Inexpensive plate compactor?

[Sparkynutz]

I will be doing about 40-50 yards of concrete work between garage and driveway in the next few years as well as a bunch of retaining wall and other minor things I could definitely use a plate compactor.
I've looked at quite a few used name brand listings in the $700+ but most look rough, rode hard and put away wet. I started looking at menards, home depot, harbor freight. They all have off brands brand new from $400-$600
My question is, do the offbrands do as well of compacting job?
I plan on using it atleast a few years and sell when I'm done. I can't justify renting at $96 a day or buying a new name brand for $1700+ I'd be lucky to sell either unit I buy for half what I pay for it and a loss of $900 on a name brand vs renting would be a wash so I'm leaning towards a harbor freight model with good reviews and around $500 new out the door.
Does anyone have any input they could offer?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[Flail]

I have the HF model. It seems to work fine.

 

[wagoncrazy]

Even buying a used one for $700, using it for 2 years and selling for $700 woudln't be a bad deal in the end...

 

[chaosracing]

$96 per day for a plate compactor??? Damn, around me I can get a small ride on roller compactor for $135 a day and plate compactors for about $56 per day.
While off brands might work just as well, do not forget to think about your resale value. The reason the good brands still cost so much is because their resale value is real good, even when they look rough.

Depending on how much you need it in the immediate future, it might be better to find another rental yard with a cheaper rate, or even call around to some contractors and see if they would rent on to you. Around me, some do since it doesnt make money sitting in their yards. Then if you still want to buy one, check out auctions and craigslist. Check rental yards to. Depending on the yard they have a cycle as to when they sell what they have and buy new.

 

[toyman]

I ran into the same issue with high price rental.

I bought the HF one and it works fine. I've borrowed it out numerous times also.

It's nice to have your own so your not rushed to return it back to rental place.

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[creativecars]

I picked up the HF compactor at a tent sale for $200.
Used it for several projects, but still need to do inside my barn.

 

[d300]

Small plates do an ok job but a 'jumping jack' creates a deeper compacted area. If you have a real solid base under the fill material then a plate should do ok, just keep the lifts under 6". And, as with any construction equipment, the bigger brand name will likely live a lot longer than a throw-away.

 

[ynned]

Damn. If you're gonna take that long to do it (50 c.y. @ 4 inches thick is about 4,050 sq. ft.) Just get a hand tamp and get a little exercise.

10" Hand tamper.

 

[machsnell]

Get a vibratory roller and compact it properly. Hard to get density with a little plate tamper.

Even if you have to rent. You will be upset you didn't when cracks show up.

If you have to then water really well and be prepared to go over the stone many many times and push down on the handle to put the vibratory pressure on the back edge of the plate.

You can get away with it on asphalt. No flex in concrete.

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[Sparkynutz]

My old house driveway cracked like crazy because they only used the skid loader to compact the gravel base. I don't want that again. There's a large equipment dealer close to me with a ride on roller ******** they rent out I was tempted to look into for the driveway but does it do that much better job than a plate compactor?
I'd most likely only rent that once after finish grade is complete becuse I know it will be expensive and require them to deliver it where I could use the plate many times every 4 inches or less of lift with no hassle. The driveway needs up to 24" of fill in places. I need 18" of fill for the garage slab. Using a big roller in there is not feasible because the garage is already in place and concrete will be poured inside the walls. I also want the plate to compact the soil I will be adding around the garage where a ride on just will not fit.
A jumping jack has crossed my mind as well but I don't see them often for sale used or even new for that matter. Hand tamping is out of the question and pointless. It will accomplish close to nothing more than just running a garden hose on it and raking the top. For soil that may be acceptable but definitely not for under a couple thousand dollars of concrete driveway.

Ps. If you want a better idea of what my projects are with pics search "wet garage raise" on garage journal.

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[ynned]

My old house driveway cracked like crazy because they only used the skid loader to compact the gravel base. I don't want that again. There's a large equipment dealer close to me with a ride on roller ******** they rent out I was tempted to look into for the driveway but does it do that much better job than a plate compactor?
I'd most likely only rent that once after finish grade is complete becuse I know it will privey and require them to deliver it where I could use the plate many times every 4 inches or less of lift with no hassle. The driveway needs up to 24" of fill in places. I need 18" of fill for the garage slab. Using a big roller in there is not feasible because the garage is already in place and concrete will be poured inside the walls. I also want the plate to compact the soil I will be adding around the garage where a ride on just will not fit.
A jumping jack has crossed my mind as well but I don't see them often for sale used or even new for that matter. Hand tamping is out of the question and pointless. It will accomplish close to nothing more than just running a garden hose on it and raking the top. For soil that may be acceptable but definitely not for under a couple thousand dollars of concrete driveway.

Ps. If you want a better idea of what my projects are with pics search "wet garage raise" on garage journal.

Thanks for the input everyone.

