2021 ᐈ

Purpose of vibrating plates

A vibrating plate is a mechanism designed to compact loose soils and bulk building materials. In addition, such a mechanism is widely used for vibration processing of semi-dry concrete mixtures and asphalt when constructing floors and paving surfaces.

The use of such a tool is very effective when working on a small plot of land and in cramped spaces.

The construction of sidewalks, garden paths, driveways and parking lots near a private house using a vibrating plate is carried out much faster, while ensuring high quality of work. Compacting the bottom of the trenches when laying utilities eliminates their possible damage in the event of subsidence of loose soil.

These and other advantages encourage many home craftsmen to make such equipment themselves and use it in construction work.

Scope of application and operating principle

Vibrating plates are actively used during construction and repair work of varying complexity, for example, when laying roads or sidewalks, etc. The unit has small dimensions, which allows it to be used in hard-to-reach places, including trenches. The design of the tool consists of four main elements:

A work plate made of steel or cast iron.
Vibrator.
Frames.
Power plant.

The basis of the unit is a massive plate, in the center of which there is a vibrator. It is connected to the power plant using a V-belt drive or clutch. A vibrator is necessary to convert rotational motion into oscillatory motion. Internal combustion engines or electric motors can be used as the power plant of the unit.

Advantages of a homemade tamping machine

The main advantage of a home-made vibrating plate is its low cost and the ability to perform high-quality and efficient work. The simple design ensures the reliability and durability of the mechanism.

In addition, a homemade vibrating plate allows you to:

Safely tamp any surfaces;
reduce the amount of manual labor when performing work;
improve the quality of footpaths and platforms;
It is good to compact dry cement and semi-dry concrete mixtures when laying them.

Having a mechanism for compacting loose soils and bulk materials will allow you to carry out any amount of landscaping and exterior design work.

Homemade vibrating plate and vibrating screed

Very often, during the construction of various objects, it is necessary to compact the base of bulk materials underneath them, and after pouring - concrete mortar. For these purposes, the vibration compaction method is widely used in practice. It lies in the fact that vibrations from operating equipment are transmitted to the compacted layer. As a result of the process, the particles of the compacted material move as close to each other as possible, and air is squeezed out of the concrete, due to which, after it hardens into a monolith, it acquires its design strength due to the absence of voids.

To effectively compact loose soil, crushed stone, gravel or sand, vibrating plates are used. The poured concrete solution is leveled, compacting it using a vibrating screed. But it makes sense to buy such equipment only for regular and large volumes of construction work. For rare household uses, you can easily make a vibrating plate with your own hands, and making a vibrating screed is even easier. To implement the project yourself, you should first familiarize yourself with the designs of the units.

Mechanism design

The main working element is a heavy metal platform, which can be made of gray ductile iron or steel. The vibration effect on it is transmitted from a mechanical vibrator driven by a gasoline, diesel or electric engine.

A durable handle is provided to control the vibrating plate as it moves across the work area. Additionally, the design may include a fuel tank or starting electrical equipment. The engine and vibration device are installed on a frame, which is mounted directly on the tamping platform.

How to make a hand tamper?

The point of tamping is that each layer is compacted using a hand-made tool. Such a product is most often constructed from ordinary materials that can be found in the garage. Select a block with square sides of 10-15 cm. There is no need to specifically purchase a new item - any whole block will do.

To make the structure you will also need:

steel plate 2 mm wide;
a stick without sharp corners up to 0.5 meters long;
screws;
glue.

Next, you need to prepare the block, adjusting its lower part to a square shape. In the meantime, the chamfers are removed and the sides of the wood are leveled with a plane. The next stage is the construction of a metal shoe. A drawing of the future shoe is depicted on a sheet of steel, and excess parts are removed with special scissors. Holes for screws are then cut into the metal tile.

The finished shoe is attached with wings to the bottom of the beam and secured with screws. A hole is drilled in the beam itself for a handle, which is attached to wood glue.

As a rule, during construction, the foundation is covered with loosened soil. This material has a low density compared to compacted material. If compaction is not carried out in a timely manner, the soil will settle and cracks will appear on its surface. Gaps between the surface and the wall can cause the concrete slab to break.

Now let's look at the methods that are often used to compact soil.

Watering with water. A long-term method that requires constant access to water. To work you need a hose with good pressure. Next, fill the entire area of soil, and for the best effect, use a large volume of liquid. Watering is a natural and long-lasting method, close to nature. As a result, the soil is dried for a couple of days, and then the next layer is laid.
Compacting soil using homemade tools.
Mixed method. This is a combination of hand tamping and water pouring.

The sand compaction technique has its drawbacks. Initially, it is important to choose the type of sand suitable for such work. Often it becomes gravel, since small grains of sand are generally not recommended to be filled in. So, the larger the particles, the stronger the base, which will prevent the building from shrinking.

To install a monolithic structure, medium-fraction sand particles are used. But even in this option, groundwater will affect the strength of the lower layer. The washout of the base is prevented by laying geotextile trenches, after which sand is poured.

