How to get Good Compaction with Small Equipment!

Today we use the harbor freight plate compactor and the Kubota BX 23S Subcompact Tractor to place fill and compact to prepare for a concrete patio. I mixed different types of soil and stone with varying moisture content to get good compaction.
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OUR EQUIPMENT LIST
Kubota KX-057-4 Excavator
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Woodmizer LX 150 Sawmill
We live in Western Pa. and Have around 100 Acres of Land, About 1/2 is ours the rest is my moms, We have 4 kids and one grandchild, 3 Golden Retrievers and one Cat. We enjoy working on our property and making improvements. We sell firewood and soon will be selling hardwood lumber.

[@DanPonjican]

My 8 year old son just came in the room and saw what I was watching and said, "You're watching Gravel Mike again?!" LOL

[@rnrudynh1427]

Gravel Mike....hahaha that's awesome. My boy used to call him "the saw guy".

[@orgeirjonsson3014]

Mike the weekend warrior ;)

[@johnking8679]

Mike's always promoting and using #2 gravel for most of his projects !! Must be good stuff !!

[@marclauzon1882]

Love the way grandma and grandpa are teaching the grandson about everything . Hands on involvement is wonderful to watch .

[@stevencjones5236]

That plate compactor fits Melissa's hands really well! Anticipation building to the concrete pour!!! GO! GO!! GO!!!!!

[@S_and_S_Farms]

I’m ready to see some concrete getting poured. 😎👍

[@johnking8679]

Me too, Mike !!

[@johnking8679]

Yuuup !! When are you going to pour concrete, Mike ? That's gonna be a BIG job, buddy !!

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Good morning Mike, Melissa and Ty !! Got that area packed in and looking good, You did a great job with the compactor Melissa, like everything else, takes more practice and you’ll enjoy it more. Ty sure was patient watching you two working. Thanks for sharing with us, Fred.👏🏻👏🏻👋👋🙏🏻🙏🏻👍👍

[@garylanier5210]

Ty the tractor guy! He'll be running it before you know it!

[@rcote1234]

Nice work team. You’ve got some sweat equity invested in that building. It’s gonna be awesome.

[@jerryhetland2682]

You guys are motivators! Watching the both of you work encourages me to do more! Work and accomplishment gives us value in life.

[@stuartpulvermacher6861]

I can tell that Archie really loves that little boy that is so cool

[@billk8780]

Love how Archie is patrolling the gravel for hidden sticks!

[@thomasyerbey337]

Love the videos with you both working together Mike and Melissa 🇺🇲

[@dmorgan28]

It’s looking really good. It won’t be long before you’ll be pouring concrete. That will be neat. Great video. 👍👍👍❤️

[@russellbowman8051]

Looking Great! Good Job Mike!! Your Exactly Right Mike Concrete and Asphalt is Only as Good As The underlying Base , They Don't Hold Up Alone. Must Have a Good Base Working Together With Either Concrete or Asphalt !! 👍👊

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Great job. You are definitely doing things the right way

[@mmanut]

Plenty of room inside the building for an indoor target range. YES SIR‼️‼️. Vinny 🇺🇸

[@brianhina]

Mike and Melissa, You might want to consider running the radiant heater in the porch slab. You could set it for 32 degrees and keep snow and ice off it. I wish I had done that to mine.

[@MuhaloTube]

It's under a roof. Don't know that snow and ice will really accumulate there.

[@johnking8679]

@@MuhaloTube Good point !!

[@josephatkins6581]

Funny choice of words. The way he tickles that bucket

[@williamingle1684]

Another excellent vid! Mrs. M, remember if it was easy anybody could do it! Looking foward to your next vid's!

[@billco-9801]

Mike…you broke the golden rule of MEN. You told Melissa she was right. lol I actually wish my wife would help me half as much as Melissa helps you. You got a keeper!

[@Tomrryaniv]

I love my compactor. I recently used it to pack the base material for my new LX-150 mill.

[@keithwoznek3429]

Mike, great job as usual. Ty was a very good supervisor but I’m sad to see Hunter dismissed from his duties. Don’t let Ty into the laundry room! Hunter is master of the laundry domain. Melissa is becoming an expert on vibratory compaction.

[@marvindiamonjr.9631]

I really enjoy your videos. They help me tremendously with managing and modifying the forty acres that I live on. I've lost count of the times you've saved me from making mistakes and learning the hard way! Thanks again for putting out such an entertaining and informative series.

