What do you need to know about rammer compactors?

What is a rammer compactor?
A rammer compactor is a mobile, compact and hand-guided machine, which is capable of quick working by applying force in consecutive impacts to the soil, in order to drive out water and air from the soil and increase the soil's dry density with moisture. The engine of the rammer compactor sits on the top of a column which drives a foot up and down at high speed with a lot of force. Where a big soil compactor can not access on a certain area, a wacker rammer is obviously an ideal solution and can perform the same job equally good.


The rammer compactor, or also called jack tamper, is an indispensable piece of equipment in the construction industry. Whenever a soil needs compaction at ground level, the jumping jack compactor finds its place, whether on small jobs or trenches. Rammer compactor is called by a few names, such as tamping rammer, jumping jack tamper, wacker rammer, trench rammer, jack tamper, jumping jack compactor, vibro-tamper and many others. Each might have a few differences, but in general, they are all the same and have same use.


The amount of needed compaction depends on a few factors, including how much the soil has been disturbed during excavations, the moisture content and the composition of the ground. If the soil is being used for back-filling, the compaction should be performed in layers. These layers are called lifts and each lift's depth depends on the material. Deeper lifts require more passes with the jack tamper, so consider the time spent on compaction compared to the time spent moving material.


Important factors
Rammer compactors are very easy to operate and perform compaction very efficiently. Factors that indicate a good tamper rammer are:

• It does the job well and maintains the productivity;
  
• It is easy to operate and comfortable, even for long a period of use;
  
• It is easy to maintain.
  

How to use a wacker rammer

Learning how to use a wacker rammer can last for a few minutes only. Place the machine on the soil to be compacted, wait for a few minutes for the engine to warm up and start working. Stabilizing the rammer when it reaches the full speed might take a while, but everything will run smooth once the rammer is stable in hands. The trick to setting the rammer in motion is not about hard and physical pulling and pushing. Tilt the machine forwards slightly and once it begins to move, let it right itself and when it stops, tilt it back and it moves back.