This is part of the Do It Yourself Build a Shed series. In this video, I unbox, assemble, and demonstrate the Bilt Hard Plate Compactor. This plate compactor is ready to go with little assembly, engine oil, and gas. I bought this so I could compact the clean gravel. This area is the site of our 12-foot by 16-foot shed and the gravel will be used as the bed for the shed to sit on.
Buy versus Rent
You have to decide if you can rent the equipment for one day or the weekend. The equipment rental company near me is Y-BY, which is a fantastic company. I have used them on past projects. My most recent one was where I rented a trencher for burying corrugated pipe to drain water to a lower area of my yard. A trencher is very expensive to buy so renting was my only option aside from hand digging. On our first property, I hand-dug a French drain around the entire perimeter of our home and crawl space. I was in great shape and I am not shy of hard work. But, I needed to get this project done quickly so renting the trencher was the best option.
Regarding the plate compactor, it appears that it is around $120 as of the date of this article to rent for the weekend. I want to share my mindset with you as you may think similarly. Because I am not fully organized with my DIY projects, I may use the plate compactor for 30 minutes one day and need it another a week from now. So, I need to own one if it is possible. If a plate compactor is ridiculously expensive, then I’ll need to be more careful in my planning. But, in my opinion, this plate compactor is not overly expensive so I decided to purchase it. I have plans to do some concrete work and this plate compactor will certainly come in handy.
Bilt Hard Plate Compactor Assembly
Be very careful as the compactor is very heavy. I was able to move it myself but I used my lawn tractor to move it a significant distance. There are certainly any number of ways to unbox it. I chose to unbox it on top of a pallet I picked up from the side of the road. I cut open the box and the sides, which let me extract the compactor easily. Considering how heavy this compactor is it was packed accordingly and I thought they did a great job. The box was very strong and lined with plywood, which gave it added durability for shipping. Please note that many reviews indicate missing parts. I too, was missing a part but it was a metric nut, which is something I have plenty of on hand. So, when I get around to it I will find it and install it.
You can follow my video but please follow the assembly instructions included in the box. The handle was the first thing to attach, which was relatively easy followed by the collapsible wheels. Lastly, was the throttle strap, which as I mentioned already was missing a nut.
The compactor box contained the following parts:
- Plate Compactor
- Installation Guide
- Warning tag, which read something like Engine Oil Required
- Plate Compactor Handle
- (2) washers
- (2) bolts
- (2) flanged nylon lock nuts
- Plate Compactor Wheels
- (2) washers
- (2) bolts
- (2) nylon lock nuts
- Throttle, Throttle Cable, and Strap
- attached to the plate compactor
- (1) bolt
- (1) nut (Note: This was missing from my box)
Products Used in this Video
The following products and materials (or similar) were used in this video:
- Bilt Hard Plate Compactor 2500-Pound 6.5HP Gasoline Engine: https://amzn.to/433kZXc
- DeWalt Metric Mechanic Tool Set DWMT73804: https://amzn.to/421CvcZ
- DeWalt Metric Wrench Set MWMT19237: https://amzn.to/3Mpjiw5
- Sceptre 5 Gallon gas can FSCG552 or equivalent with fresh gas: https://amzn.to/4308w6u
- Mr. Funnel AF3CB Fuel Filter Funnel: https://amzn.to/3WuvIat
- 10W-30 Engine Oil: https://amzn.to/43ikIPQ
- FloTool 10714MX3 Super Funnel Trio: https://amzn.to/431k6Oz
Testing
Once the compactor was assembled, I filled it up with oil using my FloTool super funnel. What I didn’t show in the video was how long it took to fill it up. It was a lengthy process as I didn’t want to overfill it. Then I used my Mr. Funnel fuel filter and added some gas through it to the compactor gas tank.
Purpose of the Plate Compactor
The biggest problem with building on the ground is you may have loose soil or gravel. It is best to dig out at least four inches of soil and compact it. Depending upon your area you may need to do more preparation. Consult your local licensed contractor for more information on what can be done to prepare the ground for the building.
What’s Next
You’ll be seeing the Bilt Hard Plate Compactor used in my future videos.
Other Titles
This video and variations of this video can be found under the titles listed below:
- We need to store our china in smaller boxes so I bought a PLATE COMPACTOR on Turtle Social
- We have a new article with the assembly and demonstration of a new Bilt Hard plate compactor on Turtle Social
- An affordable compactor for rapid DIY ground compacting on YouTube
Do It Yourself Build a Shed Series
To learn more about this series check out the DIY Build a Shed Series here.
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