[@triroo107]

Ty on the tractor, the life long romance beings 👍

[@StratOvation]

Yep, you can tell ol' Mike is a pro "Bucket Jiggler" from way back! Not someone that would fall within my definition of "Petite" and yet he wasn't even leaving a heel mark after one pass with that plate tamper! Pretty amazing how well it compacted that 2b in one pass.

[@duncanraeside3290]

That grandson loves to watch Gramp run the equipment, he’s a cute one

[@markshechter8473]

Looking good. Almost ready for Concrete

[@franksalyards7663]

Everything starting to shape up specially with Ty on job that little bit of moisture in the shale and gravel will pack tight and help keep concrete from cracking

[@mikemcguire8351]

Good to see Ty. Mike, I see you and have one thing in common, we always get the last word when having a discussionment with our wife's...."You're right honey". Lol. Have a great day.

[@johnking8679]

Ha, Ha !!

[@richarddonovan8373]

Mike you do allsome work around your property and I love how you teach your wife how use a equipment and for your retaining walls use limestone blocks and how is hunter doing today

[@OutdoorsWithTheMorgans]

Hunter is good, thanks for asking

[@007twm]

It's nice to see Supervisor Ty on the job. Keep up the good work.

[@holymoly6829]

Very enjoyable progress of your project The land plane is my favourite its brilliant how it just does the job Can’t get over ty he’s just a fabulous little guy He loves you two so much

[@lhr1701]

So glad to see the progress . Please wrap the building with plastic before you pour the concrete . It may save you a lot of clean up . I'm looking forward for more videos . Keep up the good work .

[@rogertallentire2961]

Words of wisdom “ You were right Melissa “ Guys, follow this lead from Mike and have a long happy life.

[@robertdean9392]

Looking.good. Melissa, you did a great job with the compactor!! You are very correct.woth it operates so much easier on flat ground. Mike , you are doing a great job preparing base for concrete pour. Y'all be safe and have a good one.

[@johncollins500]

Good morning M & M from sunny S. E. Ohio. Watching you guys run plate compactor brings back memories. Have ran one a lot yrs ago. You guys are a great team working together. Hello Hunter!!! Have a great rest of the day.

[@rnrudynh1427]

Between 80-100 bucks a day to rent one up here in central NH. Def. Smart purchase for the amount out work you need to get done.

[@saintaugustine1715]

Melissa now that you had your first experience when it was hard to do this second time was breeze specially with even ground it made it even easier for you to appreciate it better cool little machine Mike you are right about what for concrete if you don't have a good foundation your concrete will crack and even sink at different places have a day you guys keep the good work

[@merlewarnsholz2094]

Mike & Melissa - Another winner! Great work on getting the area close to the building for the concrete. Great to see Mr. Ty out there helping. Won't be long before he wants to operate the equipment for real. Blessings to you both, and to your family. Hi to Mr. Hunter, Ms. Hannah, and Ms. Eva.

[@CairnCreek]

You guys gotta be the hardest working KZbin family on the platform. Surely there’s an award for this. Change my mind!

[@pkell7315]

Lmmfao ! 😆

[@CairnCreek]

@John Apostoli actually I did, I’m only a few hours away.

[@jonathanrighetti5897]

oh I know this answer, its starts with the right fill, small lifts, and patience. now if I could only do this last part in my own life hahahaha

[@badcat4707]

Good morning Hunter ;-) and family and friends ;-)

[@HallnoutMhall]

Good morning friend

[@marcuswhite3628]

Good morning BadCat!

[@badcat4707]

@@HallnoutMhall / G'morning friend ;-)

[@badcat4707]

@@marcuswhite3628 / Good morning Marcus ;-)

[@daveg1747]

Looking good 😌

[@botabob]

Ty will be backing trailers like a pro any day now. - have a great day friends

[@madsciencegary3830]

Never too young to train your grandkid for the tractor. My grandbaby is 8 months; I have her push and pull on my thumb with her right hand while I'm holding her, and then I move her up/down and tilt when she moves my control thumb. She doesn't know she's learning the tractor, but she loves it :)

[@philstocks7859]

Mike is more than pretty good at spreading rock and soil with a loader bucket. He's an expert!!! Years and years of experience. Wish I could do half as good as he does.

[@michaelmclarry1409]

The Handel needs to be longer on that compactor!

[@bpmunroe]

No kidding. Sore back waiting to happen

[@HomesteadEngineering]

Looking good!