To begin with, the sand is sieved, since it contains many impurities, including clay, which affects its properties. Also, an optimal level of humidity is created for the sand. If you can roll a small ball, then the material is sufficiently wet.

The moisture level should be about 15%.

The quality of installation depends on both the equipment and the material. Everyone chooses the type of equipment according to their financial capabilities.

Types and characteristics of vibrating plates

Main characteristics of vibrating plates:

engine type and power;
weight;
vibration force;
working surface size.

By engine type and fuel type

Vibrating plates are divided into:

gasoline
, running on gasoline. Used for compaction in field conditions and in open areas.
diesel
, running on diesel fuel. This is a powerful technique for work on an industrial scale.
electric
, operating from an alternating current source. Used in basements, places with increased fire hazard, etc.

The most popular are gasoline vibrating plates

.
Vibrating plates with an internal combustion engine have high power and can operate autonomously, but due to the exhaust emissions, such equipment cannot be used indoors. The disadvantage of a diesel vibrating plate
is its price;
the disadvantage of an electric
plate is the limited length of the electrical cord or the impossibility of performing work in the absence of a power source. However, with the same characteristics, an electric vibrating plate will cost an order of magnitude cheaper than a vibrating plate with a gasoline or diesel engine, and it is also lighter and has a low noise level.

It should be noted that gasoline vibrating plates with hydraulic drive

Vibrating plates with a mechanical drive are much more reliable and durable.

By weight

Vibrating plates are divided into:

light (up to 75 kg);
universal (from 75 to 90 kg);
medium-heavy (from 90 to 140 kg);
heavy (from 140 kg).

The effectiveness of using a vibrating plate depends 70% on the correct selection of its weight. The remaining 30% is determined by vibration force, surface size and motor type.

Light vibrating plates

Perfect for minor road repairs and landscaping work, compacting fine soils up to 15 cm thick, and laying paving slabs.

Universal vibrating plates

used for landscape work, patching asphalt road surfaces, repairing road surfaces after laying utility lines, and for compacting soil up to 25 cm thick.

Medium-heavy

and
heavy vibrating plates
are used for compacting the bases of roads under construction, compacting the backfill of trenches around the perimeter of the foundation, for repairing asphalt road surfaces, and compacting soil with a thickness of 25 to 60 cm.

Vibration force (impact force)

– an indicator of the power of shocks transmitted from the vibrator to the plate.
The higher this indicator, the denser materials it can compact. For example, for compacting asphalt, it is recommended to purchase models with a vibration force of approximately 15 kN, and for laying paving slabs, a model with an impact force of 10 kN is sufficient. Engine power
determines the ability to move on a viscous, downhill surface. During operation, the vibrating plate itself pulls itself forward; if the power indicator is low, the plate will sink into the ground and bury itself on slopes. Those. The greater the engine power of the vibrating plate, the better it will cope with its task and the less effort the operator will make for this.

By way of movement

Vibrating plates are divided into:

forward (or non-reversible), in which movement is carried out only in one direction - forward;
reversible - can move both forward and backward.

The main advantage of a reversible vibrating plate is that it has a reverse motion, and there is no need to turn it around. This convenience reduces the time required to complete the work and the physical costs involved. Reversible models are indispensable when performing compaction work in difficult to pass places, in limited areas, in trenches, pits, foundations of low-rise buildings, where it is impossible to turn around.

Depth of compaction (impact on material)

for a vibrating plate varies on average from 15 to 40 cm. Although many manufacturers indicate the exact compaction depth for their vibrating plates, you should not trust this parameter. It greatly depends not only on the specific model, but also on the working conditions, as well as on the material that you are going to compact. When selecting a vibrating plate for different types of work, it is better to focus on its weight and impact force.

Vibrating plate performance

– this is the area of the processed space per unit of time, it can range from 100 to 900 sq.m per hour.

HOW TO MAKE A VIBRATING PLATE ON WHEELS FOR TRAMPING WITH YOUR OWN HANDS

To compact soil, sand or crushed stone during construction work (for example, when constructing a blind area for a house or laying paving slabs), manual tamping is usually used, since this is the cheapest method.

But it is much more convenient and faster to do this work using a vibrating plate. In this review we will tell you how to make it yourself from scrap materials.

The base of the vibrating plate can be cut from sheet metal 9 mm thick.
To bend the edges, the author made two parallel cuts 4.5 mm deep with a grinder. Then the edges must be bent to the desired angle, and the slots must be welded.
The top plate can be made from two pieces of channel material, welding them together and cutting the edges to the shape of the sole. Additional bolts must be welded into the top plate to secure the vibration motor.
To reduce the vibration of the handle, the top plate must be installed not on the sole itself, but on vibration isolators, for which the author decided to use silent blocks.
The author placed about 10 kg of various scraps of metal (to increase weight) into the resulting cavity between the sole and the top plate and secured them by welding.
At the next stage, a blank is cut out from a piece of channel to support the control handle. It is welded to the top plate. We clean the welds and paint the assembled structure.
Next, we install the vibration motor, securing it with screws so that the nuts do not unscrew due to vibration.
To make the handle, the author used a piece of corrugated pipe 40x40 mm. A piece of round pipe with a diameter of 32 mm is welded into the lower part of the handle, and a piece of round pipe with a diameter of 20 mm is welded into the upper part. Additionally, you need to cut a hole in the profile pipe to install the switch.

