For a construction project to be successful, it needs to be built on solid foundations. Soil compaction is defined as the method of mechanically increasing the density of soil. In construction, this is a significant part of the building process. If performed improperly, settlement of the soil could occur and result in unnecessary maintenance costs or structure failure. Almost all types of building sites and construction projects employ mechanical compaction techniques.

The building’s foundation will only be as strong as the groundworks it is built on. As such, the ground should be compacted enough to prevent pockets of air from forming beneath the surface. To ensure its right you will require special construction equipment, like road rollers.

Choosing the right kind of roller for your project

For the most efficient compacting, you will want a roller that can finish the job in the fewest passes possible and with minimal overlap in-between. If you are compacting a narrow or confined area such as a footpath, you will need smaller compactors such as a small double drum pedestrian roller or rammers and vibrating plates.

Road rollers are built for specific project types and figuring out which one you need depends on looking at all the factors. The first of these would be the length or duration of the project. Sometimes it is cost-efficient to rent instead of buying a roller.

Compaction rollers are a trustworthy addition to your fleet of heavy equipment for a project. They easily improve and repair roads and surfaces. You must understand each type of roller and the benefits they bring so that you can choose the best one for your construction needs.

Cylindrical Rollers/Pedestrian Rollers

The cylindrical /pedestrian rollers are typically one meter across and made of concrete, iron, or stone. This traditional, walk-behind type of roller is relatively light. It can be pushed by a single person, in contrast to other types on this list that have both walk-behind and ride-on variants. This roller is used for small projects and asphalt works. When you are preparing for garage or house construction or driveways etc., you might use a cylindrical type roller.

Smooth Drum Rollers (Vibratory)

This is the most common roller used, being a traditional style cylinder roller with a large steel drum in front and two wheels at the back. This means the roller can move forwards and backwards creating less traction and can flatten and pave sections of roads quickly. They are perfect for flat surfaces like asphalt or ones with a rather low incline. Smooth drum rollers use static pressure, vibration, and impact to compact materials such as gravel, rocks, sand and asphalt.

Most road construction projects use smooth drum rollers. Instead of just relying on static force (weight of the drums), a vibratory roller uses vibrating force to deliver a more powerful effect. A rotating or reciprocating mass enables the drums to vibrate. The addition of the vibrating force allows for more efficient work and higher compaction levels.

This type of roller works best for creating building foundations and compacting sections of highways.

Smooth Drum Rollers (Oscillating)

Because oscillation is a gentle, yet highly effective compaction method, it has today become a standard compaction method in sensitive areas or in the vicinity of sensitive buildings and houses. Oscillation uses less force but delivers both vertical and horizontal energy, essentially manipulating the aggregates into place.

Pad Foot or Sheep’s Foot Rollers (Vibratory)

Just like smooth rollers, padfoot rollers generate static pressure, vibration, and impact on the materials. However, they also generate a manipulative force. This allows for uniform compaction during the entire process.

Padfoot rollers are used for compacting fine-grained soils such as heavy clays and silty clays. Padfoot rollers are also used for compaction of soils on dams, embankments, subgrade layers in pavements and a variety of road construction projects.

Pneumatic Rollers (Multi-Tyre)

Pneumatic roller or multi’s are used for initial compaction of roads or foundations. They use pneumatic-tyred wheels that overlap, providing a rolling action that seals the surface. The surface of each tyre is smooth giving a perfectly flat and smooth material surface. These compactors are mainly used as one of the last steps for compacting soil for road work and are also used to compact asphalt for sealing purposes.

Vibratory Double Drum Rollers or Tandem Rollers

Smooth double drum roller compactors have optimal compaction capacity for reinforcement of soil, gravel, asphalt, and various soil subgrades. They are very powerful. A smooth double drum roller is also ideal for compaction of asphalt or when following an asphalt paving machine.

Conclusion

Choosing the right type of roller for your project will help you to produce excellent workmanship and keep those pockets of air away. You will also have an even space to work on, which keeps your equipment and workers safe. When you build on stable, solid ground, you will have a building that lasts for a long time.

Hire a roller in Perth, Karratha, Newman, Albany, or Port Hedland. Contact us at KEE Hire today. We are trusted by the largest civil, mining, and infrastructure project managers in Western Australia!

Operating plant and machinery is a specialized skill that not everyone has. Even if you do have the license to operate heavy machinery, chances are that you do not have every piece of machinery you need for big projects.

When hiring equipment, you will inevitably have to consider the Pros and Cons of both Dry Hire and Wet Hire to ensure not only that your project runs as efficiently as possible, but that your bottom line is as low as possible.

What is Dry Hire?

In short, dry hire is the hire of any equipment without an operator or driver.

