Roller & Compaction Hire Rates Guide

*Last updated March 2020

This article discusses the hire rates you can expect to pay across 5 types of civil construction rollers, including padfoot rollers, smooth drum rollers, vibrating rollers, 3 point rollers and multi-tyred rollers. We're not talking about compactors though, which are actually a different machine (found here), but sometimes when people use the term 'compactors' when they actually mean rollers. Rollers are used to compact many different materials, but 'compactors are only used to compact soil and soft materials.

There are a number of 'compaction specialists' in Australia, like Conplant for example. Otherwise, many traditional earthmoving companies have a roller or two in their fleet. Compaction, especially as it relates to the application of asphalt, is serious business. And when done in very unique applications (such as airport runways) rollers can need to be utilised in a particularly precise manner.

However, below we will discuss the roller hire rates across a more common group of rollers, by size, then by wet and dry hire variants. These rates are based on averages from rates supplied by suppliers on iSeekplant. If you would like to request rates from our listed suppliers near your job, click here.

What are typical padfoot roller hire rates

Padfoot roller rates do fluctuate across Australia quite substantially as they aren't a tremendously expensive machine to buy outright, so most operators like to keep them moving and utilised as they have relatively good profitability overall. If a plant hire company has one in the yard, they usually prefer to get it out the door at any rate where they aren't going backwards. They are a common machine though, so it can be competitive out there and operators are forced to meet the market.

Need to hire a patfoot roller? Get free competitive quotes through iSeekplant!

What are typical smooth drum roller hire rates?

Small smooth drum rollers (sometimes called double-drum rollers) are pretty easy to find in most dry hire fleets, the bigger companies like Coates and Kennards stock them in plentiful supply. Some of the smaller rollers are called 'pedestrian rollers' and you don't need a ticket to operate them! Larger smooth drum rollers are not necessarily difficult machines to operate, but they do require a ticketed operator.

What are typical vibrating roller hire rates?

Vibratory rollers, or vibrating rollers are used in the application of asphalt to certain densities using two, smooth steel drums that vibrate to consolidate the material. You can hire specific vibrating rollers, or some smooth drum rollers have a sort of 'vibrating' attachment to add a little extra juice to the compacting action. Some have sophisticated sensing technology that continuously measure density and automatically adjust the machines intensity to make sure that compaction of the asphalt isn't over-cooked. Using GPS and some of the OEM's proprietary software some rollers can capture data from on-board computers about material density and relay that through centralised site tracking software.

Need to hire a vibratory roller? Get free competitive quotes through iSeekplant!

What are typical multi-tyred roller hire rates?

 
Multi-tyred rollers, sometimes called pneumatic rollers have oscillating wheels (usually 4) that are best applied to the application of sub-grade soil, granular material or cold mix to create additional density and find weak areas so they can be repaired before paving or applying asphalt. Most of the main compaction OEM's, like Caterpillar, Ammann & Dynapac, make mult-tyred rollers with compaction width ranging from 1.5m to 2.5m.

Need to hire a multi-tyred roller? Get free competitive quotes through iSeekplant!

What are typical three point roller hire rates?

Three point rollers, sometimes called static three point rollers, usually come in a few sizes from 10-15 tonnes. Static three point rollers are predominately used for proof rolling and thin granular/semi cohesive soil compaction. These units are also well suited for compaction in built up areas. They aren't super common and are usually only found in the fleets of the compaction specialist plant hire companies.

Need to three point roller? Get free competitive quotes through iSeekplant!

What is compaction?

Compaction refers to the intense exertion of force onto a surface so that it becomes more dense. In the construction industry, compaction typically refers to surfaces being compressed to increase soil density and remove air, usually through a machine. This process is intended to improve the strength and stiffness of the soil. 

How to get the best Roller hire rates

iSeekplant specialises in getting quotes for people looking for construction gear. Click here to use iSeekplant's Get Rates tool and we will get you the best quote for your job, completely free of charge!

Learn more about what you should be paying from our comprehensive machine hire rates guide.