In article ,
"SteveB" wrote:

I need to do quite a lot of pavers. I am going to make a roller out of some
very thick pipe, about eight inches in diameter. I have seen mechanical
compactors used a lot in my area.

I want this base for pavers not to settle, but I don't want to rent a
jumping jack for $85 a day for very many days. I'd find and buy a used one
first.

I was just wondering if they were that necessary for paver substructure, or
if hand tamping with a short piece of 2 x 12 on the end of a 4 x 4 and going
over it with a roller would be sufficient.

Our soil is sandy, just like beach sand, with quite a bit of volcanic rock
and lava pieces in it.

Mechanical compactors are used primarily for tamping soil that has been
removed then recently replaced. If the area you are paving does not
have any recent fill, compaction is probably not necessary as most soil
types, given sufficient time, will settle (compact) on their own.

If you are adding fill (soil or sand), but not a lot as if just to
achieve "level", hand compacting is probably sufficient.
--

JR