The Best Soil Compactor Brands in Construction
Compaction equipment is some of the most important heavy equipment on any job site. The scale and size of the equipment might change, but almost every project requires using compaction technology at one stage of the job or another. Soil compactors' most common application in construction or landscaping would be road building or pathway creation.
The main purpose of compaction equipment is to remove any air pockets within the soil and create a firmly compressed foundation. This helps with drainage and flooding issues as it makes it more difficult for water to travel through the soil, therefore reducing the number of repairs and maintenance you might need to do in the future. Compacting soil also increases durability, decreases the risk of frost damage, and increases the weight capacity. As such, you definitely don't want to get the soil compaction process wrong.
While there are many types of smaller compaction equipment like rammers, plate compactors, or trench compactors, this blog will focus on the brands that manufacture heavy equipment compactors like soil compactors, also commonly referred to as vibratory rollers or single drum rollers.
Soil Compactor Brands
When it comes to picking your soil compaction equipment, it's important to know the scale of the job and the type of soil that you are working with. For example, cohesive soils like clay may require using padfoot compactors with high amplitudes while non-cohesive soils like sand or gravel are better compacted by vibratory smooth drum rollers. That's why when looking to purchase or rent a soil compactor for a project you should have a good idea of the site's requirements and what soil you're working with.
Caterpillar
Probably the most well-recognized name in the construction industry, Caterpillar manufactures a wide variety of soil compactors. CAT has two four-wheeled soil compactors, models 825k and 815, designed with a tamping wheel tip, machine weight for high impact, and higher speeds that allow for greater penetration.
CAT also manufactures several vibratory soil compactors with two back wheels and a single drum on the front. These machines, typically used in the paving process, have compaction widths ranging from 50 inches to 84 inches, giving a nice variety of width options. Operating weights of the CS44B model to the CS78B model range from 15,895 pounds to 41,214 pounds providing ample options depending on the size of the job. These models also have horsepower ranging anywhere from 100 HP to 174 HP.
With just how popular the brand is within construction, choosing to use a CAT soil compactor is always a great option.
CASE
With a rich history as a construction equipment manufacturer, CASE has really made a name for itself in the road construction sector. As such, they're one of the most commonly used brands when it comes to soil compaction and paving equipment.
CASE produces the standard compaction equipment and vibratory rollers like double-drum rollers, single drum rollers, and pneumatic tire rollers. Single drum vibratory rollers are most commonly used in soil compaction, so that will be the product we focus on most here.
CASE soil compactor models have engine powers ranging from 74 horsepower to 154 horsepower. They have five models in their CASE E Series compactor inventory that have drum widths ranging from 66 inches to 84 inches and weights of 15,400 pounds to 36,000 pounds.
What makes the CASE models stand out is their gradeability which is able to work in environments of up to 67 percent.
Volvo
Manufacturing both off-highway and on-highway vehicles, Volvo really covers the driving market. Producing a wide range of equipment with everything from wheel loaders to backhoes to soil compactors, Volvo is focused on bringing great solutions to the construction industry.
Volvo has three soil compactors in their USA product line with operating weight ranges from 10,910 pounds on the light side and 25,614 pounds on the heavier side. The horsepower is also pretty on par with the other brands with 74 HP up to 147.5 HP. Gradeability for the Volvo machines caps out at 65% with the drum widths being 54 inches to 84 inches.
Because of the limited options, Volvo may not be the best choice for very specific needs but with the credibility and quality of manufacturing their brand is known for, you can trust that their rollers can still get the job done.
BOMAG
Known as a world leader in compaction technology, BOMAG focuses on being an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) specifically for compaction and asphalt. Because of this focus, they provide the most options for compaction and road building equipment.
On the lighter side, BOMAG manufactures soil compactors and single-drum rollers that have an operating weight of 7,165 pounds and horsepower of 45.6. On the heavier side, BOMAG offers products with an operating weight of 57,982 pounds and a performance of up to 281.6 horsepower. The gradeability on BOMAG equipment caps out around the 60% mark.
BOMAG certainly has the widest range of options so if you need a very specific size or power requirement they're the best brand to choose.
Sakai America
Another OEM with a focus on roller technology, Sakai America has been active in the USA market for almost 50 years. Sakai has three different series of soil compactors in their product line: The 200 series, 400 series, and 500 series.
The 200 series is comprised of the smallest sizes with operating weights of 10,305 pounds, drum widths of 54 inches, and a horsepower of 73. The 500 series of Sakai's vibratory single drum roller has operating weights of up to 14,500 pounds, depending on the attachments, drum widths of 84 inches, and horsepower of up to 130.
With the variety of options, Sakai is still a good choice for single drum rollers and soil compactors but may not have the range that is required for every job.
Wacker Neuson
Despite only having three products available in America, Wacker Neuson is one of the highest-regarded single-drum soil compactor manufacturers in the country. Their product line consists of the RC50, RC70, and RC110 aptly named after the number of tons they weigh.
The RC50 5-ton model is the smallest model of the Wacker Neuson soil compactor. This machine has a drum width of 54 inches, gradeability of 60 percent, an operating limit of about 12,588 pounds depending on the attachment, and an operating performance of 73 HP. The RC110, Wacker Neuson's largest soil compactor, has an operating weight of 29,000 pounds, drum width of 84 inches, gradeability of 59%, and operating performance of 114 horsepower.
Wacker Neuson may not have the same equipment specifications as some of its competitors, but their reliability within the industry has made them a great option among all soil compactor brands.
Things To Know Before Picking The Equipment
As shown above, there are many great soil compactor manufacturers in North America. To determine what brand you should use on a project, there are a few things to take into consideration. For instance, the grade of the project, the type of soil that you're compacting, what type of weight and power you need, and the width of the job should all be considered before choosing which brand to work with. Once you understand all of these requirements, it will be easier to compare products and brands.
You can search the DOZR Marketplace for a wide variety of vibratory rollers, smooth drum rollers, single-drum rollers, and soil compactor rentals ranging from 48-inch drum widths to 84-inch drum widths.
