Plate Compactor

A plate compactor compacts sub base for concrete and gets your ground to grade.  Tom added granite fines to the existing base for a level surface prior to pouring his concrete floor.  Leveling your floor surface allows for a more accurate estimate when purchasing concrete.  After grading the sub base, it helps to water down the surface before pounding it out using the plate compactor.  Using the plate compactor gives the ground a good firm, even surface to pour wet concrete on and prevents undue settling.  This also strengthens your concrete floor as well.  It is vital to have a good solid base for your concrete floor.

The plate compactor itself operates with a large eccentric and engine drive that rotates horizontally.  The engine drives a centrifugal clutch and you can idle it down to stop the vibrating motion.  When it is idled up the centrifugal clutch kicks in and starts the vibrating motion.   The motion produces a hammer action that pounds out around 2000 loads per minute with the force of a couple thousand pounds.