Compaction is an inverse function of force applied to thickness. The maximum thickness allowed by both ODOT and PennDOT is 8 inches, and that requires the maximum size roller available. If it's necessary for you to place a couple feet, then it needs to be compacted in lifts. A plate compactor isn't really effective for more than a couple inches, maybe 4. There are available walk behind vibratory rollers which are pretty effective and would probably be suitable for your purpose if you keep the lifts under 6 or 8 inches. Jumping jacks are really pretty effective, but still require lifts about 6 maximum. Hand tamping is more effective than a plate tamper, but still must be done in lifts under 4 inches.

In all seriousness, if you keep the lifts reasonable, and material relatively dry and inorganic, most rollers you could rent would probably be sufficient for residential use. If you're going to spread the work out over several years, consider roughing the dirt in first and let it sit for a year; wintering a fill over works wonders for compaction.

 

[James-W]

If you are going to be using it on and off over a 2 year period, I hope you have a place to store it when you are not using it. I mean, buying the equipment and using it and then selling it when you are finished may be a good idea, but if you don't have a place to store it during that time then is sort of loses its appeal.

 

[Sparkynutz]

The driveway will be done slowly in lifts over next few years. The garage floor and fill around it on the other hand will be started as soon as it warms up enough to get started and hopefully pour the garage floor by end of May or end of June at the very latest. I can make room to store it in house garage. There's a stack of 4x8 foam in there now that will be gone as soon as garage floor is done.

 

[chaosracing]

The roller will do a much better job. I would use it for your entire driveway job. Using a plate then a roller will not help, it will hurt you. You will not reach the necessary compaction needed. If your raising it that much, have you looked into an excavator that has the equipment already? Might be cheaper in the long run. As for the garage, they make smaller roller compactors called trench rollers, but I looked at another local yard and for some reason they get $100 per week more than a 2 ton ride on unit.

I was following your garage raise thread, then forgot about it. In the inside of the garage, I would just use 3/4" crushed stone (some call it 2b, others #57) and just compact every 6"

Just looked at your thread at the end (have to go back and get caught up) but just wondering why you want to raise the ground around the garage and where you need to fill the driveway 24" more than what you already have?

 

[Sparkynutz]

The driveway was filled to height just for time being to get the concrete truck in and be able to use garage. The concrete on part of driveway is 8 inches too high. Eventually it will be removed and the whole thing regraded and compacted in lifts at that time. For now the gravel is too high and sloping towards garage slightly until I have funds to slope it correctly.
I will be putting a 2" or so layer of road gravel at the bottom of garage then compact followed by 14" of 1.5"+ then topped with 2" of road gravel and compacted again to give a flat surface for 2" foam then concrete on top. I rented a mini plate compactor for $25 for 4 hours from local landscaping place level the screenings I put at bottom of my window well but doubt that will give the results I'm looking for with rest of my fill. I wouldn't mind even having a medium sized plate compactor for patio blocks and preparing spaces for garden sheds and similar things. When I dug out and dumped my window well dirt I raked it flat and drove over it with my lawn mower every single plastic sled full of dirt until it was perfectly flat to build a 4x8 garden shed on. I plan to move it to a more permanent gravel spot after my garage is complete. I assume a plate compactor would have been much quicker and compact better than my garden tractor. It's early yet and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can to decide which is my best most cost effective option.

 

[lakeroadster]

Sparky... Here's a link to: The Soil Compaction Handbook

What fill type you use will dictate lift thicknesses and which type of compactor you'll need.

 

[machsnell]

Roller without a doubt. Yes better than a plate compactor even our little 1 ton vibratory roller are better than plate tamper.

Where the roller won't get close use a jumping jack. Particularly on the edges and around posts etc.

JJ does an excellent job of compacting. Just a small foot print and it doesn't leave it smooth.

Be careful your subgrade doesn't start to bring moisture up and pump. If it does you have too much moisture in the dirt or bad soils. At least you will know before you spread stone and can dry or undercut as needed.

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[3504speed]

Here's my 62x 80 and over on the right you can barely see the little HF plate compactor. The predator engine starts on the first pull every time and does a fine job.

In my opinion the right crushed rock with the right amount of fines, the proper moisture content and time are just as important as your compacting method.

The HF unit compacted around 18" of 3/4 minus crushed over a few month period in 2 to 4" lifts and never missed a beat. So I had time on my side and sometimes I would soak it with water after compacting, walk away and come back in a couple days it was like concrete, then turn around and do it again. I loved the fact that I could work on it whenever my schedule allowed, and there was just a sense of proudness or something, lol that come along with doing a project with tools you own. Sounds weird I know but that's how I felt about it. I am really glad I bought it.

If you buy one make sure you grease the eccentric bearings regularly. One tip I found online was to drill a hole in the main frame so you can get your grease gun on the zerk on one side. And remember to have a 20% off one item coupon when you go get it.