To move the vibrating plate conveniently, the author used a pair of large wheels, making them quick-release.

How to make an electric vibrating plate from a walk-behind tractor with your own hands

The easiest way to make a vibrating plate with your own hands is to use an old walk-behind tractor. The device is equipped with an internal combustion engine with optimal characteristics suitable for a homemade design.

Making a vibrating plate with your own hands looks like this:

a steel sheet about 1 x 1 m is cut along the edges and bent upward with a hammer so that the slab does not sink into the ground during operation;
Channels are welded parallel to the bent sides, approximately 10 cm from the center line of the workpiece;
install a homemade or factory vibrator on them;
in the rear part of the slab, using metal corners and shock absorbers, a platform for the walk-behind tractor engine is secured;
using nuts and washers, install the motor on it and connect it to the vibrator with a belt thrown over the pulleys;
attach a long handle to the rear platform to control the unit.

The average weight of a homemade vibrating plate with a motor from a walk-behind tractor is about 60 kg. If a heavier structure is required, you can additionally weld metal sheets or reinforcement onto it.

The pulleys should provide the vibrator eccentric with a rotation speed of about 180 revolutions

Making a vibrating plate

Coping with soil compaction is very difficult, so you can’t do it without tools. For some, a homemade design is a good choice, while others purchase a gasoline vibratory rammer. The most popular types include vibrating rammers and vibrating plates. Their operating principle is quite similar, and rental of such a machine is always in demand among construction companies.

A vibratory rammer is most suitable for compacting the soil layer. Its work is based on centrifugal force in a certain direction. The amplitude of the oscillations depends on the device model.

If we compare the device with a vibrating plate, it is worth noting that it is smaller in size. And the compaction of the layer occurs due to the small volumes of the sole itself, which provides the best effect.

For compacting sand, the optimal choice is a vibrating plate, since thanks to it the sand will be compacted and will not be squeezed out over the edges. But for laying paving stones, crushed stone or a base under a concrete slab, this method is more suitable than tamping. The large compaction area is the main advantage of the method.

Making your own vibrating plate using an electric motor will help you save on equipment. Drawings for structures are not difficult to make.

To make it you will need:

power section;
two channels;
iron plate more than 7 mm thick;
fasteners;
two wheels;
a pipe that is used as a handle for convenient movement of the structure.

Since vibration increases during operation, some inventors also attach soft pads for the hands. But this is optional.

The concrete vibrator consists of an electric motor, a vibrating device and a flexible shaft. A replacement for the first element is constructed from a jackhammer, hammer drill, drill and other devices that transmit vibrations. There is no need to neglect the design of a flexible shaft for the vibrator, because thanks to it the tip is safely lowered into the solution and transmits the desired vibration.

This product can operate from a 220 V home electrical network.

The vibratory ramming machine, constructed from a hammer drill, operates on the basis of impact force. A metal peak is created for the nozzle. This design helps to penetrate the thickness of the concrete, which is extremely necessary after pouring the pile base. It is important to determine the required length of the nozzle. To process a large area, choose a large sheet to which the puncher itself is attached.

It is necessary to firmly strengthen the structure, because the vibration force can be destructive for the product. In cases where the equipment elements are horizontal, the nozzle should be positioned at a slight angle. And this can be achieved by attaching the washer as a support. Then a vibration unit of the hammer drill is installed in it.

Do-it-yourself vibrating plate is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance

By popular demand, I am publishing the process of making a vibrating plate with my own hands.

DIY vibrating plate

The need for this device arose when arranging paths from paving slabs on a personal plot.

In 2010, I couldn’t find where to rent a vibrating plate in my city, and it was expensive to buy 100 square meters of paving slabs for laying, so I decided to do it myself.

Video of how a hand-made vibrating plate works.

Detailed information about —>> Single-phase area vibrator IV-99E (220V)

Metal base for vibrating plate

I went to the metal depot to get metal for the site. I bought sheet metal 8mm thick and measuring 80cm by 45cm. The site cost about 800 rubles. (I do not remember exactly)

Detailed information about —>>Sheet metal

I made a cut in the metal on both sides with a grinder at a distance of 10 cm from the edge to a depth of about 5 mm and, using a hammer, bent it 20-30 degrees so that the vibrating plate would not dig into the material being rammed.

An incision with a grinder at the base of the vibrating plate

Bend of the base of the vibrating plate platform

Then I took an electric welder and welded the incision to fix the position of the ends of the vibrating plate.

Welding the notched metal of the vibrating plate base

I'm not much of a welder, but the main thing is that I hold on! By the way, all attempts to bend metal without making cuts were unsuccessful, so it is better to immediately pick up a grinder and make cuts.

