wacker plate or by hand?

[whiteshadow]

Hi,

I've got a narrow strip (~400mm) of Type 1 which has been put down as the base for a rustic garden path.
My plan was to tamp it down with the 10" & 5" tampers I've got.
Would a hired wacker plate do an altogether better job?, or can similar results be achieve by hand/sweat?

Ta!

 

[HERTS P&D]

By hand or with a woman, you decide.

Joking apart a wacker plate will do a much better job.

Andy

 

[Pedrx]

I bought a Hulk Evolution compacter plate. Apart from preferring to go backwards - think it's Chinese - and flatten the operator it does the job and has paid for itself compared to the hire charge. And the convenience too - for those small jobs you wouldn't bother hiring a machine for.

 

[whiteshadow]

Thanks for the replies!

Actually looking at the vids, I would say I think I could do a better job by hand. I tamp repeatedly with the small tamper, before going repeatedly over with the larger tamper.
.........sure it's a lot of work, but I also have a lot of Xmas Lard to burn off!

If I hired a std wacker, how compact would it actually make the type 1, would it be firm like concrete?

 

[r896neo]

The problem with the hulk type plates is their compaction force is useless. A decent hired plate will make mot about as firm as tarmac.

 

[Pedrx]

The problem with the hulk type plates is their compaction force is useless. A decent hired plate will make mot about as firm as tarmac.

Interesting. Tell me about your experiences with this Evolution Hulk, r896neo, please.

 

[RedHerring2]

I've got my own whacker plate, Well two, one here, one in France. Quite obviously they can't reach the parts that hand tampers can, corners, restricted spaces, etc.
So I always finish, at least the corners with a hand tamper, and to be quite honest, the only difference I find, is speed and energy.

 

[r896neo]

Vibrating plates are very expensive and a friend of mine who is a semi-retired builder was finishing off a self build and needed a new plate but that was going to be his last use for it as he's 64. He needed it for a few small jobs, like prep for concrete floors and rather than hire lots of times he got one from screwfix. He moaned at length about how it had no bang and he could still easily dig his heel into the hardcore even after a few passes. He got rid of it and ended up borrowing mine here and there as the compaction force was awful compared to mine and the one he used to have.

 

[Pedrx]

Vibrating plates are very expensive and a friend of mine who is a semi-retired builder was finishing off a self build and needed a new plate but that was going to be his last use for it as he's 64. He needed it for a few small jobs, like prep for concrete floors and rather than hire lots of times he got one from screwfix. He moaned at length about how it had no bang and he could still easily dig his heel into the hardcore even after a few passes. He got rid of it and ended up borrowing mine here and there as the compaction force was awful compared to mine and the one he used to have.

Yes, thanks. See what you mean. A 2.4 horsepower machine would be a bit of a let down if he's used to more like 6hp. Perhaps I took you too literally when you described the Hulk as useless.

Though the engine is half the size so is the plate which means at least twice as many passes to achieve the same compaction. Certainly if I was a full time builder I'd buy a larger machine too.

 

[whiteshadow]

Thanks for the replies guys!

As it's a 'Rustic' path it looks like I'll go with the hand tamping......that way I'll get a buff body too!

Cheers!