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Asphalt Roller for Soil Compaction?

MrEvilPirate

Active Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2021
Messages
37
Location
CT
I am building a house out in the woods and need a roller for compacting driveway subgrade, backfill against foundation and under slab, stone on driveway, etc. It is a long driveway about 800' and the site is pretty big so I think roller over heavy plate is a better choice. I have a chance to grab a Beuthling B155 vibratory roller. This machine has 2 drums on it, weighs around 3200lbs and the stats I found with vibration on gives 4500lbs of centrifugal force and a total 6550 lbs of force.

The stats I find on plate compactors are all in lb/ft. That 6550 lbs is distributed over (I assume) the length of both drums, and so I'm not sure how to compare apples to apples in terms of actual compaction force delivered. The bigger question is if this machine is even appropriate for soils compaction.

My onsite material is sand, little bit of gravel mixed in, and about 20% fines. Any thoughts?
 

James Sorochan

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2020
Messages
491
Location
Lethbridge county, Alberta, Canada
Occupation
x-water & sewer construction Now farmer.
Depending on what's available to you for rentals and your manpower situation. Are you doing the work by yourself or have a few operators? I think you might want to move up to a 66" smooth drum roller with 800' driveway. With the material you describe been mostly sand smooth drum is the only way to go. Do you have other equipment on site for spreading and levelling: lifting? Maybe give us a little more info on your project, timeline for completion etc. so we can be of some service to you.
 

MrEvilPirate

Active Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2021
Messages
37
Location
CT
James- I have an 11k mini ex and a 5k tractor with a loader for my personal equipment. I have a contractor out there with a 90k excavator and a haul truck who is moving a lot of earth for me and will get the driveway boxed out. This year I will put geotextile down on the driveway and get stone hauled in. Also plan to get utility trenches dug to bring power in. Spread top soil and seed the lawn away from the house. I cleared about 3 acres for the driveway and house, had to clear quite a bit because there is a ton of cuts/fills. House is a walkout, existing grade on the low end is pretty much bottom of footing, the high side of the house, circle drive area, and the 800' of driveway is all essentially a cut, and that material gets pushed down the hill. The only thing being built on the filled area will be a part of the driveway that goes around to the back of the house. So I will use the roller for quite a bit of stuff over a long period of time. Plan is for foundations next spring.

Renting isn't really an option because I'm a weekend warrior here plus a few weeks vacation time that'll be spent out there.

My main concern with the roller is double drum vs wheels in the back, and if 1.5 tons is enough.

Does that paint a better picture?
 

Tones

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
3,062
Location
Ubique
Occupation
Ex land clearing contractor, part-time retired
Using a smoothdrum roller on soil compaction is a no no IMO. It won't allow the fill layers to bind together causing lamination which then allows moisture ingress. I don't know if it's a thing in your neck of the woods yet but where I am single drum rollers are able to be fitted with padfoot shells which bolt onto the drum. The scraper bar has to be removed. So you have one roller for two applications

This video is away over the top with manpower, it's 1 or 2 man job but gives you the idea.
 

James Sorochan

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2020
Messages
491
Location
Lethbridge county, Alberta, Canada
Occupation
x-water & sewer construction Now farmer.
Yes. Understood. I guess you need to know what’s available in your area for sale then. After you’re done you could sell it. I picked up a 66’ smooth drum bomag that I plan on using to build roads on the farm here over the neared few years. Sounds like you have a good handle on things.
 

James Sorochan

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2020
Messages
491
Location
Lethbridge county, Alberta, Canada
Occupation
x-water & sewer construction Now farmer.
Mine came with the shell kit. Haven’t tried it yet. In the dirt work the padfoot is king. Back in the day we took a job outside our normal area doing water and sewer. The soil was sand. Our padffoot packers were useless. Had to rent smooth drum and everything was good. You could put 2 ‘ lifts no problem. Talk to your contractor and see what he would use.
 

oarwhat

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
824
Location
buffalo,n.y.
I agree that roller is too small but I don't think you have to go all the way to 66". Also you don't need foot pads for the little you're doing. Heck most home builders here don't compact anything.
 

Doug580l

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2018
Messages
301
Location
Southern Illinois
I am building a house out in the woods and need a roller for compacting driveway subgrade, backfill against foundation and under slab, stone on driveway, etc. It is a long driveway about 800' and the site is pretty big so I think roller over heavy plate is a better choice. I have a chance to grab a Beuthling B155 vibratory roller. This machine has 2 drums on it, weighs around 3200lbs and the stats I found with vibration on gives 4500lbs of centrifugal force and a total 6550 lbs of force.

