Formwork Blog

Location: Northern Expressway Adelaide SA

When Z-Bars become difficult to extract because concrete slurry has leaked into the conduit, it may be necessary to make a heavy duty Z-Bar extracting tool.

Z-Bar Extractor

Simply cut a notch in the plate of a Prop-Inner, Screw-Jack or similar item. The notch should be slightly bigger than the diameter of the Z-Bars being extracted.

The length of the Prop Inner tube should be cut down to a manageable length while keeping in mind that the longer the tube (handle) is, the more effective it will be for extracting stubborn Z-Bars. (The longer the handle, the heavier the tool.)

Z-Bar Extractor In Action

To use the Z-Bar Extracting tool, remove the Z-Bar plate (washer) and replace only the nut. Then simply slide it along the Z-Bar towards yourself smashing the nut.

The photo above shows us using the Z-Bar Extractor to pull out a stubborn 4 meter long, 25 mm thick Z-Bar from a poured concrete pier. The Z-Bar Extracting tool made light work from what would otherwise have been one of those crappy never-ending jobs.

Pitfalls To Avoid

Important! Don’t be a bozo and smash your fingers into something while pulling back with the Z-Bar Extracting tool! Look around before you start smashing.

Tip: The length of the handle should be determined by your surroundings. For example, you would not have a 2400mm handle if you were working from a tight scaffold. You would cut it down to say 900mm – 1500mm max.

Tip: Using the Z-Bar Extracting tool on Z-Bars that are not so stubborn is also a good idea because it will reduce the number of times the ends need to be ground-down in order for the nut to fit properly.

Smashing Z-Bars out the regular way with a hammer will burr the ends, increase servicing requirements and produce down-time when someone goes to screw a nut onto a burred Z-Bar.