck with it much longer than I would have. Love your videos!

So happy your new video is out! I've been waiting. Keep up the great content Matt! Still my favorite channel!

I used these back in my Airforce days to drive huge grounding systems for radar sites. It can be a handful to operate. Good to see you saved it.

You make the reassembly of the spring look so simple. Congratulations on getting your workout in for the week.

I’m proud of you, Matt! That thing is a beast. I hope you find a job where it will make you a fortune for your persistence and effort.

What a great way to start my morning…I always look forward to your uploads!

Imagine trying to get that thing started but you’ve got your boss on your back. “Why haven’t you got that driveway broken up yet??”

Matt. I just love watching your video's, your drive to play/work with broken equipment along with your humor brings a smile every time. Keep it up buddy. Mike B from the UK.

Definitely use steam. It will unstick the pages for sure but be careful not to burn yourself in the process. If you put freezer paper between the pages as it dries it won't stick back together.

Matt, nice job getting the jack running. Good luck getting the throttle functioning👍👍👍👍👍😸🤗🐺

Matt nice score glad to see you got it running as for the rarity of a gas powered jackhammer.... I’m an ex railroad man for 32 years the track department used to use them all the time what a big blade on the bottom of it in the trap rock underneath RR ties....when they were doing a tie replacement temporary fix for speed restriction.... It had like a big hammer head on it to get the trap rock underneath the ties....I can still see Damien garden who is the biggest ((((((Goliath))))) they used to call him the ((((Greek))) pick the thing up!!!!Out of the back of a truck like he was picking up his lunchpail!!!!!!!!!! and carried over and start it and do his work out while trying to fix the track!!!!!!!!!!!!!!so they can get back to normal speed I can still envision it take care keep up the videos Junkmando

A bit late to the party… The throttle is “inverted”, it is full throttle when left untouched. Half depressed is idling and full depressed is for stopping the engine. Starting instructions say to open the mixture fully and close the choke. Then pull the rope a few times. Open the choke and start the engine, adjust the mixture to proper setting. After stopping the engine close the mixture screw fully. Fuel needs to be 8% mix.

Use steam to get the pages apart. Hold the pages directly and horizontally over a vigorously boiling pot of water and let the moisture from the steam loosen the pages as you slowly pull them apart. Good luck!!!

After about the 50th pull on the rope I started to get a hint of why you don't see a lot of those things and why that one was for sale cheap and doesn't look very used! Good job on finally getting it going.👍

Matt, really enjoyed this video. Any chance you could demonstrate it working correctly on another video? I'd love to see an update with this thing running in the sweet spot. There's so many great tips in the comments I'd bet with all that additional knowledge you'd get it running awesome!

Just watching you struggle with that thing has covered my exercise for the week, so appreciate your hard work.

Got to love you Matt!! You made me laugh and smile all through this vlog. Glad it runs.

Hi Matt. All the info re' parts that you could ever want (via Atlas Copco too) here: www.maskinsalg-as.no/delelister/Deleliste_Pionjar_120_130.pdf Regards Mark in the UK

I love watching everything you do. Can you fill us in on your farm? How many acres, do you grow any crops, is there any power on or near the property? Thanks!!

We were issued with these (we pronounced them Pin-Jar) when I worked for British Gas over 30 years ago, here in the UK. They were a real pain in the backside to start and use.

Hahahaha... when I took my blaster training, the instructor said that the Pionjar didn't have a carb, and I was skeptical. Here it is, 14 years later and I watched this video exclusively to see if he was right since I never had to tear into one. You do have to fiddle with the mix as the fuel tank gets lower. The newer Cobras are Cadillacs by comparison. Backcountry blasters are a niche market, but the Pionjar was ubiquitous with blasters that work for federal land management agencies. Relatively light to throw onto a mule.