The stats I find on plate compactors are all in lb/ft. That 6550 lbs is distributed over (I assume) the length of both drums, and so I'm not sure how to compare apples to apples in terms of actual compaction force delivered. The bigger question is if this machine is even appropriate for soils compaction.

My onsite material is sand, little bit of gravel mixed in, and about 20% fines. Any thoughts?

I think that roller could do everything you need except the backfill against the foundation. You won't be able to get very close to it and it will start to tip towards the foundation as it compacts. As far as the other areas, as long as you don't try to compact more than about 3-4" at a time you will be fine. Just go slow while using the vibration. The first several years I was in business(early 80's) we used a Rosco vibratory rollers of the same size for compacting subgrade, gravel and asphalt in driveways and small parking lots. I might go closer to 3" where you're going to be pouring a slab. I still have an old roller of that size and in 2016 I raised some land up about 3' for a 60'x30' pole barn. I did 3-4" lifts and rolled the crap out of it and as far as I can tell there has been no settling.

I wouldn't be worried at all about using it on the driveway, it will just be slow. One thing though, with the smooth drums and only rear drum drive, it won't be very good on steep hills.
 

Tinkerer

Senior Member
Joined
May 21, 2009
Messages
9,342
Location
The shore of the illinois river USA
I would advise that you not compact any fill next a house foundation.
Even if the sill plates and joists are installed.
A friend of mine is a professional concrete contractor.
He employs 11 men year around.
He had a wall cave in about 2 inches. They were using a Bobcat CTL with tracks, and the fill wasn't all the up way to grade when it the wall went in.
He said the concrete was well cured.
 

Dozerboy

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
2,232
Location
TX
Occupation
Operator
Using a smoothdrum roller on soil compaction is a no no IMO. It won't allow the fill layers to bind together causing lamination which then allows moisture ingress. I don't know if it's a thing in your neck of the woods yet but where I am single drum rollers are able to be fitted with padfoot shells which bolt onto the drum. The scraper bar has to be removed. So you have one roller for two applications



This video is away over the top with manpower, it's 1 or 2 man job but gives you the idea.

Smooth drums are not a NO NO. I have used them alot with the approval of an engineer. It all depends on the soil and how you do it.

Those pad foot shells are a joke took us 8hrs last time we took one off. That was the last time we ever swapped a roller over
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
6,599
Location
LaGrangeville, N.Y.
You should be able to use this roller you're suggesting. Is it the best machine for the job? Perhaps not but only you can determine your funds availability and time. Whatever machine you end up with I would contact the manufacturer for their recommendation of the maximum lifts for the type of soils you are working with to get adequate compaction.
 

Tones

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
3,062
Location
Ubique
Occupation
Ex land clearing contractor, part-time retired
Smooth drums are not a NO NO. I have used them alot with the approval of an engineer. It all depends on the soil and how you do it.

Those pad foot shells are a joke took us 8hrs last time we took one off. That was the last time we ever swapped a roller over
lve helped a mate on numerous occasions to swap shells over, 30min each way and didn't get a sweat up
 

JaredV

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2022
Messages
332
Location
SW WA
I would advise that you not compact any fill next a house foundation.
Even if the sill plates and joists are installed.
A friend of mine is a professional concrete contractor.
He employs 11 men year around.
He had a wall cave in about 2 inches. They were using a Bobcat CTL with tracks, and the fill wasn't all the up way to grade when it the wall went in.
He said the concrete was well cured.

I may or may not have put an 1-1/2 or 2 inch bow in a 8 inch thick, 4' tall, about 40' long wall running a 60 size excavator along it filling a long porch almost to the top. I pulled the material away, reached over the wall and scootched the wall back, no cracks, and nobody was the wiser. After that I was more careful. I've backfilled basements that I filled the inside first, then came back after the floor was poured and the deck was on to backfill the outside. Diaphragm wall, they called it. But I still stayed away from the walls. If you just have to compact for a concrete porch or whatever, stretch a string along the top and keep a close eye on it. Sand and gravel should be a little more forgiving. Wet muck has more hydraulic tendencies and can blow walls out much easier.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,465
Location
washington
I've used a little roller like that on various dirt projects. They work within their limitations and provide good compaction when the material is right.
You have heard good advice on compaction around the foundation, and the same goes with anywhere that it is not really level left to right. Those things are tippy and you can get into trouble quickly.
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,305
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
I worked jobs with an old hillbilly who would place a certain amount of dirt fill, then rip it with a moldboard plow on an old farm tractor and water it good, then compact it with the wheels of his little dump truck. Grousers or tractor tire lugs would work even better if there was weight on them. This was for placing dirt to make road embankments and such.

I really do enjoy the smooth and tight surface a smooth drum roller puts on a gravel road when done, but it seems most around here do not bother with the roller.
 
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