Power roof shingle removal tools strip roof like no shingle shovel

Air Ripper D.I.Y.typically measures 48 5/8" from cutting tips to end of handle (without air fitting), and weighs 12 pounds. 2100 blows per minute 10 CFM @ 90 PSI

Get the 37073-7VGA handle for pneumatic roofing remover

power handle directly from HF plus the shinglehead.

roof tear off tool, DIY option

The pro model:

Bevel

The most important modification is to bevel the hammer housing. The ledge created by the factory's square cut often catches roof debris and snags the flow of the tear off tool. Cutting a bevel creates a ramp for the shingles to flow over.

Clamp

This air hammer has a protruding clamp, which makes a ledge to catch on the roof shingles. Two webs welded in front of the clamp create a ramp to guide the roof debris clear for more convenience and smoother operation.

Handle

The bulk of the heavy handle is cut away and replaced with a lighter gauge material. This sheds two pounds and gains six inches for greater reach, penetration, sweet spot, and leverage while reducing fatigue.

Fix the Bugs

There are two known bugs that come up occasionally and are watched out for on the pro model, which is given a quick bench test before going in the box.

The twenty minute DIY

Mount the head such that the clamp is at roughly 90 degrees to the plane of the head. Cut a partial bevel opposite the clamp. Operate with the clamp pointed toward the deck.

You can save grinding time on the bevel by taking advantage of a flat. You’ll want to reverse the head occasionally so it will self-sharpen

Two bugs occasionaly arise

1) No hammer action when trigger is pulled.
On the cylinder walls and on the piston, the factory applies a heavy oil to prevent rust. This oil sometimes stiffens up and inhibits piston travel. Spray some WD-40 etc. down the shaft hole followed by pushing the piston back with a stick a couple times to solve this problem.

2) The Shinglehead won’t go all the way into the power handle.
Occasionally there is a burr part way down the shaft hole.Clean it out by beating the head in on 3 rotations. On the tougher ones, it may be just as easy to disassemble the retainer example

. When done, the shaft must move freely through the hole with some noticeable slop like this

.

Notice that the shinglehead has a heavier shaft than the stock chisel. This is because early model shingleheads were coming out of the handle when in action. Do not shave the shaft.

Handle

Cut the hammer side leaving about ¼”. Cut the control side 1-1/8”. Cut a piece of 1” EMT electrical conduit 32 5/8” Use adequate precautions when welding galvanized.

This yields a 55 5/8” working tool, which is about as long as we can go without getting cumbersome with the hose on it. This is also about as much as we can span the EMT.