Weld seam on a vibrator

After that, I cut off two channels to attach the vibrator to the plate.

Channel for attaching the vibrator to the plate

We weld the channel to the base of the vibrating plate

At this stage, the inability to weld well did not spoil the project much. While I was using electrodes one after another to obtain a high-quality weld, the area bent slightly diagonally from the heating. Those. If you now place the vibrating plate on a flat surface, the two diagonal corners will be raised by about 2-5 mm. I think this could have been avoided if I had experience in welding, or offer your options. Maybe it was necessary to weld the channel not across, but along? May be.

We drill holes in the channels for bolts for attaching the vibrator

The following are photographs taken after 2 years of working with a homemade vibrating plate.

The vibrator is fastened with M10 bolts.

We fasten the vibrator with M10 bolts to the base

The most interesting thing is the experiments with attaching the handle to the vibrating plate. The design selection process was long, costly and not always successful. I’ll only tell you about the option I chose.

At the car market I bought two engine mounts from a VAZ 2101 for 100 rubles each (from a penny), I couldn’t find anything cheaper.:)

They are strong enough to handle vibration from the engine and don't dampen it much. But you won’t be able to hold the handle with them, or rather, the joints on your hands will crumble. So the search continued. I found what I needed at the Krepmarket chain store. Two very soft and elastic pillows, through which I attached the handle to the vibrating plate.

Attaching the handle to the vibrating plate

Attaching the engine mount to the vibrating plate

The slab turned out to be quite heavy (relatively, of course) approximately 60-70 kg. And it’s hard to carry it around, so I cut two rings from the pipe, welded them to the base of a homemade vibrating plate and inserted into them two simple plastic wheels with bolts, bought in some store that sells all kinds of carts. And now the process of transporting the vibrating plate has become much easier.

Do-it-yourself vibrating plate - test your capabilities

Pipe section for inserting wheels

The handle was made from a hollow pipe 120 cm long.

DIY vibrating plate

Now about the operation of a vibrating plate made by yourself.

The project budget was about 10,000 rubles. I expected less, but...

During operation, to further dampen vibration on the handle, a loop made of any strong rope helps, and if you hold on to it, and not to the metal handle, then the vibration is practically not felt.

This vibrating plate compacts moistened sand about 10 centimeters deep, crushed stone also compacts, but it feels like the vibrating plate does not have enough weight to compact it well.

In principle, this is a normal option for paths in the garden, but for foundation work, asphalt, etc. - rather weak and easy.

Do-it-yourself manual rammer for soil compaction

Materials used

A suitable material for homemade manual tamping is a square beam with a side of 100 or 150 mm. It will be difficult to work with a round log in the corners and will have to be compacted with a significant overlap of the previous impact point.

It is not at all necessary to take new lumber; a used lumber will do. The main thing is that the wood is free from rot and splits. Choose a piece of timber that you can lift. The height of the manual tamper can be waist-high or chest-high, depending on ease of use.

If you have no experience working with this tool, take a longer block, try it out and shorten it if necessary.

You will also need:

A piece of 2mm steel plate.
A round birch stick 450 mm long (an old shovel handle will do).
Wood screws.
Carpenter's glue.

Prepare the timber

Saw off the ends of the workpiece according to the dimensions exactly at right angles. Using a plane, adjust the plane of the lower end of the beam to a square. Remove 5 mm wide chamfers from sharp edges.

Make a shoe

Transfer the dimensions of the workpiece from the drawing to the steel sheet.

You can simply align the timber vertically installed on the metal and trace the outline with a pencil.
Depending on the thickness of the plate, cut the workpiece with metal scissors or cut out the excess with a grinder. Remove burrs with a file, holding the part in a vice.
Mark and drill holes for the screws, make recesses for the caps with a countersink or a drill of a larger diameter.
Sand the surfaces with sandpaper.

Bend the wings of the workpiece in a vice, which will be easy to do with the first two opposite sides. When bending the two remaining sides, the vise jaws may turn out to be wider than the shoe, then use a timber prepared for tamping.

Secure the shoe

Check the fit of the steel plate on the beam, if necessary, tap the metal or sharpen the wood. The shoe should fit snugly against the end on all planes.
Drill holes for screws in one wing, pointing the drill at a slight angle into the wood, and tighten the screws.
Turn the beam over to the opposite side and fasten the other wing in the same way. Make sure that the shoe does not move away from the end.
When drilling subsequent holes, guide them past the already screwed in screws.

Set the handle

Mark the drilling center at a distance of 100 mm from the top end. Select a drill bit with a diameter 2 mm smaller than the cross-section of the handle. Make a through hole perpendicular to the surface of the beam.

Even with careful drilling, the outer parts of the hole will be slightly larger than the inner diameter. Sharpen the wood with a file, periodically trying to insert the handle into place.
At the same time, correct any possible misalignment of the hole relative to the plane of the beam. Achieve a tight (but without significant force) fit of the handle, and if necessary, lightly trim the stick. Do not try to hammer into the handle - the wood may split. Place the stick in the beam and make marks.
Apply glue to the sides of the hole.
Place a pen on the marks and wipe off any excess glue. Drill a pilot hole and secure the handle with a long screw.
After the glue has hardened (according to the manufacturer’s recommendations), the manual tamper is ready for use.

