I’m posting this here since it doesn’t really fit into the self-propelled roller category. Mods, I apologize in advance if I’m in the wrong spot! How useful is a tow behind smooth drum roller for compacting hardpack? I have a moderately steep hardpack driveway that periodically needs to be regraded to fix washouts, etc. When I put down the finish hardpack layer, I rented a vibratory single drum roller that did an excellent job of getting it all compacted initially. (See this thread: HeavyEquipmentForums ) I’m thinking about ways to compact the driveway for periodic maintenance. The single drum roller I rented is from a rental outfit 45 minutes away and it wasn’t particularly cheap. This past weekend we had 2” of rain in an hour and I got to do some unexpected driveway maintenance. When I finished I compacted it again with a plate compactor, which isn’t the tool for the job. I started looking at tow behind static rollers that I could pull behind a medium sized tractor. How well would something like this work to compact 3-4” of hardpack?
This probably belongs in the roller forum so I'll move it over there. No worries. Now to the original question - Compaction is a function of time, weight, vibration and manipulation. Some materials take a lot weight to compress, granular materials require vibration and clays require manipulation. Time always varies depending on the material. Ultimately you need water, weight and vibration for the DGB you have on your driveway. However like any crushed stone it doesn't like flowing water on a steep slope which you kinda have. As you know this will be an ongoing maintenance issue. Without a pull behind compactor being vibratory (there are some out there) you are down to a function of weight and the time to roll over and over it until you ultimately mash it into submission. The lack of vibration on crushed stone will take much longer using a static roller. You might want to keep an eye on Iron Planet or RB for a small double drum roller from one of the rental houses. Some of them are gas powered which most commercial contractors don't want to fool so it can drive the price down. Can't tell how steep your drive is but you could rent one first to see if it would fit the bill.
Thanks! As long as there are no other washouts, I’ll do my final maintenance for the year in October/November so it freezes up flat for plowing. I think I’ll take your suggestion and rent a small ride on roller for that task and see in it performs.
What's this "freeze" you speak of?
Rubber tires will do more for compaction than a static roller. Check out the grader forum spring summer works There are pictures of a tire roller
Unfortunately it hasn't been consistent enough the last few years. When the ground doesn't stay frozen all winter it greatly increases the amount of road and driveway damage.
Do you have a heavy vehicle or know someone with a dump truck or similar that could drive on it to pack it for you? After a moderate rain would be best.
These were the go to back in the day,were available with smooth drum as well. The smooth drum had enough weight to use as a static roller for finishing off jobs. From new they had a 4cyl Lister engine, some were converted to a Fordson. Google Image Result for https://media.sandhills.com/img.axd?id=7042416211&wid=4326182721&rwl=False&p=&ext=&w=350&h=220&t=&lp=&c=True&wt=False&sz=Max&rt=0&checksum=ONmjL3HKa2v8GMXIycHOGWuTxKBJP7Hcfz%2Fy2bkyndU%3D
Pull type sheepsfoot rollers are very expensive around here. I've never seen one under about $8000 and most are $10-$12,000.
For the cost savings, I ultimately just decided on yearly maintenance. I did just pick up a dozer/snowplow for the skid steer and can refresh the driveway in a 1/4 of the time, over the backhoe. I did just pick up a used Fernco 500 gallon boom sprayer for cheap and someone on FB just put up 2 55 gallon plastic barrels filled with calcium chloride from emptying his rear tires. I am toying with the idea of a used vibratory plate compactor for the skid, to add another tool but fear it wouldn’t work for crap. I had a sheep’s foot pull behind roller that I had homemade but someone offered me too much money for it. I did miss out on a used double drum vibratory on CL last month, that would have been nice. It was under 3k.
Looking at the first image posted, there are rocks along the edge of the driveway. The compacted gravel on the driveway height should be at the same level as the grade. If the gravel is above the grade, it will continue to push out beyond the width of the road as it is compacted or driven over. I would suggest to add more support fill (Grade along the side of the road) to make it more even with the gravel and compact that, and then rent a 6' wide vibrator roller 8-10 ton machine and compact the heck out of the driveway. For light compacting, I have a walk behind Mikasa MRHGS800 with Honda GX390 gas engine vibrator roller. Works great and hits pretty hard and rolls pretty fast even on hills. Can be found used for as low as a few thousand.