Which compactor to rent for pavers?

[Todd Burch]

I got home from my 2 week trip to find a new project waiting for me to finish. Wife and son decided to remove all vegetation from the breezeway area so pavers can be put down. I am so glad because I was getting low on my project backlog list. Not.

Anyway, the area is 16' X 11'. We removed about 4"-7" of soil/sand mix from the area and have it flat with a slight grade for proper draining. However, some areas were disturbed deeper than others.

I'm thinking before I lay down 4" of compacted pea gravel, I need to compact the existing area first.

The local rental place has 2 flavors of compactors. One is what they call a jitterbug with a foot about 10" X 12". Visualize a jack hammer style machine.

The other is a plate compactor. They have 2 sizes, a 14" and a 20".

The jitterbug costs a lot less to rent. $10/day vs $73/day.

Cost aside, which would be the better machine to rent for both needs?

Thx

[Tom M King]

The jumping jack compactor will compact fill dirt laid deeper than a plate compactor will, but it's almost impossible to make an area flat with a jumping jack. I'm not sure what a jitterbug is, but a jumping jack is probably something different because they typically rent for more than 10 bucks a day. A plate compactor is what we use for laying pavers, but if there is fill deeper than a few inches, we also get a jumping jack. I would use the jumping jack on the dirt underneath, then spread the pea gravel and run the plate compactor over that after it's been screeded out level.

[Bill McNiel]

Both will do the job. The jitterbug requires more energy/effort to operate while the plate compactor is heavier and more difficult to move around.

[Todd Burch]

Well, it is a jumping jack, and it ain't $10/day. More like $53/day. I got it.

Thanks for the advice. I'll probably get the plate compactor for the pea gravel.

[roger wiegand]

I've always used a plate compactor, the bigger and heavier the better. Compact the base, put down 2" of gravel, compact that, then the next 2" and compact again.

[Ole Anderson]

Yes, a vibrating plate compactor is the gold standard in paver prep and compaction. Some folks run the compactor on top of the installed pavers as a last effort.

[Todd Burch]

The jumping jack isn't working so well. Part of the area is clay, and when the jack hits it, it's like smashing your fist into dough - the soil beside the foot just swells. It's way too fluid for the small footprint of the jack. Plan B is to reflatten the area, put some gravel down, and use a plate compactor, add gravel, compact, and repeat.

[Tom M King]

The clay here does that too when there's plenty of moisture in it. When it does that with a jumping jack, it's done what it can do, and you shouldn't have any trouble with it settling much beyond what it is now.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

A plate compactor is what the pros used on my neighbors patio floor.

[Robert Payne]

I put in octagonal brick pavers in my back yard at my last house below the stairs from a deck and it was about the same dimensions that the OP is doing. I graded down about 5-6" to get the area leveled and sloped correctly and then used coarse sand to bring it up to about 2-1/2" below finish grade. That was leveled using a plate compactor. I then put in two 10' long sections of 3/4" conduit and added more sand -- the conduit were placed out at the edges to allow two of us to screed off the sand to get it level at the correct elevation using a straight 2x4. The conduit was moved to finish the bed. Pavers were then laid down in that flat sand (we built a bridge across the flattened sand to access the surface without disturbance) and when finished, the plate compactor run over it again to tamp every brick into the bed. Fine play sand was then broadcast and swept into the joints and the job was done. It is still there, 12-13 years later and has never moved.

[Paul F Franklin]

May be too late, but you really should use paver base not pea gravel. It has the fines and compacts much better than plain gravel. And wet the material down well before compacting it; it lubricates the stone and dust and helps it to compact better. And while we're on coulda shoulda wouda's....laying down a layer of geotextile fabric before the base will prevent the base from sinking into the underlying dirt and makes for a longer lasting job...

[Todd Burch]

This afternoon my son came up and he and my wife laid out 2.5 yards of pea gravel. It compacted very well, or as well are little round rocks can. I thought I had enough, but I was short (perhaps because it was loaded loose, and was compacted into the soil?). I'll send my son to get another 2 yards tomorrow. That should be more than I need.

The plate compactor works so much better than the jumping jack for this application.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Todd,

Jumping jacks work well if you are trying to compact soil in a narrow area. I have seen them used and used them to prepare a newly dug foundation area, for example. However, when I put in a gravel base for raised beds for a arborvitae privacy fence in our backyard, I used a plate compactor. Personally, I think they both have their individual uses.

[Todd Burch]

Thanks to all for your advice. I returned the plate compactor today, it worked great. The area that was jello-like yesterday was much firmer today. 4" of compacted gravel makes a difference.

Next step... Concrete sand.

Todd

[Myk Rian]

May be too late, but you really should use paver base not pea gravel.
We used crushed slag and a plate compactor. Ends up very hard and flat.