After use, clean the device from dust and store it in a place protected from rain and snow. Over time, the bottom of the tamper wears out; monitor the condition of the metal lining and change it in a timely manner.

Creating a sand-cement cushion

Follow this procedure:

We sift the sand and mix it with cement in a ratio of 6 to 1. This is easiest to do in a concrete mixer.
We fill the area with a 10-centimeter layer (taking into account the thickness of the tiles). This means that the thickness of the tile + the thickness of the pillow should be 2 centimeters above the red mark (shrinkage cap).
Using a vibrating plate or a stomp (a shelf with a nailed wide board and a pile plank) we tamp the entire area.
Check the tension of the red marks and the presence of slope.
We lay out beacons (pipes with a diameter of 20 millimeters) around the site. They should be pressed firmly onto the pillow. The distance from the lace to the beacon should be the same as the thickness of your tile, plus 1 centimeter for compaction.
Now we take the trapezoidal rule and, focusing on the beacons, we tighten the excess part of the sand-cement cushion to obtain a perfectly flat surface.
We take out the first beacons, on the side where you will start laying the tiles. Fill the grooves with the same mixture and begin laying the tiles.

Recommendations

Before starting tamping, you need to familiarize yourself with the weight of the vibrating plate, as this affects the type of work and its volume. To compact the soil, you should opt for a vibrating rammer. And for sand, crushed stone or a sub-concrete base, a slab is used. Large fields for football, golf and other sports are compacted with professional machines weighing from 50 to 100 kg.

Weighting agents are added to homemade structures. The weight material can be water, cement or sand.

Before starting work, all gasoline engine structures are constantly tested for reliability. It is important to regularly remove carbon deposits from candles, which will increase their service life. The first time the oil is changed after a day of work, then the period is extended to 3-4 days. For cases where work is being done at a depth of a meter or more, it is worth using the help of another person.

Operating principle and characteristics of the device

The device of a vibrating plate is quite simple. A vibrator is installed on a heavy platform, on top of which the engine is located. The motor and vibrator are connected using a coupling and a V-belt drive.

Thus, the engine creates rotational movements, which it transmits to the vibrator, which converts them into oscillatory ones.

These movements are transmitted to the slab, and then to the material that is compacted; the particles begin to move and fill all the voids in the embankment.

The result is a very dense, even coating. If the vibrating plate has a reverse motion, this allows you to work in trenches and narrow pits.

The work plate can be steel or cast iron. Its characteristics depend on the quality of the material from which it is made. If the cast iron is of low quality, then when working on sand and gravel, the slab may become cracked.

The vibration force determines how tightly the surface will be compacted. With the same mass, a vibrating plate with a higher vibration force will compact the surface better. Therefore, for denser surfaces, you should choose a mechanism with the highest rating.

Machines with a rating below 10 kN are not suitable for compacting asphalt. To lay paving slabs, vibrating plates weighing from 75 to 90 kg should not have a vibration force exceeding 18-20 kN, otherwise the tile will be pressed into the base and may even collapse.

Its main disadvantage is the presence of an electrical network. This range is limited by the location of the electric current source and the length of the cord. The gasoline engine is easy to use.

Engine power affects the movement of the vibrating plate. The higher this parameter, the easier it is to work with the stove. The plate with a powerful motor moves itself. If the power is insufficient, the slab may bury itself in the ground, especially downhill.

The main parameter of a vibrating plate is its weight; this is what you need to pay attention to when choosing the right model and selecting components to make it yourself. According to this parameter, models are divided into four classes:

Class	Weight, kg	Maximum surface layer, cm	Application
Lungs	75	15	Landscaping work, compacting paving slabs, laying damping polyurethane mats
Universal	75-90	25	Landscaping works, road surface repairs and asphalt patching
Medium-heavy	90-140	60	Laying layers of road surface, filling trenches around the foundation
Heavy	140 and above

Vibrating plates differ in the direction of movement during compaction. They can be direct or reverse. Straight lines only move forward. If re-compaction is necessary, then you need to turn around and repeat the compaction, which leads to significant time costs.

Reverse motion makes it possible to reverse, therefore increasing the quality of vibratory compaction and reducing operating time. Reverse is used on slabs weighing at least 100 kg.

A useful feature for a vibrating plate is the presence of an irrigation system. Without it, the slab may stick to the ground, especially asphalt. The only thing you need to do is make sure that water does not get on the engine.

To extend the service life of the mechanism, the belts and coupling must be protected with a special casing. If there is a casing, particles of the compacted surface will not get into the mechanism, which will prevent machine breakdown.

Watch our video collection on the topic:

Homemade vibrating plate from scrap metal

I found a 10mm slab meter by meter in the bins of the garage. I decided to make a vibrating plate, anyone who has built it knows how necessary it is.

