Riverina Diggers › Ride-on Roller hire

What it costs

Hire	Price	Notes
1 day	$220	8 hours, extra hours $35
Weekend	$395	Saturday and Sunday
1 week	$1250	Best value on longer jobs

Compaction is not optional

Fill that hasn't been compacted keeps settling. It settles under a slab and the slab cracks. It settles under gravel and you get potholes and ruts after the first wet. It settles under pavers and they go hollow and rock.

A vibrating drum does in a few passes what no amount of driving the ute back and forth will do. If you've levelled a pad and you're about to pour or spread, this is the machine that makes the difference between a job that lasts and one you redo.

What it's used for around here

• Shed and carport pads — compact the base before the concrete goes down
• Driveways — road base and gravel, rolled properly so it stays put
• Farm tracks and access roads — after grading or after carting material in
• Backfilled trenches — over the top of a service run, so it doesn't sink in a month
• Turf and paving prep — a firm, even base before you lay

Ride-on or walk-behind?

Take the ride-on for anything with area — a shed pad, a driveway, a track. It covers ground fast and you're not walking behind it all day.

For trenches, tight corners, around footings and paving bases, the walk-behind plate compactor at $125 a day is the right tool and a lot cheaper. Plenty of jobs use both.

Getting the base right first

Rolling only works on material that's the right depth and moisture. Too dry and it won't bind; saturated and you'll just pump it. If you've carted road base in, spread it in layers rather than one thick lift, and roll each layer.

Levelling first? Hire the excavator in the same booking and do the pad and the compaction in one go.

Common questions

How much is roller hire in Griffith?

$220 for a day, $395 for a weekend, $1,250 for a week. Free delivery on hires of three days or more within 30km of Griffith.

Do I need a licence to operate a roller?

Not for work on your own residential property in NSW. On a commercial site you'll generally need a verification of competency and a White Card.

How many passes do I need?

It depends on the material and the depth, but compaction is done in layers rather than all at once. Spread in lifts and roll each one — a thick single layer will never compact properly no matter how many passes you do.

Can I fit it on a trailer myself?

Pick-up is possible with a suitable trailer, but most people take the delivery — it's free on 3+ day hires within 30km.

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