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Drilling and compacting

Vibrating plate and compaction wheel

On the left, the vibrating plate compacts the bottom of the trench, with nobody inside. On the right, the compaction wheel rolls along the trench under the weight of the arm alone. Computer-generated image.
Left: the vibrating plate compacts the bottom of the trench, with nobody inside. Right: the compaction wheel rolls along the trench under the weight of the arm alone. Computer-generated image.

Compacting the bottom of an excavation without sending anyone down into it.
With these tools, the first gain is not a gain in time:
it is a gain in safety.

Other names for these tools: hydraulic vibrating plate, compaction plate, excavator-mounted compactor, hydraulic tamper, add-on vibrator.
For the passive version:
compaction wheel, trench wheel, levelling roller, compaction roller.

The essentials
Family
Drilling and compacting
Classes (t)
1 to 28 t
Coupler
All, by plate
Power source
Vibrating plate: hydraulic; Compaction wheel : none — flow and pressure: we calculate it with you for your machine

The seven criteria →

01 Use

What they are for

On the left, the vibrating plate compacts the bottom of the trench, with nobody inside. On the right, the compaction wheel rolls along the trench under the weight of the arm alone. Computer-generated image.
the vibrating plate compacts the bottom of the trench, with nobody inside the compaction wheel rolls along the trench under the weight of the arm alone
Left: the vibrating plate compacts the bottom of the trench, with nobody inside.
Right: the compaction wheel rolls along the trench under the weight of the arm alone.
What sets them apart:
the real argument is not output, it is safety.
Computer-generated image.

The vibrating plate is mounted on the end of the arm and compacts wherever the machine can bring it:
the bottom of an excavation, the bottom of a trench, an embankment, the surround of a structure.
A ride-on compactor does not go down into a narrow trench — the excavator does.

The compaction wheel, for its part, is passive:
it compacts by the weight of the machine alone, rolling along the trench.
No moving part, no hydraulics, no circuit maintenance.

The real argument is safety. Compacting at the bottom of a trench normally assumes that an operator goes down into it, into an excavation that can collapse.
With a tool on the excavator, no one goes in.
On a utility worksite, that changes the nature of the risk.

02 Key technical data

On which machine?

They exist for machines from 1 to 40 t.
For example, on a 10 to 20 t excavator, the weight is generally from 111 to 837 kg.
All quick couplers are suitable via a mounting plate, or direct mounting on the pins.

What the tool does

The vibrating plate and the wheel are used for compaction.
For example, on a 10 to 20 t excavator: centrifugal force from 60 to 180 kN, frequency from 2 111 to 2 157 rpm.

What is needed on the hydraulic side

The vibrating plate needs a continuous-flow hydraulic circuit; the compaction wheel needs none.
It generally needs from 23 to 135 l/min, at a pressure from 200 to 300 bar, depending on the size of the machine.

Figures taken from 56 models on the market.
Your study sets the exact value for your machine.

All the measurements found for this equipment →

How to read these values →

03 Your study

Have your machine checked.

Give us your excavator model, the trench width and the backfill material.
If a compaction rate is imposed on you, say so:
it changes the recommendation.

What we need to answer you
  • Your machine Its make and its tonnage.
  • The auxiliary circuit Its flow in l/min, its pressure in bar, single- or double-acting.
  • The coupler in place Its system and its class.
  • The work The use, and the material.

Without these details, the study still begins: we will ask you for them.

Send my photos

or describe your need

Book an appointment with the specialist

Or call 01 84 16 55 49 · our lines are open 7 days a week, from 7h to 22h.

Written study within 3 working days, once the file is complete.

Not to be confused
  • Compaction wheel Principle — a passive wheel, with no moving parts or hydraulics, which compacts through the weight of the machine.
    Use — it fits on a machine with no auxiliary line and rolls along a trench, without vibration.
  • Breaker-mounted compactor Principle — a base plate fitted in the nose of the breaker, in place of the point, which tamps at the rate of the hammer.
    Use — it is a back-up use after demolition, not the tool for a site where compaction is the main work.
Hydraulic vibrating plate compacting the bottom of a narrow trench, dust thrown up
The bottom of a trench is the place a ride-on compactor does not go down into. That is where the excavator-mounted plate has no competitor — and it is this compaction that decides whether the road will settle.
Synthetic image.
04 Choice

What determines the choice

  • 01 — Plate or wheel The plate compacts by vibration, point by point, including on a flat bottom and against a structure.
    The wheel compacts continuously, by rolling:
    faster along a run of trench, unusable in a corner.
  • 02 — The width of the trench It sets the size of the tool.
    A plate that is too wide will not go down; too narrow, it multiplies the passes.
  • 03 — The material to be compacted Sand, gravel, as-dug material or clayey backfill do not react in the same way.
    Compaction is measured, it is not assumed.
  • 04 — The flow available, for a plate It is a continuous function throughout the compaction time, like a rotor.
    The wheel, for its part, asks for nothing.
05 Check

What is checked before ordering

  • The auxiliary line and its flow, for a plate Without it, only the wheel is possible.
  • The weight of the tool in relation to the machine A plate draws its effectiveness from its mass and its frequency.
    A plate oversized for the excavator cannot be presented properly at the bottom.
  • The compaction requirements of the contract If a compaction rate is imposed by the specification, it will have to be measured.
    The tool alone does not guarantee the result.
  • The transmission of vibration to the machine Plates are mounted on rubber mounts.
    Their condition governs the service life of the tool and the operator's comfort.
  • The interface Coupler type and size, or pin dimensions.
In the same family
Before compaction
On the interface
To go further
A question about an attachment? 01 84 16 55 49 Send my photos