The 1.5kW 380 motor was just in stock.

Of all the costs:

— 2 bearings for the Niva transfer case (460r),
— 2 pillows ICE 2101 (500r),
- pump pulley (180r),
— Niva generator pulley (200r)
and starting capacitors for switching the motor to 220v (1200r).

Calculation of capacitors 7 microfarads for every 100W of motor, total 105-110mF.

The rest was all at hand:

It's a 50 pipe and a bunch of old garage sheds. An eccentric vibrator was made from these canopies and pipes. The bearing housing was made from the same pipe.
A gearbox support from some jeep was also useful for the third engine mount.
The photos show the making of the eccentric, I’ll post the whole thing and the video later. I already started the rammer as I wanted.

Control handle and vibration damping system

During operation, thanks to the front location of the eccentric and the resulting vibrations, the platform with the engine installed on it begins to move along the surface independently. But to set the correct direction of movement, a control handle is needed.

According to its design, it can have one or two inclined posts with a transverse handle-crossbar.

It is recommended to install a vibration damping device in the upper part of the handle so that vibrations are not transmitted to the hands during operation. You can use springs as protection; the stand itself can be made of two pipes, one of which will go inside the other. The springs are fixed by steel rings installed on the pipes.

If you have the financial opportunity, then instead of a homemade spring structure, you can install silent blocks from a passenger car. This will provide sufficient vibration damping, and the structure itself will be less noisy.

How to make a homemade vibrating plate with a washing machine motor

A simple option for making a vibrating plate with your own hands is to use a motor from a washing machine. The method is convenient because such a motor is easy to obtain by simply removing it from old equipment. In addition, the device can be connected to a 220 V household outlet, which will significantly simplify its use.

A video on how to make a vibrating plate with your own hands shows a standard assembly diagram:

the metal sheet is cut along the edges with a grinder and bent upward, and then the seams are welded using a welding machine;
Using channels located at a distance of about 10 cm from each other, a vibrator with a motor installed on it is connected to the plate, while you need to ensure the strength of the fasteners and their even position;
the motor from the washing machine is fixed with bolts, usually M10 or M12 are used;
After installing the engine, they begin to make the handle; it can be made from any piece of steel pipe of a suitable diameter and secured to the base with silent blocks or elastic pads.

Attention! When installing the handle, it is necessary to use not only rigid bolts, but also shock absorption, otherwise the device will simply be pulled out of your hands.

A do-it-yourself vibrating plate with a washing machine motor is already ready at this stage. However, it is recommended to modify it and equip it with wheels for more convenient movement. To do this, a piece of pipe is welded to the base of the structure. Along its edges, using a welding machine, rings are mounted, the diameter corresponding to the selected wheels. The latter are fixed inside with the possibility of subsequent dismantling.

A vibrating plate with a motor from an old washing machine is economical and consumes little energy

The motor power of about 1.5 kW ensures quick and easy leveling of a layer of concrete or sand up to 200 mm thick. A do-it-yourself electric vibrating plate with a washing machine motor is suitable for most repair and country work.

Possibility of reverse movement

Movements of a homemade vibrating plate made as described above are only possible in one direction. Therefore, after walking a certain distance, you have to turn it around and only then move in the opposite direction. This reduces the speed of work and requires additional physical effort on the part of the operator.

In order to provide the vibration machine with the ability to reverse movement, it is necessary to install a device that changes the direction of rotation of the motor. After its installation and connection, the vibrating plate will be able to move in two directions.

When the edge of the treated area is reached, the operator turns off the engine and starts rotating it in the opposite direction. The vibrator eccentric will also become reversible and provide the machine with a return movement.

Providing water irrigation

If the soil or bulk materials are moistened with water during compaction, the compaction will be better, and the platform itself will not stick to the surface. This can be especially effective when rolling asphalt concrete pavements.

In order to ensure such wetting, a container with water is installed on the platform, and on the front curved part there is a perforated tube connected to the container through a hose.

Vibrating plate configuration options

Nutrition classification

electrical,
diesel and
gasoline vibrating plate.

Electric. Electric is considered the most economical. This is exactly what they recommend collecting with your own hands for your own household.

Moreover, in terms of technical characteristics, vibrating plates with an electric motor are in no way inferior to their competitors. The only downside is the condition of having an accessible electrical network.

Gasoline. It will cost more than electric ones, but cheaper than diesel ones.

However, it will be more profitable to buy fuel for diesel engines, although the engine itself will be the most expensive of the three described.

Also, its disadvantage will be high noise, which reduces comfort at work.

The power of the installed motor must be sufficient to operate a heavy slab. Otherwise, the latter will load in bulk material.

Classification of vibrating plates by weight

The mass of the vibrating plate will be the primary determinant for the selection of component parts if you make the mechanism yourself.

