Chicago Pneumatic Pneumatic Clay Diggers and Trench Diggers
Three air diggers for cutting and lifting clay, hardpan, frost and compacted fill, $1,124 to $1,385. 22 to 29 lb, 44 to 45 CFM, all on a 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. hex chuck.
The short version
A clay digger is not a small paving breaker. It runs a longer, lighter blow tuned to cut and lift cohesive material rather than shatter it, which is what you want in clay, hardpan, frost and compacted backfill — a breaker just packs those harder. All three share the same 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. hex chuck, so one rack of spades and points serves the whole line, and all three sit between 44 and 45 CFM so any of them will run alongside a second tool on a CPS 110. Pick on length and weight: the CP 0111 at 29 lb and 22-1/2 in. for full-day trench work, the CP 0122 S at 24 lb for the same piston in a lighter body, and the CP 0222 at 22 lb and 19-1/2 in. for confined space.
The CP Clay Digger Line
Three tools on one chuck. What separates them is body length, weight and the air inlet thread.
CP 0111 · 29 lb · part no. 8900 0001 41
45 CFM at 90 psi · 29 lb · 22-1/2 in. · 1.63 x 3.5 in. bore and stroke · 3/8 in. NPT inlet · 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. hex chuck
The full-size clay digger. A 1.63 x 3.5 in. piston at 29 lb and 22-1/2 in., drawing 45 CFM through a 3/8 in. NPT inlet. Long enough to work standing up in a trench and heavy enough to keep digging in stiff clay, hardpan and frost.
CP 0122 S · 24 lb · part no. 8900 0001 43
45 CFM at 90 psi · 24 lb · 1.63 x 3.5 in. bore and stroke · 3/4 in. BSP inlet · 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. hex chuck · inside trigger
The same 1.63 x 3.5 in. piston as the CP 0111 in a 24 lb body, and the only digger in the line with a 3/4 in. BSP air inlet rather than 3/8 in. NPT. Five pounds lighter to hold all day, on the same 45 CFM.
CP 0222 · 22 lb · part no. 8900 0001 21
44 CFM at 90 psi · 22 lb · 19-1/2 in. · 1.6 x 3.38 in. bore and stroke · 1/2 in. NPT inlet · 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. hex chuck
The compact digger: 22 lb, 19-1/2 in. long, a slightly smaller 1.6 x 3.38 in. piston and 44 CFM through a 1/2 in. NPT inlet. The one to take into a narrow trench, up a ladder or anywhere the 22-1/2 in. tools will not fit.
Clay Digger, Paving Breaker or Chipping Hammer?
Three tools that look alike from ten feet away and do genuinely different jobs. Buying the wrong one is the most common mistake in this category.
Clay digger — cohesive material
Clay, hardpan, frost, compacted backfill, and anything that packs rather than fractures. The digger’s long, lighter blow drives a spade in and levers material out. Hit clay with a breaker and you compact it further.
Paving breaker — brittle material
Concrete, asphalt, rock and masonry. Heavy, slower blows that fracture the material. A 60 lb breaker puts far more energy into each strike than any digger.
CP pneumatic paving breakersChipping hammer — surface work
Scaling, weld cleanup, tile beds and light concrete removal on a surface rather than through it. Lighter again, faster, and on a smaller shank.
CP chipping hammersCompare All Three Diggers
Factory figures from the Chicago Pneumatic clay digger and pick datasheet, measured at 90 psi.
| Model | Part no. | Chuck | Bore x stroke | Air at 90 psi | Weight | Length | Air inlet | Throttle | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CP 0111 | 8900 0001 41 | 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. | 1.63 x 3.5 in. | 45 CFM | 29 lb | 22-1/2 in. | 3/8 in. NPT | Inside trigger | $1,385 |
| CP 0122 S | 8900 0001 43 | 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. | 1.63 x 3.5 in. | 45 CFM | 24 lb | — | 3/4 in. BSP | Inside trigger | $1,385 |
| CP 0222 | 8900 0001 21 | 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. | 1.6 x 3.38 in. | 44 CFM | 22 lb | 19-1/2 in. | 1/2 in. NPT | Inside trigger | $1,124 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Two notes on the factory sheet. The CP 0122 S length is printed illegibly in our copy of the datasheet, so we have left it blank rather than guess — it shares the CP 0111’s piston and is very likely the same 22-1/2 in., but likely is not good enough to publish. And Chicago Pneumatic do not print blow rate, vibration or sound level for any of the three diggers anywhere in the sheet. Call 1-888-883-5144 if you need those figures and we will get them from CP.
There is a fourth build. The datasheet lists a CP 0111 CHLA (part 8900 0001 20) with an outside trigger and a 1 x 4-1/4 in. chuck. It is not set up on our site yet — call if that is the configuration you want.
