Earthmoving projects often involve situations where conventional compaction equipment is difficult to use. Compacting soil in narrow trenches and underneath structures can be particularly challenging, requiring alternative solutions. PMP-Asennus found a solution in the DYNASET HVB Hydraulic Vibra, which enabled soil compaction directly with an excavator bucket.
PMP-Asennus provides a wide range of earthmoving services, including landscaping, drainage system installations, and district heating pipeline excavations. The company’s fleet consists mainly of 5–8-ton excavators.
Installed on the company’s approximately eight-ton Case 85D SR excavator, the DYNASET HVB Hydraulic Vibra proved particularly useful in locations where a conventional vibratory plate compactor could not be used.
PMP-Asennus used the DYNASET HVB Hydraulic Vibra during a drainage renovation project involving three terraced residential buildings. Limited working space made soil compaction particularly challenging. The excavator-mounted HVB Hydraulic Vibra enabled soil compaction directly with the bucket, even underneath storage structures where a conventional plate compactor could not fit. The equipment also made excavating hard clay soil easier and reduced the need to handle separate compaction equipment.
A Challenging Drainage Renovation Required a New Approach
PMP-Asennus used the HVB Hydraulic Vibra during a drainage renovation project involving three terraced residential buildings. The project included replacing the buildings’ foundation drainage and stormwater systems and installing bituminous waterproofing membranes along the foundation walls.
The existing drainage pipes had been installed too high, allowing water to enter the buildings’ basement areas. The renovation required excavations reaching depths of up to four meters in some locations. In addition to the drainage work, soil was replaced to a depth of approximately 80 centimeters throughout the courtyard area.
One of the project’s main challenges involved storage structures attached to the residential buildings. Excavation and backfilling had to be carried out underneath these structures. The storage structures could remain in place because they were supported by load-bearing structural elements and therefore did not need to be demolished. However, working underneath them presented particular challenges for soil compaction.
Compact and Powerful Hydraulic Vibra
The DYNASET HVB Hydraulic Vibra uses the base machine’s hydraulic system to convert hydraulic power into powerful vibration. In excavator installations, the unit is connected to the excavator’s hammer line, with its output connected in parallel to the bucket cylinder’s hydraulic connections. The vibration is generated through short, controlled pulses in the bucket cylinder, causing the bucket to vibrate. This also allows material to be discharged from the bucket more gently than by repeatedly moving the joystick back and forth to shake the bucket.
The compact unit weighs just 13 kilograms (29 lbs), making it easy to install, while vibration can be activated directly from the machine’s joystick button. Depending on the model, the HVB operates at a vibration frequency of 19–30 Hz and is suitable for base machines weighing 0–20 metric tons across the product range.
HVB Hydraulic Vibra Enabled Soil Compaction in Confined Spaces
PMP-Asennus had previously relied on conventional vibratory plate compactors for soil compaction. However, these could not be used during every stage of the drainage renovation, as there was insufficient space underneath the storage structures for separate compaction equipment.
The solution was the DYNASET HVB Hydraulic Vibra. The vibration is transmitted to the bucket through the bucket cylinder, allowing the bucket to be used for soil compaction.
“We were thinking about how to compact the soil when a plate compactor wouldn’t fit underneath the storage structures. We decided to try this solution, and it proved effective already during the work on the first building,” says supervisor Toni Leppäniemi from PMP-Asennus.
On the worksite, the HVB Hydraulic Vibra was used with a sheet pile bucket, particularly for compacting soil underneath the storage structures. It was also used with smaller buckets to compact soil around manholes and inspection chambers.
Thanks to the HVB Hydraulic Vibra, soil compaction could be carried out directly with the excavator, even in locations that were inaccessible to conventional plate compactors.
Excavating and Compacting with the Same Bucket
The DYNASET HVB Hydraulic Vibra increased the excavator’s versatility by allowing the same bucket to be used for both excavation and soil compaction.
Because compaction could be performed directly with the excavator bucket, less time was needed to lift, move, and start separate plate compactors.
“There’s no need to keep lifting and starting a separate plate compactor. You can use the same bucket for digging and compacting the soil around a manhole, for example,” Leppäniemi explains.
The HVB Hydraulic Vibra also proved useful in the challenging ground conditions encountered on the worksite.
“The clay here is hard, and the vibration has helped the bucket penetrate the ground more easily,” Leppäniemi notes.
Improving bucket penetration into hard ground is one of the HVB Hydraulic Vibra’s key applications. The vibration helps the bucket penetrate challenging materials like clay and ice, making the excavator a more versatile machine. Vibration also makes it easier to release sticky soil from the bucket.
Positive Experiences Inspired the Investment
PMP-Asennus’s interest in the HVB Hydraulic Vibra originated from the experiences of other contractors. A colleague had been using a DYNASET HVB Hydraulic Vibra for three years, including for compaction work related to cable installation projects.
These experiences encouraged the company to try the solution with its own equipment.
The HVB Hydraulic Vibra was installed on a 2022 Case 85D SR excavator, which had been in the company’s fleet for approximately one year.
Although the HVB Hydraulic Vibra was still a relatively new addition to PMP-Asennus’s equipment, the initial experiences were very positive. The solution proved particularly effective when compacting soil underneath the storage structures.
Greater Versatility for Earthmoving Operations
PMP-Asennus’s experience demonstrated how the DYNASET HVB Hydraulic Vibra can make earthmoving operations easier in challenging conditions.
HVB Hydraulic Vibra enabled the excavator bucket to be used for soil compaction in confined spaces, such as around manholes and underneath buildings. At the same time, the vibration improved bucket penetration into hard ground and reduced the need for separate compaction equipment during certain work stages.
The applications of the HVB Hydraulic Vibra extend beyond soil compaction. It can also be used for bucket emptying, pile driving, and asphalt cutting.
Ultimately, the greatest benefit of the HVB Hydraulic Vibra on the drainage renovation project was not simply the time saved, but the ability to carry out compaction work in places where a conventional plate compactor could not fit. This made the HVB Hydraulic Vibra a valuable addition to PMP-Asennus’s equipment and provided a practical solution for some of the project’s most challenging tasks.
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