Highlight:

Lightweight slabs. Weighing 75 kg. For processing layers up to 15 cm thick. Such slabs are used for landscaping work, laying paving slabs, and damping polyurethane mats.
Universal plates. Their weight ranges from 75 to 90 kg. The maximum layer to be treated is 25 cm. They are used for landscape work, repair of road surfaces, including patching on asphalt.
Medium-heavy. Weight 90-140 kg. The thickness of the treated layer is up to 60 cm. Application - laying road surfaces in layers, backfilling trenches along the perimeter of the foundation.

Classification by direction of movement

According to the direction of movement during the compaction process, vibrating plates can be straight or reverse.

Straight lines can only move forward, and if a second pass over the compacted layer is necessary, such a machine will have to be turned around. And this, albeit small, is still a waste of time.

Reversible vibrating plates can move both forward and backward. They give higher performance. Typically, devices with slabs weighing more than 100 kg are equipped with reverse.

How to make your own vibrating plate with a gasoline engine for soil compaction

You can make a vibrating plate for laying paving slabs or gravel in the countryside not only with an electric, but also with a gasoline engine. The latter makes it possible to perform work almost anywhere, since it does not require connection to an outlet.

To manufacture the unit you will need standard components:

metal sheet with a thickness of 8 mm and dimensions of about 1 x 1 m;
two channels;
several M12 bolts;
a piece of metal pipe for the handle;
shock absorbers, they can be taken from a car engine;
wheels to simplify the movement of the structure;
gasoline engine, power should be about 1.5-2 kW, large figures are usually not required.

The structure is assembled as follows:

use a grinder to cut out a base of suitable dimensions - compact 60x40 cm or larger;
they bend the slab up along the edges so that it does not cling to the ground during work and does not get stuck in it, and the seams from the cuts are welded;
in the upper part, two channels are installed in a single plane using a welding machine and holes are drilled in them for mounting the engine;
place the gasoline engine in prepared sockets using shock-absorbing rubber cushions;
attach the eyes to the base and mount the handle to them, also not forgetting to ensure vibration damping;
install a rotor with an eccentric and a pulley separately on the plate, which must be positioned strictly coaxially with the engine pulley;
put on a tension belt that will transmit energy from the motor.

The finished vibrating plate is launched and tested for performance, and then, if necessary, any detected problems are corrected.

It is recommended to cover the rotor in the front part of the device with a protective cover for safety.

Advantages of a homemade tamping machine

In addition, a homemade vibrating plate allows you to:

Safely tamp any surfaces;
reduce the amount of manual labor when performing work;
improve the quality of footpaths and platforms;
It is good to compact dry cement and semi-dry concrete mixtures when laying them.

Having a mechanism for compacting loose soils and bulk materials will allow you to carry out any amount of landscaping and exterior design work.

How to make your own hand tamper

When building foundations for houses, garages, country paths and much more, great attention is paid to the substrate, consisting of gravel and sand.
To ensure that the concrete monolith is laid evenly and does not begin to move over time, it is important to carefully level the underlying layer.

For these purposes, you can use specialized vibratory tamping machines or rolling equipment, but manual tamping will be much cheaper.

The principle of do-it-yourself processing is that with the help of a homemade tool, blows are applied to the surface, due to which the sand and crushed stone are compacted. In this case, compaction is performed after laying each of these layers.

Features of crushed stone compaction

Any novice builder is sincerely perplexed as to why compact an already strong stone. However, there are several important nuances to consider:

Since crushed stone is obtained by crushing, its particles are obtained of different sizes with free-shaped edges. Because of this, when laying the underlying layer, the particles of the material are not completely adjacent to each other, forming a large number of air voids, the appearance of which ultimately leads to a decrease in the level of load resistance. If fragments of crushed stone fit tightly together, the volume of material will be reduced, but a stronger base will be formed.
If crushed stone is laid on rocky soil, then compaction can be dispensed with. In this case, you only need to level the gravel.
After compacting the gravel, the thickness of the layer can be from 50 to 250 mm, depending on the loads that will be exerted on the base.

In addition, when processing crushed stone, it is recommended to declinch the base. To do this, you need to divide the gravel into fractions. The larger material is laid first and compacted by hand.

Then smaller material is backfilled, which is also compacted.

The final top layer should consist of the finest material, which must be carefully leveled and re-compacted.

Thanks to this, the finished base will have increased strength. If you perform a similar manual tamping of sand, the effect will be even better.

Features of sand compaction

Tamping sand with your own hands has some nuances that should be taken into account when creating a solid foundation for a concrete slab.

First of all, you should decide on the type of sand that is best suited for these purposes. It is better to use gravelly material, but it is not recommended to use fine sand for compaction. The larger the grains, the greater the compression resistance of the base, which will help avoid shrinkage of the future house or parking area.

If you are planning to build a monolithic structure, then it is best to give preference to river or quarry sand of the middle fraction. However, even in this case, the underlying layer will be influenced by groundwater. Therefore, in order to prevent the process of erosion of the base, it is necessary to lay geotextiles at the bottom of the trench, and only after that add sand.

