Which method is better for backfill compaction? At some point I'll have roughly a half mile of power/phone trench to compact at my property. P.S. My hoe has auxiliary plumbing.
It depends on the type of backfill. That would be the decision maker for me. Can you give us more detail on the material ?
What kind of residual soil do you have and what will you be using for backfill? In general a plate/vibratory tamp is more suited for granular, non-cohesive soils like sand and gravel. A sheepsfoot is more suited for cohesive soils like clay and clay mixtures. Cohesive soils need more manipulation, ie the physical part of the "foot" of the sheepsfoot plus weight and movement.
If you use the vib. plate on clay in wetish areas the vibration will end up pulling up water which could give you problems - but if you have a sand backfill vib. is the best method
Thanks for the feedback. I'll be backfilling with native soil so it looks like a wheel is the way to go.