[@allenjackson1371]

Yes I wish I was half as good as Mike on the equipment. It amazes me how much you all get done with Mike working a full time job and nothing is rushed it is done right. Mellisa you look fantastic in a cap and you are one heck of a camera operator. You are getting shots that others would say heck no but then again you trust Mike. Really enjoy your videos and as always wish they were longer. God Bless you all and your familys be safe and stay heathy!

[@boedacres]

I have one of those compactors and recommend you make the handle longer Its a lot easier to use.The bending over walking and pulling on that thing is hard on the back

[@stewartgopsill9363]

Nice job Mike keep up the good work

[@joelink7665]

You are a fortunate man....you have a partner whoknkows how to work and is not afraid to do so

[@wesodegaard1434]

I’m thinking Melissa’s not thinking the $650 for the compactor was that “great” of a spend!😂!!! Looking great guys!

[@dennyb3761]

Melissa would rather have a new oven, I'm fairly sure...

[@jamesoneil7768]

Ya she nailed him on it, and then smiled the rest of the way through the video

[@noremac510]

Friends, Let’s get together and excuse Melissa from having to write “thank you" notes for all of the license plates. She’s got plenty to do being the Mother of the Bride and all the details that go with it. I hate to think of her staying up to the wee hours trying to say thanks in hundreds of different ways. This should not cause such a huge project for her. We have been thanked multiple times on both Mike's and Melissa’s channels. If you agree, please make a comment to Mike or Melissa on either of their channels. Thanks.

[@johnking8679]

I agree - there's no need to reply to each and every one of those plates !! Just thank everyone on this website !! That'll be good enough, I think !!

[@AcmeCountryAcres]

I agree....they’ve thanked us numerous times already!

[@phinney4398]

Good morning once again Mike and Melissa hope your having a great day God Bless from Joel in Pilot Knob,Mo

[@waynegallaher3929]

Good job

[@larrykluckoutdoors8227]

Good thing you have that young Boss man watching sure that you do it right.

[@er1073]

TY is large and in charge. Hello Hunter. Thank you for sharing your video with us. Ed

[@kwantao69]

That plate compactor might be your best purchase in quite a while, doing a great job on the patio

[@TheDealDepot]

Goodmorning everyone!

[@1944chevytruck]

Melissa the Compac Lady!...looking good you 2!... thanks 4 video. be kind.

[@mikeelwood8626]

Great progress! Smart to agree with Melissa… you’re a bright guy, Mike! Not surprised! In a lot of ventures, it’s all about the foundation, isn’t it?

[@johnwarkentinnikiskialaska8364]

You guys are doing fantastic job on your place 👍

[@jamesmoore768]

I’ve already watched it! I loved it! Way to go Melissa! 👍🙏❤️🇺🇸

[@michaelmilbrandt1051]

I know how to complete tasks without to much work . We'll git 'er done ! Really , the leaf blower face mask relief was a neat idea and you have lots of time saving processes . Being a union boss has served you well Mike .

[@HeavyIronAcres]

I agree that it's a good purchase. Paid for itself long ago and doesn't owe you anything. Good job

[@smoke09able]

Mike you operate the bucket like a salt shaker! Very impressive!

[@ed2245]

I see Grandpa has a little helper working hard.

[@matthewsims359]

Loving these videos. Stay well, stay safe and yall HAVE A DAY

[@lewissmith3616]

Mike you could get Melissa one of the wacky packers (stand up jumper packers) and she will be glad to go back to the lawn mower packer. This isn’t a complain is just having fun. Melissa we love you.

[@GriffithsFfestiniog]

Great supervision Ty you have got those worker bees operating just right!

[@johnking8679]

Handled like a real pro, Mike !! I think you've done this before !! Ha !!

[@michaelmaker8169]

Starting to shape up pretty good..

[@joyfilters]

Melissa your last video was outstanding! I really enjoyed that one.

[@wildbill23c]

Just spoke with my local Kubota dealer about purchasing a BX, he said I'll be waiting till mid to late August, hmm. Well dang. Oh well, I'll be ordering one next month, a BX2680 with the loader, skidsteer coupler, pallet forks, 60" mower deck, box blade, and roto-tiller, his rough estimate was $24k. Hope that's kind of in a good ballpark range. We shall see how things play out in the next few months, hopefully I can get it before winter so I have time to learn how to use the thing before winter sets in. I'm going to see how things go, and possibly pickup a front blade for it for plowing snow, or possibly picking up the front snow blower, who knows may end up with both, you can never have too many toys. I only have an acre, and eventually plan on finishing the floor in my shop so the BX would be a great fit to get in and out of the shop if needed. I'll have to move my table saw, and other tools around in there when I do the flooring, so the pallet forks will get used a lot, and probably for more than I think.

