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Chose between a $40 hand tamper and a $350 plate compactor for my patio base in Lincoln
So last month I'm laying a 12x14 patio at my place in Lincoln and I get to the base prep, and I'm standing in the yard staring at a pile of crushed rock that's been sitting there two days. I had two options: rent a plate compactor from the tool yard for $65 a day, or just buy a $40 hand tamper and do it the old way. I went with the hand tamper because I'm stubborn and cheap, and honestly the first hour felt fine, arms burning a little but whatever. By hour three my shoulders were shot and I could still see low spots the next morning after a rain sat in them. So I rented the plate compactor anyway, spent the $65 plus another $30 in gas hauling it, and had the whole base flat and locked in about 45 minutes. The hand tamper is now holding down a tarp in my shed where it belongs. Anyone here actually get a good base with just hand tamping on a job this size, or am I just not built for it?
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wade_kelly777h ago
Hand tamping that much rock is a fool's game.
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