Oh, by the way, it's been 16 months since the floor was poured. No cracks!!


https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=742135&stc=1&d=1519960354

 

[BIG-BRO]

To compact gravel for my 2000 sq ft garage, I bought this Wen at Home Depot for about $600.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-Plate-Compactor-and-Vibratory-Asphalt-Soil-Plate-56035/205149728

Made more sense as opposed to used prices, and then I could use it anytime over many weeks instead of renting. I have since used to prepare a shed base and other small areas.
Store it in garage on one of those moving dollies from HF - easy to move and it dragging on new garage floor.

 

[Sparkynutz]

Here's my 62x 80 and over on the right you can barely see the little HF plate compactor. The predator engine starts on the first pull every time and does a fine job.

In my opinion the right crushed rock with the right amount of fines, the proper moisture content and time are just as important as your compacting method.

The HF unit compacted around 18" of 3/4 minus crushed over a few month period in 2 to 4" lifts and never missed a beat. So I had time on my side and sometimes I would soak it with water after compacting, walk away and come back in a couple days it was like concrete, then turn around and do it again. I loved the fact that I could work on it whenever my schedule allowed, and there was just a sense of proudness or something, lol that come along with doing a project with tools you own. Sounds weird I know but that's how I felt about it. I am really glad I bought it.

If you buy one make sure you grease the eccentric bearings regularly. One tip I found online was to drill a hole in the main frame so you can get your grease gun on the zerk on one side. And remember to have a 20% off one item coupon when you go get it.

Oh, by the way, it's been 16 months since the floor was poured. No cracks!!


https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=742135&stc=1&d=1519960354

Is that a channel drain in your pic? Did you plumb it to drain anywhere or just use as a trap?

Using my own compactor any time I have free time even a little here and there would be nice vs planning ahead and having to pick up and drop back off watching the clock the whole time to avoid late fees.

 

[Sparkynutz]

Sparky... Here's a link to: The Soil Compaction Handbook

What fill type you use will dictate lift thicknesses and which type of compactor you'll need.

After raising my garage but before pouring the new support walls a big storm was on the way. The old grade was sloped towards the garage which is why I raised it. I removed all the available black dirt and put in a pile across the yard for later. I then dug a huge pit about 15 ft x 10ft x3ft deep and put the removed clay towards the garage and regraded it as well as possible with skid loader so that any water that infiltrates the driveway gravel drains away from the garage instead of towards it like it was previously.
The pit was filled with about 4ft of 1.5" clearstone as well as a 1ft layer on rest of drive way topped with 6 inches of road gravel with fines and ran over repeatedly with the skidloader.
When the garage walls were poured the concrete truck didn't hardly even leave tire tracks. It was pretty solid. The only thing I'm scared of is will the underlying clay heave someday after its eventually poured in concrete. It was very squishy almost consistency of modeling clay with no organic matter. Before concrete there will be around 2ft of compacted gravel base on top of the clay.
I could dig a hole to center of the earth and not remove all the clay. Is 2ft of gravel enough once I push it all to side and compact in lifts down to the clay. I'll probably do that part in July/August so the clay can dry out a little. Once finish grade is done I'd like to leave it that way for an entire year or two before pouring the driveway to make sure it's settled decent. I don't have the cash to blow on renting 3 different compactors over and over during the project. I'm hoping to buy either a jumping jack or plate compactor to use for majority of the lifts and small odd jobs. If there's a good chance a new driveway would crack or settle I have no problem leaving it gravel forever and saving the funds for more important projects.

 

[lakeroadster]

The pit was filled with about 4ft of 1.5" clearstone as well as a 1ft layer on rest of drive way topped with 6 inches of road gravel with fines and ran over repeatedly with the skidloader.

4 feet of fill with no compaction of lifts.

If there's a good chance a new driveway would crack or settle I have no problem leaving it gravel forever and saving the funds for more important projects.

I'd say that's a good plan, stick with gravel, at least for a couple years.

 

[Sparkynutz]

Where the 4ft of clearstone is with no compaction was meant to create a dry well of sorts and black dirt will cover 90% if not more of that area because its to the side of where the driveway will be. The completed driveway will be where there is concrete currently but about 2 feet wider and lead to the corner of garage when finished. The current slab was just poured as a camper/trailer parking spot adjacent to attached garage. There is about 30ft from where the old slab stops to the garage front. The slab was about 30 inches higher than detached garage was but after raising the garage and filling the closest spot with about a foot of the clay dug from the pit and sloped away from house and garage to side of where driveway will go. Basically is the 12 inches or so of compacted gravel on top of the clay between the garage and old driveway slab enough to support a driveway without cracking. If it isnt. I will maybe just throw down some patio blocks or leave gravel.

 

[johnehr]

I used the HF plate compactor on a class 5 base for my pole building, it worked great. Modest lifts plus a bit of water and that base seemed almost as dense as the concrete that was placed on top of it.






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