Rollers, commonly termed road rollers, are the ideal type of heavy equipment for compacting surfaces. These machines provide a smooth and stable ground free from underground air pockets. Road rollers have been valuable heavy-duty machinery, especially in the agricultural sector in the past years. However, modern rollers have replaced old compaction machines as they can perform specific jobs as well as offer better performance.
6 Roller Types Used for Heavy-Duty Applications
There are many types of compactors that can effectively perform your construction work. But every industrial roller has a unique feature set and is ideal for specific kinds of jobs. Let’s find out 6 rollers that are frequently used in the construction industry.
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Static Rollers
Static rollers are also known as smooth-wheeled rollers. They come in two different designs; single drum, and double drum. Single drum machines have a steel drum at the front and two wheels at the rear, that’s why they are also called three-wheeled rollers. These compactors can operate well in narrow spaces as they are smaller in size. They offer better stability with additional weight on their front and are excellent for building foundations and road paving tasks.
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Vibratory Rollers
The vibratory roller for sale is an excellent compactor for hard soils. This heavy-duty equipment is identical to a static roller, but it’s different in terms of design. It comes with a vibratory component that vibrates when the machine compacts and flattens the surface. Many grounds like asphalt, concrete, and soil have void spaces that can hurt the structure of the building. However, using a vibratory roller you can keep the structural integrity in place. This heavy machine is ideal for compacting crushed rocks, gravel, concrete, and asphalt.
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Cylindrical Rollers
Cylindrical compactors are lightweight machines that are suitable for small projects and yard work. These compactors are made of iron, concrete, or stone and have a drum diameter of 1 meter. A person can easily operate this walk-behind roller by pushing it forward. Moreover, they don’t possess an engine or a motor to generate power, rather they rely on manual hand force.
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Pneumatic Rollers
Pneumatic rollers or pneumatic tired rollers come with multiple rubber tires at the front as well as at the rear end. These ride-on compactors are ideal for asphalt pavement and polishing a construction road project. Additionally, they are excellent for cold-laid bituminous and loose soil layers. Pneumatic roller rubber tires cover 80% surface and offer uniform pressure through their thick width.
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Grid Rollers
Grid compactors have a grid-type pattern of steel bars on their steel drum. For more contact pressure, this grid can be balanced with steel attachments or concrete blocks. They provide better contact pressure with slight kneading. That’s why these rollers are ideal for coarse soils, weathered rocks, and sub-grade road construction work.
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Tamping Rollers
Tamping rollers are also known as sheepsfoot or padfoot rollers. They have several rectangular lugs or feet on the drum. For efficient compaction, you can increase the weight of the drum by ballasting it with damp sand, or water, or even mounting steel sections on it. These rollers are excellent for compacting soil, wet clay, and silty clay.
Selecting the Right Roller
Choosing the correct compactor for your construction project is critical for success. A wrong selection can end up leaving air pockets underneath the surface that can sink the structure later on. Therefore, it’s essential to go through some factors in order to make a cost-effective and appropriate choice.
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You must know the length of the project for which you’ll select a roller. If it’s not much, you can even go rent a compactor rather than buy one that will save you good money.
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You must consider the type of surface which you want to compact. Each of these rollers is ideal for diverse roads or grounds. For example, you’ll need a different heavy machinery for wet clay in comparison to fine-grain sand. Moreover, both static and vibratory rollers can perform asphalt paving, but you need to go into detail to select the right one among them.
Conclusion
Rollers are must-have heavy machines as they can benefit you well in various construction projects. Every compactor possesses unique specialties to help you develop better surfaces. Sheepsfoot rollers are suitable for wet and silty clays while vibratory or static rollers for road pavement. You must go through the advantages you can get before choosing a road roller.
