I'm looking for some real world advise from you utility guy's Is a trench compactor or a roller bucket the way to go? Thank You for any input.
What is a roller bucket? Am thinking 'compaction wheel'?
Depends on what type of material you are back filling with. If we are in a road or influence of a road , we have to back fill with sand to 1ft from the top with clay cap. But we use a hoe pack. Vibrant plate compactor for excavator. Depending on on size of machine depends on how think of a lift we put in before compacting. We have a old 235 with a hoe pack on it, I do about 5-6 lift.
Give us a little more info on what kind of trenches your digging, soil types, depth, ect. There are different equipment and methods of compaction for a water service vs a 60" RCP storm drain for example.
We do residential and lite commercial site work. Water lines, sewer and power. We also pour the foundations and backfill/compact and finish grade everything The soils very from shot rock to clay with the majority being glacial till. Comparing a Felco roller bucket price and a double drum trench compactor (used) are pretty close to the same amount. I'm just trying to speed things up, have been using jumping jack compactors for everything up till now. Waterlines are all 6 foot bury and usually 75 to 100 ft runs. Thanks for the input
Gotcha. Check Ironplanet as they sell remote control trench rollers on a regular basis. I stole a Wacker remote trench roller last year and it's paid for itself several times over. It would also work for compacting around foundations. There are several coming up for auction next week from Sunbelt rentals.
I'll check that out Thanks
Used one many times. VERY handy.
all depends on soil type. cohesives at optimum or point or 2 below...definitely a packwheel... cohesives that are a point or two above optimum, or granular excavator mounted vibe plate. get yourself a quick coupler on excavator if you don't have one...great combination.
I have a jumping jack, hoe pack, and a trench roller. Each serve its own purpose, but gets matched to the job. Hoe packs have been good for runs in the distance that you describe, especially if there are cleanouts or risers to be concerned with, or if you are in an area where excess spoil generation has to be avoided (2' bucket or less). I run mine on a 303, and they do wear out my bucket bushings. I like them for unstable soils that I really dont want to be down in with a jumping jack. Trench rollers need a wider trench (I need 32 or wider), you need a machine capable of actually lifting the thing (3000lbs) into the trenches, and need to be re-hoisted over risers, and the controllers can be a nightmare if gotten wet or ran over ( I use carolina electronics for my repairs http://www.carolinaelectronicservice.com/ ), but man can they put alot of dirt back hard and fast. I also like them because i can compact a small pad, driveway, or patio far beyond what a plate compactor can achieve, and helps keep a commercial plumbing site a lot cleaner, as I usually make a pass over where my spoils piles had been after backfilling to get rid of any "crummies" that would become slop after a rainstorm. As CM said, Wackers can be found pretty cheap at auctions. I bought a RT820 for $1500 at a Ritchie Brother auction after I rented one on two separate occasions...for $1900 a month, each time using them for less than 20 hours. Old yes, but air cooled Lombardinis that run forever and parts availability ( unneeded so far ) have made it a good choice for me
Thanks for all the input.