When hiring a machine or equipment, you will usually get:

• The machine delivered in presentable working conditions serviced prior to delivery
• Option to provide COC to cover any damage or have the option of using the Hirers insurance at an additional fee of 12%.
• Signed safety forms and other complete paperwork
• Pre-start checklists and operating manuals and logbooks
• Operator keys
• A full tank of fuel and standard buckets with excavators.
• Fitted safety specs
• ROPS/FOPS canopy
• Other types of standard equipment such as tracks, lights, belts, and controls

What Isn’t Included with Dry Hire?

As previously mentioned, dry hires do not come with an operator. Many dry hires also do not come with additional items such as:

• Additional fuel for larger projects
• Lubricants, in case your machine needs to be serviced in the middle of your project
• Nonstandard Attachments
• Transport costs

If your project deems it necessary, you will need to source these additional items yourself.

Why Dry Hire Your Project Equipment?

This rental option is significantly cheaper than wet hire as you do not need to pay for the additional operator’s Labor.

It will also give you more control over your project and how it turns out. After all, your operators have worked with you before and already know exactly what it is you have in mind.

If for instance, you need specialized equipment to perform specific jobs, you may be better off going with a wet hire. Wet hire operators would have already been vetted VOC, d by professional companies and can complete the job faster and more efficiently.  A skilled operator can often save time, money and damage, competence is key.

Dry Hire Licensing and Regulations

Because of the recent changes to Work Health and Safety legislation, you no longer need to present a license to operate specific types of plat equipment such as:

• Front-end loaders
• Rollers
• Graders
• Dozers
• Excavators

Using operating cranes, forklifts, and other high-risk equipment, however, will still require that you obtain a license.

If you’re employing an in-house operator, you’re responsible for ensuring that they meet the minimum requirements such as:

• Logbooks and other on-the-job records indicating that the employee has handled the same type of equipment previously
• Previously issued Work Health and Safety license from the employee’s home state
• Statement of attainment in the National Unit of Competency Conduct Civil Construction Excavator Operations

Conclusion

Before deciding that dry hiring is the way to go, remember to do the maths’ and consider what will end up being more efficient for your project. It is also vitally important to select the right piece of equipment. You want something that is large enough and with the right amount of power to get your project done.

For credible and reliable equipment, hire from us at KEE Group! We provide you with over 600 pieces of project equipment and offer full-service provision.

Chris Huriwai, KEE Surfacing Superintendant

Gentle giant Chris ‘the-kindest-soul-you’ll-ever-meet’ Huriwai has just won an award. Our KEE man was presented with the ‘Flexible Pavements Worker of the Year’ at the AAPA WA Industry Awards.

If there was an award for the politest, most respectful, modest and self-effacing worker he would obviously win that too. If you have ever met Chris, you will know what we are talking about. No one has anything but good things to say about Chris. He even kept working with his crew whilst battling (and defeating) cancer, he truly is a rare being!

Sadly his greatest mentor and influencer was not able to see him win the award. His father John Huriwai passed away in 2016, but Chris knows he would’ve been so proud.

“I‘ve admired my dad all my life” he said,” he had a formidable work ethic and he worked for just as long and just as hard as the best of them, even in his later years.” His dad was a dominant figure in Chris’s life and he naturally followed in his father’s footsteps into the business.

The eldest of two siblings, Chris grew up in Auckland and after leaving school he began looking for work in the construction industry. Fortunately, his dad’s reputation in the business preceded him and Chris was snapped up by Abernathy Contractors. In 2008 he sought a new job opportunity for a bigger company and moved his family over to Perth to work for Boral. Keen to get promoted, Chris swiftly scaled up the ladder from Labourer to Foreman to Supervisor.

“Working on-site can be a dangerous place at times” he said, “ many years ago I witnessed a work colleague get his head crushed between a trailer and a bobcat, it was horrendous. The bobcat operator didn’t see that my colleague was unhooking the bobcat from the trailer and he had been given the thumbs up by another worker. Unbelievably he survived. It was a miracle!”

After ten solid years with Boral, Chris had to return to New Zealand to be by his mum’s side after the passing of his father and helped her with the family business Triple H Contractors. A year later he returned to Perth and fortunately for us, he joined the KEE family. “I knew Damon and Clayton before from when they were truck drivers delivering machines for Boral, and Bumpy and Coady had put my name forward so I knew a couple of people from KEE Surfacing already”.

Chris will be joining our Surfacing Manager, Bumpy Samuel, on a Voegele paving application training week in Germany next month. “We chose Chris for the training as we always encourage our KEE people to push themselves and Chris has that voracious appetite to learn and to lead.” said director, Clayton Spiers, “It is this technical training and advancement of our leaders which has helped KEE become one of Australia’s premier surfacing and profiling companies.”

Chris lives at home with his wife Jasmine, and they have two sons, Freedom, 22, Dalyn, 19, a daughter Harmony, 16, grand daughter Blair, who has just turned one, and pet dog Ali.