Simple Pneumatic Ground Breaker

 

I gotta admit, when I first watched Casa Fear’s tutorial on how to build a simple pneumatic ground breaker at HauntForum, I didn’t think the finished product was going to be worth the effort.  The frame of this prop doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that it’s going to stay in one piece, let alone be creepy looking.  Boy was I wrong.  And that’s what’s so great about this prop.  It’s simple to build, won’t break the bank, and really results in a great prop.   The quick jerking of the cylinders creates a nice startling effect that you just don’t get from a standard ground breaker.  So if you’ve got your head wrapped around the pneumatics, the rest of this prop should be smooth sailing for you.

 

 

Items needed for this prop include:

  • 6′ of 2×4
  • 2 pneumatic cylinders
  • 2 foot brackets
  • 2 rod clevis
  • 2 clevis mounting brackets
  • 2 – 4 way solenoid valves
  • 1 prop controller
  • 4 – 3″ hinges (wrist/elbow)
  • 2 – 2.8″ hinges (shoulders)
  • 12 carriage bolts (attaching cylinders)
  • 10 flat phillips bolts (hinges)
  • 2 hex bolts (shoulders)
  • Locking nuts/washers for all bolts
  • Plywood for base