In addition, before adding sand, it must be sifted, since the presence of foreign impurities (especially clay) can affect its properties. Monitor the moisture level of the material; the ideal consistency will be if you can roll the sand into a small ball that will not crumble immediately. Accordingly, the sand moisture level should be in the range of 8-14%.

Accordingly, 50% of the successful laying of a gravel-sand cushion depends on the material itself, the remaining 50% comes from the equipment. As mentioned earlier, specialized machines can be used for these purposes, but it is much cheaper to make a manual rammer yourself.

Making a manual tamper

There are many options for making a rammer with your own hands. Some people make massive structures entirely made of iron, but in this case welding will be required. Others prefer to make do with improvised materials. Let's consider the best option for manufacturing a manual tamper for compacting soil, sand and gravel.

To do this, you will need a standard square beam of 100 - 150 mm. It should not be rotten or flaking.

Healthy! Some use round logs, but with the help of such compactors it is impossible to fully compact the base in the corners.

You will also need to prepare:

A steel plate with a thickness of at least 2 mm.
A round stick about 450 mm long (it will serve as the handle of the future tamper). To do this, you can use an unnecessary shovel handle.
Screws and wood glue.

Making blanks

We will prepare the structure according to the drawing shown below.

After preparing everything you need, saw off the ends of the timber at a right, even angle, according to the dimensions. After this, it is necessary to use a plane to level the plane of the lower end of the block and remove chamfers of about 5 mm from the edges of the workpiece.

To avoid getting numerous splinters during the work, it is recommended to sand and polish the surface of the block.

Making a “shoe”

The next stage of creating a tamping tool with your own hands is making a metal “shoe” from a sheet of steel. To cut the plate we use the following template.

Or, you can simply install the beam with its lower end on a sheet of metal and trace it with a pencil.

After this you need:

Cut the workpiece, as in the picture, using special metal scissors or using a grinder.
Remove metal burrs from the shoe. To do this, it is most convenient to clamp the workpiece in a vice and remove the excess with a file.
Without removing the “shoe” from the vice, drill holes for the screws at the previously marked points.
Clean the surface with sandpaper.
Bend the “wings” of the workpiece and install the beam into the “shoe”. If the workpiece is a little wider, you need to knock out the “wings” with a hammer.
Place the drill bit into the screw holes and drill through the wood at a slight angle.
Secure the screws on all sides.

Installing the handle

Having retreated 100 mm from the upper edge of the block, it is necessary to mark the center of the future handle. To do this, you must first measure the diameter of the shovel handle. Let's say it is 36 mm.

To prevent the handle from dangling, you need to use a drill whose diameter will be several mm smaller than the diameter of the handle.

It should be taken into account that the outer part of the hole in the bar will be slightly larger than the internal diameter, so during the work process it is necessary to periodically insert the handle into the bar and check how tightly it fits.

If the handle does not fit into the hole, you should never try to hammer it in with a hammer. Otherwise, the timber may crack and making a rammer for earth, sand and gravel with your own hands will have to start all over again. It is much easier to slightly plan the cutting to the required diameter.

After the hole is ready, you need to apply glue to its walls and install the handle. Excess adhesive can be removed with a rag. In order for the handle to hold tightly, you need to fix it with a long screw, which must be screwed into one of the sides of the beam.

When the glue gains strength, you can begin to use the tamper. It is best to store a homemade tool in a dry place, or you can pre-paint the workpiece to make it last longer. If necessary, the steel nozzle can be easily replaced with a new one.

In custody

Hand tools can be used to compact sand, gravel or soil. However, it is worth considering that in this case, human muscle strength is used, so using such a tool to compact large areas will be expensive. Such rammers are recommended for use when constructing foundations for small buildings or when arranging garden areas.

Torque transmission

It is recommended to use a soft V-belt drive as a transmission to transmit torque from the engine to the vibration mechanism. It will ensure reliable rotation of the eccentric and protect the motor bearings from the effects of vibration.

It is recommended to use double-belt pulleys. This will give greater grip to the belts and ensure trouble-free operation in the event of a break in one of the belts.

To protect against possible injuries, the belt drive must be covered with a protective cover, and if this cannot be done, then a bumper guard must be installed.

The gear ratio and the required pulley diameters depend on the engine speed and should ensure that the eccentric rotates at a frequency of about 180 rpm. In this case, 3 impacts on the ground will be made every second. If you do not have experience in such calculations, then you will need to contact specialists.

Possibility of reverse movement

When the edge of the treated area is reached, the operator turns off the engine and starts rotating it in the opposite direction. The vibrator eccentric will also become reversible and provide the machine with a return movement.

Final work

After assembling the slab, all metal parts must be primed and painted to protect against corrosion. Securely fasten the supply cable to the control handle to prevent the possibility of running over it. The engine switch must be located on the structure itself to provide an emergency stop during operation.

After this, the vibrating plate made by yourself must be tested. Freshly dug soil is best suited for this. Testing on bulk material will not allow you to test operation at full load.

As you can see, it is quite possible to make a vibration machine yourself. But for this you need to have basic knowledge and experience in plumbing and welding.