Vibratory rammer

Vibratory rammers for trenches, foundations and corners

A vibratory rammer compacts the ground where no plate compactor fits: in pipe trenches, in foundation trenches, along walls, manholes and buildings and in corners. The engine drives the rammer shoe via a spring and piston unit. The shoe jumps a few centimetres and strikes the ground with the full weight of the machine. Every blow presses the material together, layer by layer, until the trench is load-bearing again. Depending on the manufacturer and region, the same machine is called a trench rammer, jumping jack, tamping rammer or simply a rammer. With a shoe around 30 cm wide, a rammer fits into trenches where no plate will go, and at 60 to 80 kg it can be carried by two people.

Rammer or plate compactor

The plate compactor is the machine for open areas: path construction, paving beds, foundation slabs, patios. It compacts wide and fast, but it needs space. The rammer is the machine for trenches and edges: it compacts narrow and deep and gets into corners and along edges, but it moves more slowly across an area. On site, the rule is therefore: plate for the area, rammer for trench, edge and corner. If you lay pipes, dig out foundations or backfill along buildings, you need the rammer; if you build paths and surfaces, you need the plate. Often both are on the same site: the plate does the area, the rammer does the edges and trenches it leaves out.

Impact force, rammer shoe and weight

Three values describe a vibratory rammer: the impact force in kilonewtons, the shoe size and the operating weight. Added to these are the blow rate and stroke height, which together determine how deep a rammer works and how quickly it moves along the trench. The shoe size decides which trench the rammer fits into, the weight whether two people can still lift it. Rammers are powered by petrol, diesel or electric motors; the 4-stroke petrol engine is the standard on sites without a power supply. Our RS80 sits in the class for pipe and foundation trenches with 70 kg, 13 kN and a 330 x 285 mm shoe, and we are adding further models all the time.

Buying a vibratory rammer: what matters

Before buying, consider the trench width your rammer shoe needs, the weight you want to lift and the materials you compact. Rammers are the classic machine for backfilling trenches with mixed and cohesive soils, and according to the manufacturers many models also compact granular and bituminous material. Backfill is placed in thin layers, each layer is rammed in overlapping passes, and material that is too dry is moistened first. A rammer must only be run outdoors or in well-ventilated areas, ear protection is mandatory, and in a trench the side walls must remain stable while it is working. For short distances across the site, transport wheel kits are available as accessories; when transported in a vehicle, a rammer should be kept upright where possible.

Why buy vibratory rammers from Kernlochbohrer.com

Our vibratory rammers are available from stock, with operating instructions in German and spare parts from our shop. More than 5,000 professionals buy from us, and we are Trusted Shops certified. Whether your site needs a rammer, a plate or both, just ask us by phone or WhatsApp.