I bought one from harbor freight for $420 when they were having a sale on Easter. It works perfectly. If I was doing a lot more volume I would buy a nicer quality machine, but I only run it for a few minutes every day.

 

Are those the prices you expect to pay for each

 

No. I found a guy that has the lf88 brand new for 550 and the reversible for 1200

 

i haven't used either one to know how good the units are. But as far as size I like the smaller ones much easier to handle in most situations. Don't need machines to load unload and transport.

 

i haven't used either one to know how good the units are. But as far as size I like the smaller ones much easier to handle in most situations. Don't need machines to load unload and transport.

That's a good point. The smaller machines are much easier to lift over walls and drag around job sites. I can see a heavy compactor being difficult to use on the end of a run where the fill dips down.

 

If two men can lift the plate compactor by hand, it's too small for the job.

 

So the standard wacker 1550 is just a worthless piece of junk? Doubt it

 

Yes, a plate compactor with less than 5,000 lbs. centrifugal force is worthless for pavers & retaining walls, in my opinion of course.

 

you can make a 1550 work, we did for years and years. But asking someone to fill and compact in 2-4" lifts is really not very practical. They are really best for bedding pavers and that's mainly it. Jumping jack or a big reversible for real compaction.

If you can have one, a 5.5 horsepower single direction compactor is the one to get. Slower in certain situations, but CAN do it all.

 

I just bought this from a local guy for $350. It seems like it will be fine for a while and I shoukd be able to sell it in a few years if J want something bigger

 

It is rated for 4000lb of centrifugal force. I know i will have to stick to 2" lifts but i am ok with that.

 

I bought one from harbor freight for $420 when they were having a sale on Easter. It works perfectly. If I was doing a lot more volume I would buy a nicer quality machine, but I only run it for a few minutes every day.

What do you use for a pad on it? I bought one a few years ago and have been using plywood to protect the pavers. Looking to upgrade mainly for that reason

 

I use a cow stall mat. Its around 3/4" thick rubber mat that works great so far. Its heavy and hard to move around the job site but dense enough to set the pavers while also absorbing some of the bounce so nothing cracks.

 

Ive heard of people using a roll of carpet

 

There really isn't one compactor that can do it all. We have one for small pavers, one for larger pavers with rubber pad, jumping jacks, a reversible 450lb wacker and a 725lb unit. I still rent the larger units for driveway compaction.
If you only do walks and patios then the 450lb reversible unit and the wacker 1550 are ideal.

 

Bomag is the best in our area

 

We have 8-10 compactors. The 1550's are primarily used for initial compaction and have the rubber mats on them most of the time. We may use them for touching up the top 1" of stone base.

THEY ARE NOT compactors to slam stone base for patios. If you want to get serious, and do it right, get diesel reversible. We run Bomag, yes they are expensive, but tearing out a sunken patio because it wasn't compacted right is even more expensive. 8-12,000 slams are the best bet, along with several 1550's.

You get what you pay for. I wouldn't do patio or hardscape with just a 1550. Too risky.

 

We have 8-10 compactors. The 1550's are primarily used for initial compaction and have the rubber mats on them most of the time. We may use them for touching up the top 1" of stone base.

THEY ARE NOT compactors to slam stone base for patios. If you want to get serious, and do it right, get diesel reversible. We run Bomag, yes they are expensive, but tearing out a sunken patio because it wasn't compacted right is even more expensive. 8-12,000 slams are the best bet, along with several 1550's.

You get what you pay for. I wouldn't do patio or hardscape with just a 1550. Too risky.

Are you saying you have 8 compactors with 12,000 lbs of centrifugal force or do you recommend 8-12,000 pounds of force. We are looking at getting a large compactor is the reason I'm asking.

 

I will occasionally tell people that to put a hardscape crew on the road you are looking at a $200k investment at a minimum to do it correctly and efficiently. That's a track skid loader, mini-ex, decent size dump truck (no harry homeowner F-350), trailer, compactors, saws, lasers, etc. There's nothing cheap about this occupation to do it correctly.

 

We carry a 1550 in the trailer, mainly for compacting pavers. Also a Wacker BPU 3050. We love the 3050. With the built in wheel design one guy can wheel it around the jobsite and in and out of the trailer. It hits at almost 7k lbs. On driveways we use our vibratory roller that hits at 35k lbs.

 

I will occasionally tell people that to put a hardscape crew on the road you are looking at a $200k investment at a minimum to do it correctly and efficiently. That's a track skid loader, mini-ex, decent size dump truck (no harry homeowner F-350), trailer, compactors, saws, lasers, etc. There's nothing cheap about this occupation to do it correctly.

Its amazing how all those ancient roads got built without all this equipment. Your way might be faster but it isn't a requirement...

 

Any compactor can do with time when provided the right conditions for successful compaction. Spend some time getting the aggregate properly moist (easy to over do it!) and watch your lift depths. Gravel selection matters too I think. I like very angular gravels. Never delt with any density tests.... But when the compactor jumps a bit on the gravel and the edger nails hammer in as if I was driving them in timber I suspect I did something right.... This with a compactor similar to the 1550 but made by a now sold company Stone.

If I were in the market for another compactor my main must have would be a Honda engine if available. Have had great performance out of the GX/GXV series. Problem free, exhaust seems cleaner, and runs longer using less gas compared to any other make of small gas engine I've experienced!

As for compactor mat we got ours from Pavetech. Cut to fit and drill holes for mounting onto plate. I think it was less than $100. Nice to have when using on fancy pavers like mini Arbels, some other fancy textured stone, or clay pavers. Flat top stones like Hollandstone I prefer to raw dog it (no protection/mat).