Pull type compaction roller-will it get the job done?

[alskdjfhg]

I'm going to need to build a pad for the building I'm going to build. The building will be 50x125, but the pad will be about 150x150, thinking about coming up above grade about 3'-4' to be even with the road.

The soil is nasty expansive black gumbo, I'm going to be stabilizing with lime (I think I'm going to be incorporating with a big offset disc).

I'm going to be doing as much as possible myself, only thing I know I won't be doing myself is the concrete.

I'm trying to figure out the problem of compaction, I've been seeing rollers like this; http://www.kesselfarms.com/siteimages/sfr1.jpg
And I'm wondering is that given enough passes, will these get the job done? I know this depends on the findings and recommendations of a soil engineer, but would it work in theory? I'll be my own construction crew, so time isn't an issue.

Thanks for any and all help.

 

[Cmark]

That's a sheepsfoot roller, designed to help drying as it fluffs up the ground as the feet pull out. The other option is a padfoot roller with trapezoidal shaped feet which both compact and seal the surface. I'm no earthworks expert, but I'm sure that one will be along very soon.....

 

[alskdjfhg]

Ahh ok thanks for the clarification.

So I need to look for something like this?
http://www.iltruck.com/catalog/photos/47/u1325091965.jpg

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

alskdjfhg. I am old school and no expert on compaction but similar rollers are all we used on dam, channel and road construction . . . I was unaware of the nuances in design as mentioned by Cmark.

Some rollers had cone shaped spikes, some round spikes (as in your first link) and some had square or oblong spikes . . . I would say the roller in question has slightly longer spikes than I remember, it is a little difficult to judge the scale.

Make no mistake they work very well and, if ballasted with water you will need some grunt to pull it. If you walk such a roller "out of the fill" on the final lift and it "rumbles" the fill will trim off hard and shiny.

It never ceases to amaze me that these days the same job is done with little vibratory rollers . . . or maybe it is not "done" and that is why we see constant pavement failures on our major highway.

Cheers.

 

[alskdjfhg]

Thanks scrub puller.

How much grunt will be needed? Would compacting in shorter lifts help?

For pulling I only have a Case 930 at the farm.

 

[Shimmy1]

What are you bringing the fill in with?

 

[alskdjfhg]

Not sure exactly yet. Like I said, I'm doing this myself and it's going to be gobbery.

The fill is going to be dug onsite, moved to the pad with either a Michigan 275 or an old dump truck. Somehow spread, lime incorporated with an offset disc (multiple passes) and finally compacted.

Then process would be repeated until I'm above grade to where I want. Pad might be caped with select fill, but most likely will just be the stabilized dirt.

If I go the dump truck route, I suppose I could compact with that.

 

[Shimmy1]

If I go the dump truck route, I suppose I could compact with that.

Sounds like you have it figured out. One thing to keep in mind if using the truck. The moisture has to be right to allow the fill to pack and not bulk up. Do you know what your subgrade is like? If it's hard and stable, you'll be able to get after it right away. If it's marginal, you'll have to be careful. Empty truck for the first lift or two. It is tricky, but can be done if the subgrade is sketchy.

 

[LT-x7]

You could also wheel roll it with the loader. Heaping load of material in the bucket and the front tires should have some good down force.
I have compacted many pads with just a backhoe that weighs no where near what your loader does. Never had a problem getting 90%+.

 

[clintm]

a pull behind works great when blending/mix soils and for clods. I always pull one behind the dozer while spreading fill it breaks them up so you can level them on the next pass. those are what built this country

 

[RBMcCloskey]

The rule of thumb for sheep foot rollers is to continue making passes until you "walk out" of the fill, that is continue making passes until the sheep's feet no longer penetrate the fill.
The soils engineer will continue taking density tests and demine the number of passes required to achieve a desired density.

 

[alskdjfhg]

Ok thanks guys, really appreciate the info.

What's your opinion about my plan to incorporate lime with a disc? I've read that I can be done given enough passes.

I'd use one of those small tillers that go behind a tractor, none of my tractors have a creeper gear and would move too fast. I think the physical spreading would be done with a modified seed spreader or fertilizer spreader (I be using 50lb bags of lime).

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

alskdjfhg.

A friend of mine used disks for incorporating lime on an acid sulphate soil remediation project and they work fine.

However, if you can get good even covererage with a well adjusted spreader I suspect that first roller with the long spikes (worked fast as possible) would do the incorporation without the need for disks . . . the first few passes will fluff up like a rotary hoe has gone over it.

Cheers.

 

[LT-x7]

I've never used lime to stabilize soil, how much lime needs to me mixed in?
Just guessing here, but it seems like a pad this size would take an awful lot of 50lb bags.

 

[alskdjfhg]

Thanks Scrub Puller.

And yes it would be a lot of bags, about about 3400.

Going with bags because I won't be able to work with larger volume methods like slurry. Just won't be able to excavate, spread, incorporate and compact dirt that fast. I'll have a lot more control with bags, but it will be much slower.

Amount of lime depends on soil tests which I haven't done yet, but I've been finding the number of 6-8% for my black gumbo soil.

 

[Delmer]

Can you handle the super sack totes that look like a feed sack the size of a pallet? That might be significantly cheaper?

 

[alskdjfhg]

Yeah those would work as well.