In an aspect of the invention a ripping mechanism for a vehicle is provided which includes a support frame, a ripping member, a vibrator mechanism, a pressure sensor, and a control system. The control system is configured to determine when the ripping member is engaged with hard material using the pressure sensor. When the ripping member is engaged with hard material, the control system is configured to permit operation of the vibrator mechanism. In some embodiments, the control system may further be configured to automatically start the vibrator mechanism when it detects that the ripping member is engaged with hard material. When the ripping member is not engaged with hard material, the control system is configured to deactivate the vibrator mechanism. In some embodiments, deactivation of the vibrator mechanism means that the control system turns off the vibrator mechanism. In some other embodiments, deactivation of the vibrator mechanism means that the control system prevents operation of the vibrator mechanism. In yet other embodiments deactivation of the vibrator mechanism may entail both turning off the vibrator mechanism and preventing operation of the vibrator mechanism. In yet other embodiments, the control system may include a switch that permits a vehicle operator to select which of these aforementioned actions the control system takes when determining that the ripping member is not engaged with hard material.
