Start with the space, then the soil. A paver bed, a patch or a trench is hand work. A building pad, a road base or a lift of granular fill wants a ride-on drum. This class runs from a 103 lb plate up to the 11-ton BOMAG BW211D-40. Take the largest machine the space will hold. Compaction is one job where weight usually means fewer passes.
Soil decides plate or rammer. A plate compacts through vibration, so it suits sand, gravel and crushed base. That makes it right for paver bedding, small patches and driveways. A rammer hits with impact instead, and impact is what moves clay and silt. Trench backfill in cohesive ground is rammer work. Rammers also reach into narrow trenches a plate cannot. Ours is a 128 lb jumping jack.
Weight sets the lift you can compact. Our plates run 103, 200 and 925 lb. At 103 lb, the smallest plate is bedding and touch-up work. At 925 lb, the largest compacts a granular lift — at that weight, plan how it gets on and off the truck. Match lift depth to machine weight and build the fill in layers. A thick lift under a light machine leaves the bottom loose and the surface tight. The failure stays hidden until the pad settles.
On the ride-ons, drum type follows the soil. Smooth drums suit sand, gravel and rockfill. Padfoot drums knead clay and silt instead of bridging over them. Drum width sets coverage per pass; weight sets the depth. That is the general rule. We hold two single-drum rollers — one with a 66" drum, and the 11-ton BOMAG BW211D-40. Tell us your soil and a coordinator will confirm which unit suits the job before you book.
Pull your target density from the geotechnical report, not from a pass count someone remembers. Then run a test strip. Roll a marked length, count passes, test, and stop when you reach spec. Over-rolling burns fuel and can loosen a finished surface. Plan access early. The small plates travel in a pickup; the 11-ton BOMAG needs a float and a subgrade that will hold it.
Guidance is general — representative figures, verified before final publication. Your firm quote comes from a coordinator.