[@Greezbhal]

I rented a plate compactor last weekend for a small concrete pad we’re putting in. It was $45 for half day. Not bad if you’re using it once. It worked great, great enough for me to order one of my own.

[@evankibbe590]

Coming along nice 😊👍🌎🌞

[@nancyguth]

I know you will but when you pour your concrete be sure and put plastic up to protect the walls from splatters!

[@marcuswhite3628]

Love it! That little guy is growing up!!! The first shots of him made me question how old he is... Loving Melissa’s comment about the compactor at the end also 😂. Thank you for the video❣️ Marcus from Chesapeake VA.

[@TheBartmobile]

I bought the HF plate compactor for my retaining wall project because (like u said), a rental was around $75/day. Duh! Lol. I then sold it after the project was complete for $400. Again, like you said... “money well spent,” and it worked great and ran great.

[@constitutionislawofthislan6169]

Are you going to do the stone work around the column's, I think that would complete the area well. That stone look you went for there just looks so damn good.

[@budlite8207]

So true...Concrete, or road asphalt for that matter, is only as good as the base it was built on.

[@oldtireman4665]

Heat’s in the tools, Melissa. Heat’s in the tools.

[@user-vd1oc9zj4n]

Hey Mike, hi from New South Wales, Australia. Do you have a video where you go through how to set up and use the box blade to do such a fantastic job of levelling out that fill? You make it look so easy. I was trying to see the angles you use when pushing the fill out.

[@larryiowatexasrooster9317]

👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🗽🙏🏻 Enjoyed! Better get Ty up on your lap, on the tractor, and let him have a drive!

[@2BearsOutdoors]

Y'all never stop! Loll.. Great video as always. Blessings

[@donleach306]

Well the wedding is just around the corner and I know every mom and dad want to make their daughters day as perfect as possible. This is just called LOVE,

[@tommyordoyne7461]

Love the Title/Subtitle at the end.😁 Have a productive day.

[@TheChief3102]

Love seeing Supervisor Ty on the job! You know Mike is on his toes then!😂

[@davidbishop4015]

Melissa those compactors are for level ground. Don't let Mike tell you any different. LOL. I use to use one to hot patch service holes at H2O co and that was always flat. There also a bear to lift like your showed in your video. Keep up the good work you two.

[@davidmorse8432]

You are right about that. Mike should have kept the backfill layers level when backfilling the tank. That's why Melissa was having a rough time controlling the plate compactor. Backfill the lower areas first and bring them up with lifts that are level as much as possible. Actually a, "Jumping Jack" compactor would have been a better choice to compact the fill around the tank. But Mike was trying to justify his plate compactor purchase.

[@Z-Bart]

Was on a construction site one time and this fellow picked up one of those jumping jack whacker packers, threw it on his shoulder and off he went. Animal mode!

[@michaelmcdonald6727]

Mike, the nice thing about that compactor is if the engine goes bad you can just buy a new motor at harbor freight. I have some contractor friends that wear out a motor every year.

[@davidtobias1665]

Mike, you're smart, why don't you fix up a set of removable wheels for your compactor, so you can move it around like a hand cart.

[@jaykaydee5772]

Looking at the trees in the distance over the cistern tank surrounded by fill dirt gives better depth perception of the elevation Mike had to raise.

[@philsales342]

Melissa, Gettin' er done!

[@ericbiue1384]

There's Mike's stunt double again with the plate compactor good job stunt double !!!

[@erikk5992]

Yes Melissa is right you better listen

[@kb5cvo]

We have been dealing with the rain we had about 5 inches last week and it’s been raining the last two days and it supposed to rain again tonight and tomorrow yard flooded as usual in Louisiana. Melisa would have really had fun with a jumping jack compactor around the tank

[@martineastburn3679]

We use builders sand. It is a mixture of clay and sand and it is compacted into rock like and then you pick out the runs for pipes and beams then set up the outside forms and call cement trucks. I put 95 cement trucks into this foundation. On top of 105 semi loads of Sand/clay mix for bulldozer and compactor. Foundation first then house. Maybe up north you need to thaw out the ground first :-) Just teasing.

[@traviscover590]

I like your new video today you did a really good jop this is look nice this was cool video today love your video

[@traviscover590]

Good night too you guys

[@rphiliprogers]

I'm surprised Mike didn't burry some conduit for power to the pool pump when it finally arrives.

[@donleach306]

Oh-oh! Not to late

[@donbowersock9564]

All coming together, starting to look like finished project.