Plate compactor opinions . . .

[Acoals]

I might be looking to buy a reversible plate soon. Up to this point I have only had a smaller one direction plate, but it really is not big enough, and it only goes one way.
What are some opinions on brands? I have a Wacker, and it is good. I have used Mikasa's before, and liked it a lot, so I would probably lean towards the Mikasa. Any opinions on Bomag or Weber?

What size would you guys that do foundation work consider the biggest size you would want to have up against a new wall? I have heard rumors about guys messing up walls with too big of a plate.

I am kind of looking at either a Wacker 3050/Mikasa 128 or a Wacker 3750/Mikasa 158. Would the bigger one be pushing it on a wall? What about even bigger, such as Mikasa 208 or Wacker 4045?

I do a lot of building pads as well, and bigger is better in that case.

 

[Welder Dave]

I'd see what the rental houses have. Maybe buy a used rental compactor.

 

[Acoals]

I won't buy anything from a rental house.

 

[Shimmy1]

I'm sure size does come into play a little, but you can push a wall in with a 18x18 if you aren't paying attention. We had to backfill around a new basement and inside garage footings last summer. Concrete guy let us use his reversible, I think it was about 15" wide and about 24" long, worked well. It may have been a Bartell.

 

[Welder Dave]

I won't buy anything from a rental house.

Rental shops usually rent high end equipment and the better ones maintain them and keep records of the maintainance and repairs. You'd obviously need to do a careful inspection just like you would with any type of equipment. Some members on here have had great success buying from rental shops. Larger reversible plate compactors aren't cheap! Buying from a rental shop could be better than buying from an auction.

 

[PeterG]

I have a reversable Mikasa MVH-150 compactor. Weight is enough you need to lift it with a machine. it has a Honda gas engine, so easy to maintain and it's an easy size machine to control.

 

[cuttin edge]

Don't get anything diesel. We had s couple years ago. And half the time they wouldn't start. We have 12 or 13 1000 pounders. Can't remember the brand. They're blue and silver. Honda engine. Pull start, no batteries. I think they are over 14000 dollars each, but they seem to like them. I have a small bomag tamper and a jump jack on the back of my truck now. They want to get me a big tamper but they are so heavy and all I have is a half ton. Trying to hint at a 700 pounder maybe

 

[CM1995]

Bought a plate tamp for our 305's and it's been a great attachment. Do you just need a walk behind or would a mini-ex mounted one work?

No engine to maintain with a hydro attachment.

 

[Acoals]

Rental shops usually rent high end equipment and the better ones maintain them and keep records of the maintainance and repairs. You'd obviously need to do a careful inspection just like you would with any type of equipment. Some members on here have had great success buying from rental shops. Larger reversible plate compactors aren't cheap! Buying from a rental shop could be better than buying from an auction.

The rental shops maintain the equipment fine, but everything in a rental house I have ever seen had been ridden hard and put in wet. Other members can do what they want, I won't buy used from a rental house . . .

 

[Acoals]

Bought a plate tamp for our 305's and it's been a great attachment. Do you just need a walk behind or would a mini-ex mounted one work?

No engine to maintain with a hydro attachment.

I need a walk behind. The attatchment would probably be nice for a lot of things, but it really wouldn't work on building pads or attatched garages on foundation backfills, stuff where there are big flat areas that need to be compacted.

Also, my mini isn't set up with a quick coupler, the bucket is pinned onto the boom.

 

[cuttin edge]

 

[cuttin edge]

 

[smifwal]

Bought a plate tamp for our 305's and it's been a great attachment. Do you just need a walk behind or would a mini-ex mounted one work?

No engine to maintain with a hydro attachment.

Not to thread jack but what brand is the one for your mini?

 

[skyking1]

The only recent experience was a Mikasa and it worked well.

 

[smifwal]

I need a walk behind. The attatchment would probably be nice for a lot of things, but it really wouldn't work on building pads or attatched garages on foundation backfills, stuff where there are big flat areas that need to be compacted.

Also, my mini isn't set up with a quick coupler, the bucket is pinned onto the boom.

Do you have a skid steer? I have a 6' vibratory roller attachment, works pretty good.

 

[Jimbo]

Do you have a skid steer? I have a 6' vibratory roller attachment, works pretty good.

What brand name is this attachment? I have been told these rollers, even Bradco, don't last very long....

 

[Tyler d4c]

What brand name is this attachment? I have been told these rollers, even Bradco, don't last very long....

The only ones I ever heard of lasting where the genuine Caterpillar ones a few around preach it

 

[Jimbo]

The only ones I ever heard of lasting where the genuine Caterpillar ones a few around preach it

Well, Bradco makes most of Cat's (and Deere, Bobcat, etc....) skid steer attachments........

 

[Tyler d4c]

Well, Bradco makes most of Cat's (and Deere, Bobcat, etc....) skid steer attachments........

ok just passing along what ive heard

 

[PeterG]

The concern I have with going with the biggest walk behind diesel plate compactors is that they hit very hard, and I would be worried about going over residential utilities (like gas and water line), damaging residential foundations, and shaking the homeowners out of their house. Good for commercial jobs though. The loader vibratory attachments don't hit very hard but would be good for small driveway jobs. I also have a small walk behind Mikasa double roller MRH-800GS that works great.