We have a sidewalk in our back yard that needs to go to make room for a patio. Is this something we can take out ourselves? How do we go about it? What tools should we buy/rent? The sidewalk is about 2.5 feet wide and 20 feet long.
You have a couple of options. A large bar and a 12 to 16# sledge hammer or an electric paving breaker.
In the bar and sledge method two people work in tandom. One bars the slab up, to put pressure on it and the other one snaps the concrete with the sledge. Start at a corner. Once this process is underway things go quickly (barring embbeded wire mesh or steel).
An elecrtic paving breaker (more like a toy than a tool when compared to a air operated breaker) will work also. The higher the number, such as 60, 70, 80, 90, 120, the more work it will do and the more it weighs. A 3" wide chisel point is generally used to cut and break flat work. Renting one is overkill for such a small area, but if you must do it all by yourself, the rental may be worth the money.