COMPACTORS


It can be pretty difficult to stomp down a few tons of soil with our feet. That's why we use compactors. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and types. But the compactors generally serve the same purpose. As their name might suggest, they pound, press and stomp the ground together using weight, force and vibration.

Necessary of Compactors

Compactors in use today range from the hand-held walk behind to those that require the use of heavy machinery, and are used as or alongside tractors, which can weigh as much as several tons. The most common use for compactors is to prepare the soil, gravel or sand for construction or paving. Their use is often necessary to ensure safe and stable conditions.

Types of Compactors

The earliest compactors that resembled anything like those of today were around as early as the 1880s. They often proved too inconvenient, however, with some accounts noting as many as 18 mules needed to operate one device.

Much more complex, today's compactors are also much more efficient. One of the more common types of compactors are those that have a vibrating, compacting plate at the end of an adjustable arm of a backhoe tractor. The compactor gives strong impulses into the ground up to 2200 times per minute, pushing soil and sand particles together. The arm allows for flexible compacting in trenches or other otherwise unreachable places. Mounting brackets also allows for added stability.

A second type of compactor is one that is a steel drum that is pushed and pulled by a tractor, typically used to prepare gravel for paving. The newer compactor models also provide a high vibrating action through an oscillating drum, which aids in the compaction of materials. Smaller, individually operated walk behind compactors are also used, though they are inefficient for larger jobs, not to mention uncomfortable.