When you are about to lay a foundation, prepare a sub-base for asphalt, or landscape a property for long-term durability; you need soil compaction. The earth naturally contains air pockets formed around roots, rocks, and differently granulated soil. When heavy rains or heavy weights are added, the soil will settle into its air pockets, causing dangerous shifts beneath a foundation or holes and valleys forming in your landscaping.
This is why soil compaction equipment is essential in preparing the level ground needed for construction or in completing landscaping projects to prevent the ground from settling later. But which types of soil compaction machines should you choose from?
Start with the Selection of The Equipment
The first step is to determine the equipment needed for your project.
The bigger the project - the more ground to cover and dirt to move - the more extensive equipment needed to get the job done efficiently and compact the soil properly when you are finished.
Smaller scale jobs can be done using small soil compaction equipment to ensure both maneuverability and a properly affordable project.
Type of Compacted Material To Consider Before Equipment Selection
You should consider what kind of material you're planning to compact. Too many rocks in your local soil may require a vibratory tamper or impact roller type of soil compaction to make the ground level and stable.
If your soil is rich in clays, you may need an exceptionally well-equipped rammer, vibratory plate compactor, or roller. Silty soils may benefit from an elephant foot or grid roller instead. Sandy soil, however, requires a vibratory tamper or a smooth wheel roller.
Light Soil Compaction Equipment
Rammers
Rammer compactor is a handheld tool about 3/4 the size of an adult human with a plate on the bottom. Freestanding, it looks like a jackhammer, but with a plate instead of a cutting blade. A rammer is helpful for small-scale soil compaction, especially in tight spaces and landscaping features.
Vibratory Tampers
A vibratory tamper, also known as a plate compactor, is like a rammer but looks more like a cart that holds itself flat and upright as you tamp. While a rammer can provide more direct and profound force, a vibratory tamper is better for covering medium-sized spaces like an entire residential lawn instead of re-leveling one damaged area.
Vibratory Plate Compactors
A vibratory plate compactor is the biggest type of light soil compaction equipment. A small vibratory plate compactor is much like a riding lawnmower or a small tractor with a heavy rolling rigid cylinder - called a plate - at the front pressing down your soil which is vibrated to help shake the soil down and into place. Several types of plates are available for a vibratory plate compactor depending on the type of soil you need to compact.
Heavy Soil Compaction Equipment
Smooth Drum Compactor / Smooth Wheel Rollers
For larger jobs, you may need heavy soil compaction equipment, ready to handle heavy-duty soil and larger areas that need to be graded and compacted. A smooth drum compactor, also called a smooth wheel roller, can help you tackle large grading projects with foundation-ready stability when the compaction is done.
Tractor Tire Compactors
In addition to vibrating plate compactors - smooth or ridged - which rely on a forward cylinder, a tractor compactor trades out the tires on a classic tractor or loader design for compactor wheels instead. Some models have four separate compactor wheels, leaving furrows of soil compaction in their wake.
Loader Compactors
Some tractor tire-style compactors are loaded with a loader on the arms extending out before soil compaction. You can use this loader to remove debris and cut through the sod as needed.
Buying or Renting Soil Compaction Equipment, Contact Newman Tractor
If your team needs soil compaction for a single project or merely for a few months a year, Newman Tractor can help you quickly find the right soil compaction equipment to lease for your needs.
If you have a regular and constant need for soil compaction, Newman Tractor can also help you make plans to buy the best models built to last to get the best value for your investment.
Contact us today to consult with the experts at Newman Tractor to determine the needs of your project and the right approach to renting or buying equipment for your team.
