hydraulic tamper (pogo stick)

radman · Sep 8, 2001

I'm soon starting to build a pole barn (45X72') and many of the footings require 20-22" footings. I plan to use a 24" auger bit and fill with cement for the footing pads. To speed up the process of filling the holes around the post, I want to rent a hydraulic tamper (heard some people call them pogo sticks). Has anyone tried one of these and do they work well. Do they run off tractor hydraulics or something else? Thanks for any advice.

TWINKLE_TOES · Sep 8, 2001

Radman,

I rented one once. The rental yard called it a "Jumping Jack". It had a gas powered pump and weighed about 150 lbs. You started it up, pulled the trigger and hung on. It worked very well, the base was about 8-9 inches square and really wasn't that hard to operate. It was heavy to move around. I used it to pack the first couple of feet of dirt over and around culverts. The soil was clay dust and I was amazed how well it packed.

Al

Anonymous Poster · Sep 8, 2001

The pogp stick and "jumping Jack" are two completely different tools and used for different aspects of tamping.. The pogp stick is what utility companys (as well as others) use to tamp around poles. There could be one that is operated by a portable hydralic pump but the one I have is operated from a large air compressor (120 cfm). I do also have the jumping jack and where as the other post used it around culverts, the pogo would have been a somewhat better bet. The head on the pogp will be about a 6 - 7" diameter. JJW

JRP · Sep 9, 2001

We have a contractor that maintains the fence on the ranch. He uses a hydraulic tamper that connects to the hydraulic outlet on his bobcat skid steer. Don't know the brand, but it works very well. It looks to weigh about 35-45 pounds and his men can easily handle it.

You might check with a Bobcat dealer, or call a major manufacturer of post hole diggers.

jrpoux

Charlie_Iliff · Sep 9, 2001

http://www.fairmont.textron.com
has a catalog that you can view w/ acrobat or download. One that looks interesting is only 25 lb. handheld, that hooks to tractor hydraulics.

Charlie Iliff