Tom Troszak

Dear Decker, I'm not sure if this is funny, or just pathetic, but Denise just informed me that the guy that has been calling these last few weeks is named Derek, not Decker. So, I actually have no idea who you are or where your hammer is. So, er... I'd be very happy to take whatever wreck you send me and turn it into a brand new, factory fresh Bull 125 hammer according to the terms I just provided. I am an absolute whiz with machines, but in addition to not being a people person, I am also not an Internet person, or a typist. That silly rant took me more than two hours to peck in one finger at a time. Sorry if I confused or insulted you, but believe it or not, this is me trying to be helpful. Tom

Dear deker, I can tell by looking at the photos that I did not build your hammer. After we left the shop, they started changing stuff left and right, and Denise and I started getting calls from out old customers saying there were all kinds of weird problems with the hammers they were building shipping in my absence. So, here's my problem: You have a hammer that was not built to my original specifications, was not built by me, was used and possibly modified by another customer, then smashed. Now you have been meddling randomly with it, and you also have 100 questions that can't be answered, because I have no idea what is going on there. For example, I have never seen that switch before, I have no idea why it is there, or who put it there. Who knows what else is going on? Trying to troubleshoot this over the phone would basically be impossible, because there are too many variables that affect each other. If you had a stock hammer that I myself had made (or supervised), I could answer any question there is, correctly, on the first try. If you want to bring the hammer to my shop, I can replace everything that moves (except the ram) with a proper new part and return it to new condition for $1,500-2000. It will take 4-6 weeks to get a new cylinder, because they are custom made, then further modified by me. Or, If you want, I can come to your shop for $150/hour [2 hour minimum] and I will take your hammer to bits before your eyes, tell you what every part is supposed to do, how it is supposed to work, and I will make out a laundry list of exactly what you need or don't, and give you a quote. Anything that can be fixed immediately will be done on site, and you will know everything there is to know. The rest will be replaced in a second visit. So your cost for a complete on-site repairs will be a minimum of $600 plus any parts. My shop rate is $65/hour so if you want to ask me questions on the phone about something I've never even seen before, great. I don't know if you or any other 2nd hand Bull owner can understand this, but suppose you bought a 14 year old chevy that had a lot of miles on it, had been highly modified by some rednecks, then had been wrecked. Then you started calling the local chevy dealer every few weeks, asking for some free troubleshooting advice, about some weird little thing (that wasn't on the original car) that was wiggling so much that you couldn't keep it adjusted properly. What exactly would you expect them to do? I am not a 'people person'. I don't chat about the weather. I didn't build your hammer, and I never received a penny for it from the original owner. I didn't break it. If I had built it, the two year bumper to bumper warrant expired more than a decade ago. I understand from Denise that you a swell guy, and I apologize for basically avoiding you. At this moment, I simply don't feel that I can afford to give anyone my time for free, like I am doing right now. If I'm too much of a pain to deal with, please call Mark Krause, he is an excellent mechanic, machinist and all around great guy. He has had his hands on more Bull hammers than anyone I know other than me.

Alan, I'm sorry you had a problem with the pilot valve. Denise and I were locked out of the Bullhammer shop in early February of 2003, so It's likely I didn't build your hammer, and if you got a pilot valve with a plastic bracket, I am certain of it. In 2002 Norgren changed the bracket from aluminum to plastic, and the first batch of 36 plastic valves arrived with half of them broken in the bags from the factory. I started manufacturing brackets from scratch from aluminum, and re-machining the valve bodies, and clipping the springs, and blah blah blah... and it was a bit of a nightmare trying to keep up with, for a part that used to work fine until the manufacturer decided to make it cheaper. Basically, Norgren completely screwed up the entire hammer business by ruining that valve. By 2002 we already had more than 200 hammers in 13 countries, and suddenly had no pilot valves, either for spares or production, and I probably purchased more than a dozen different valves from others trying to find a decent substitute... then got kicked out of my own shop. After we had started making hammers elsewhere under the Phoenix name, I found out that Norgen does (or did) make an excellent, direct replacement for the original valves, but they cost $175 each and take 3-4 months to get from England on special order, and the minimum order is 36 valves, so I didn't invest in that, since people had already told me to stuff it, when I asked $75 for a replacement valve [at my cost]. Since we had recently just been tossed out into the street, I didn't have a spare $5K to invest in valves that no one would ever buy from me, so I finally started using a modified Parker valve, because the unmodified Parker valve doesn't respond the same way, so the hammer stroke is too long. If you ever do need another replacement valve, let me know and I can modify a Parker valve that will work perfectly.

Daniel, Just cut a notch in the upper (rod end) seal, just through the outer flap. The cup seals face away from each other, to seal against working pressure from opposite directions. In normal operation, the piston speed causes the seals and the air trapped between them to warm up. When the hammer slows down or stops cycling, the air trapped between the seals cools down, and the atmospheric pressure from both ends presses hard on the seal because of the vacuum between them. This can cause intermittent sluggish operation, and premature wear of the seals. It can even lock the piston so tight in the bore you had to remove the cylinder tube from the hammer, clamp it in a vice, and tap the piston rod with a mallet to break it loose. I used to drill a little hole, but found they got plugged up with goop over time. Now I just cut a notch (upper lip only) and they work well. 125.CYL.ASSEM.edit.2017.04.07.pdf

Daniel, I was not aware that you were trying to contact me, much less literally scores of times. If you would like, try calling the office number 828.713.7828, and leave a number where I can call you back, or try sending a text to 828.713.0787 I'll call you back as soon as I can. If not, I can try to answer any questions you may have here. Tom