Tamping a berm..... Equipment?

[Mmathis]

Working on our dirt berm....... Going slow...... Adding soil, tamping, repeat...... Walking on it......wetting it..... (have to "wet" carefully -- too wet, and our clay sticks to tamper, boots......).....Can't get to the height I want.... Hard work in our hot, humid climate....... Getting old........ "Helpers" [hubby & son] about ready to mutiny! I'm super frustrated & want this job completed!

HELP!

Is there a better way?

This is what we're using......



Hubby wonders if this would work better (if we can find a rental that carries it -- I think it would be a lot to handle for a 20" wide berm....but willing to try....if we can find one.....)


This looks even better (if we can find one.....to rent......easier to handle......less effort.......)



My BIL says you can go to HOME DEPOT early in the morning and hire "workers".......

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Or is it an issue with our technique.......?

 

[Troutredds]

All your hard work will eventually pay dividends. I think Home Depot has the tamper you're considering in their tool rental dept.

 

[Dave 54]

Maggie stick to it think of the finshed result or have a pond building Bar-B-Q supply the alcohol and away you go

Dave

 

[Big Lou]

Does the berm have containing walls on each side? Is the tamped soil spreading instead of compacting? What mixture of soil are you using? Any clay? Was a full with trence dug for the base of the berm?

What I'm getting at is if your soil is very loose and overly wide spread tamping will spread the soil horizontally instead of compacting it vertically. A short berm is much more difficult to create as compared to a massive berm. It is the widening sides of the berm that may cause your distress. Hope I understand your situation correctly.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

"Helpers" [hubby & son] about ready to mutiny!

Maybe you need to set up a plank out over your pond and remind them what happens to mutineers.

 

[Mmathis]

Maggie stick to it think of the finshed result or have a pond building Bar-B-Q supply the alcohol and away you go

Dave

Two of my helpers (son invited a lady friend over to help) are under-age

Does the berm have containing walls on each side? Is the tamped soil spreading instead of compacting? What mixture of soil are you using? Any clay? Was a full with trence dug for the base of the berm?

What I'm getting at is if your soil is very loose and overly wide spread tamping will spread the soil horizontally instead of compacting it vertically. A short berm is much more difficult to create as compared to a massive berm. It is the widening sides of the berm that may cause your distress. Hope I understand your situation correctly.

Excellent points! I have a wall around one side, the "pond" edge, but not the outside edge. But taking care of that issue today and will have a retaining wall around the outer side. Thought had crossed my mind several times, but I was being voted down. Also, this will make it easier to keep the surface level.

Our soil is mostly clay, but I've amended it by tilling in sand and Portland cement -- something I read about for helping to stabilize soil used as backfill, etc. Once it's compacted well, and moisture gets into it, it's supposed to inhibit shifting, esp. with the clay.

Maybe you need to set up a plank out over your pond and remind them what happens to mutineers.

Bribery works better.... Though I like the idea (and the graphic)!

 

[JohnHuff]

Is there a better way?

 

[Mmathis]

Not enough control......

 

[Mmathis]

So, back to reality -- any help and/or suggestions as to the tamper thingy?

 

[JohnHuff]

So, back to reality -- any help and/or suggestions as to the tamper thingy?

Cheap: Home Depot

Free: Invite your neighbors' kids over. Berm party!

 

[Big Lou]

If enough room, enough work to do and you have restricted the horizontal spread of the soil the HD tamper is the max otherwise the hand tamper should be good. I know nothing about the other device.

Btw, the best tamper is one that someone else is using.

 

[snoozer]

we tamped the clay soil here with option number 2. My son called it a jumping jack, of course my son calls himself with a shovel in his hand a 6 foot backhoe, So...... I really don't know what the name of option 2 is, all i know is that it really packed the clay down hard. We would do a 4 inch layer at a time, I would lay down a layer of dirt and he was right behind me with the machine tamping it down.

 

[Mmathis]

we tamped the clay soil here with option number 2. My son called it a jumping jack, of course my son calls himself with a shovel in his hand a 6 foot backhoe, So...... I really don't know what the name of option 2 is, all i know is that it really packed the clay down hard. We would do a 4 inch layer at a time, I would lay down a layer of dirt and he was right behind me with the machine tamping it down.

Yes, one name is "Jumping Jack." How easy/difficult was it to use....and control....

 

[Mucky_Waters]

This is the kind I usually use, but they are made for tamping flat ground. Try going on the side of the berm and the thing will likely end up down in the bottom of your pond !
They heavy, but easy enough to control once you get them on flat ground though.

 

[snoozer]

My son used the jumping jack but he has done construction work and is used to equipment like that. I wasn't sure if I could control it so I was the designated dirt spreader.If you find a place that rents them near you maybe they will let you take a "test drive". I have used the plate compactor that Mucky Waters posted above but I am not sure how it would work on the berm arond the pond. I used it on flat ground only. Maybe that is all they trsust