800 kg Soil Compactors

Output in this class is the product of plate width and working speed. A baseplate of roughly 650–900 mm moving at 20–25 m/min covers 600–900 m² per hour of uninterrupted work. Across an 8-hour shift, after turning, refuelling and breaks, a realistic figure is 2 000–4 000 m² of a single lift. The number of passes depends on the material: crushed aggregate reaches the specified density after 3–4 passes, cohesive soils after 5–6.

The dividing line is the shape and accessibility of the area. An 800 kg plate wins on irregular ground, against kerbs and around manholes, because it travels both ways without turning and needs about 2.5–3 m of manoeuvring width. A roller pays off on uniform stretches longer than 100–150 m, where a drum from roughly 1.2 m wide converts directly into output. Transport differs too: the plate goes on a flatbed trailer with ramps, a roller usually on a low loader. Light drum machines are listed under rollers.

Lift thickness for the 800 kg class normally falls between 60 and 80 cm in well-graded crushed aggregate such as 0/31.5 or 0/63 mm. Sands and sand-gravel mixes behave similarly, while cohesive soils force the figure down to around 30–40 cm because vibration energy travels through them poorly. Moisture is the deciding variable: a deviation of 2–3 percentage points from the optimum lowers the density reached at the same number of passes.

The control type decides where the operator stands. Behind a steering drawbar the operator takes part of the vibration through the handle, which is why makers state a permitted working time per shift. Remote control — radio or infrared — lets the operator walk beside a 700–800 kg plate producing 80–120 kN, so nothing reaches the hands and the edge of the lift stays in view along slopes, culvert backfill and excavation walls. Working speed is 20–25 m/min either way, so output is unchanged.