What is Soil Compaction?

Soil compaction is really just a fancy way of saying “we’re making the soil denser by squishing out the air pockets”. We do this using compaction gear, like a padfoot roller or a smooth drum roller, by smashing them into the soil. And by doing this we get a soil that’s stronger, more stable & can carry a heavier load. And that’s super important, because if the soil isn’t compacted properly, you’re looking at a whole lot of settlement & a structure that’s just gonna fall over. So making sure that soil is nice & compact is step number one in getting the most out of these rollers.

Why You Need to Choose the Right Roller

Rollers are a big deal when it comes to getting results – choose the wrong one for the job & you’ll be doing multiple passes, wasting time & energy, and probably ending up with some pretty subpar results. Now, using a smooth roller on some soil that needs a padfoot is just asking for trouble – you’ll end up with a surface that’s been all but wasted. And vice versa – if you’re trying to use a padfoot on some surface that’s way better suited to a smooth roller, you’ll just end up with a whole lot of damage & uneven compaction. That’s why it’s so vital to pick the right roller vs the job.

An Overview of Roller Types

You’ve got your smooth drum rollers, your padfoot rollers (also known as sheepsfoot rollers), and your vibratory rollers – and each one’s got its own strengths and weaknesses. Vibratory rollers work by basically just vibrating the soil into place. But when it comes down to it, picking the right type of roller all comes down to the sort of soil

Full post: Padfoot vs Smooth Drum Roller