I'm building an Allan Block retaining wall and I'm trying to follow the
manufacturers directions as closely as I can. It's going to replace a
30 year old railroad tie wall that was secured by rebar driven 6 feet
into the ground. I have removed the old wall and have the block and
gravel on site. But I have never used a plate compactor. I had dug the
old wall back just enough to allow me to backfill with 12 inches of
gravel and then compact it. I see now that any plate compactor I can
rent will need more than 12 inches to operate. I'm leaning towards
digging back a few more inches, renting a reversible plate compactor,
and seeing how that goes. But it has also been suggested that I might
get away with using a jumping jack for compaction - much lighter to move
up on each 8 inch course and also narrower. But the description of how
the thing jumps around is putting me off. Any thoughts from anyone who
has used either device would be appreciated!