Spades, Points and Working Steel
Clay digger steel is ordered by shank. Every tool on this page takes a 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. hex shank, and the CP 0111 CHLA build takes 1 x 4-1/4 in.
As with our chipping hammer steel, we make and stock our own points, chisels and spades rather than reselling Chicago Pneumatic ordering numbers. The clay digger and paving breaker ranges share a shank family, so the same steel covers both.
| Range | What is in it | Shank sizes stocked | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points and chisels | Moil points, narrow chisels, 3 in. chisels, tie tamping tool | 7/8 x 3-1/4, 7/8 x 4-1/4, 1 x 4-1/4, 1-1/8 x 6, 1-1/4 x 6 | $30 |
| Blade tools | 4-1/2 and 5-1/2 in. clay spades, digging chisel, concrete buster, asphalt cutter and wedge, bushing tool, plug and feathers, brick removing tool | 7/8 x 3-1/4, 1 x 4-1/4, 1-1/8 x 6, 1-1/4 x 6 | $131 |
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The clay spade is the tool that makes a digger a digger. A 4-1/2 or 5-1/2 in. spade cuts a slot and lifts the material out in one motion. A moil point in the same tool turns it into a slow breaker, which is occasionally what you want when you hit a rock in the trench but is not what the machine is for.
Mufflers. Chicago Pneumatic list muffler assembly F 814133 for the CP 0111 and R 141765 for the CP 0222. There is no muffler listed for the CP 0122 S. We will source either with the tool.
What Compressor You Need Behind Them
Air consumption at 90 psi with the tool running continuously. All three diggers sit within 1 CFM of each other, so the compressor decision is really about what else is on the line.
| What is running | Total draw | Compressor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| One clay digger | 44 to 45 CFM | CPS 110 (95 CFM) | Under half the machine. Run a second hand tool alongside it. |
| Two clay diggers | 88 to 90 CFM | CPS 110 (95 CFM) | Fits, with almost nothing left over. Two-man trench crew. |
| A digger plus a CP 1260 breaker | 45 + 63 CFM | CPS 185 (180 CFM) | Break out the surface, then dig the trench. The common utility setup. |
| A digger plus a tamper | 45 + 18 CFM | CPS 110 (95 CFM) | Dig, lay, backfill and compact off one machine. |
| Three diggers | 132 to 135 CFM | CPS 185 (180 CFM) | A full crew on one compressor. |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Chicago Pneumatic Clay Digger FAQ
What is a pneumatic clay digger used for?
Cutting and lifting cohesive material: clay, hardpan, frost-bound ground, compacted backfill and heavy soils. Fitted with a clay spade it drives in and levers material out, which is how a trench gets dug by hand where an excavator cannot reach or is not allowed. It is also the tool for digging around buried services where a machine bucket is a risk.
What is the difference between a clay digger and a paving breaker?
The blow. A clay digger runs a longer, lighter stroke tuned to cut and lift material that packs; a paving breaker runs a heavier, slower blow tuned to fracture material that is brittle. Use the digger on clay, hardpan and frost, and the breaker on concrete, asphalt and rock. Hitting clay with a breaker mostly compacts it.
Which CP clay digger should I buy?
Pick on length and weight, because all three share the same 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. chuck and sit within 1 CFM of each other. The CP 0111 at 29 lb and 22-1/2 in. is the full-size tool for sustained trench work. The CP 0122 S has the same piston in a 24 lb body. The CP 0222 at 22 lb and 19-1/2 in. is the one for confined space and overhead, and it is the cheapest at $1,124.
What size compressor do I need for a clay digger?
Any of the three draws 44 to 45 CFM at 90 psi, so a CPS 110 at 95 CFM runs one comfortably with room for a second hand tool, or two diggers at a squeeze. Add a 60 lb breaker and you are into a CPS 185 at 180 CFM.
What steel fits a CP clay digger?
Anything cut for a 7/8 x 3-1/4 in. hex shank, which is what all three tools on this page carry. We stock our own points, chisels and clay spades rather than reselling Chicago Pneumatic ordering numbers: 4-1/2 and 5-1/2 in. clay spades from $131, moil points and chisels from $30, plus digging chisels, asphalt cutters and bushing tools. The CP 0111 CHLA build uses the larger 1 x 4-1/4 in. shank.
Why is the CP 0122 S listed at a paving breaker URL?
A historic slug that predates us. The product is a clay digger and is catalogued as one; only the web address still says breaker. It is on our list to correct with a redirect so nobody loses a bookmark.
Do you stock these?
Yes, all three, and they ship the same day on orders placed by 4 PM Eastern. Add a configuration to the cart above or call 1-888-883-5144 if you want spades quoted with the tool.
Diggers and spades in stock
Tell us the ground and the trench width and we will match the digger and the spade. Same day shipping on everything on this page.