A Simple Guide to Operating a Road Roller

How do you operate a road roller?

How does a road roller work? The road roller works by using a compaction system with a vibratory function. It can use a hydraulic or electric drive, depending on the model you use. Most vibratory rollers have a circular vibrator installed within the smooth wheeled drums.

The fast rotation of the road roller combined with the vibrations create a compacting force that can compact soil, landfill, asphalt and more. The static weight of the drums is already a force on their own and adding a circular vibrator in the drums makes it more efficient to use. Now that you've looked at how a road roller works, how do you operate one? Follow this simple guide to learn how to effectively and safely operate your road roller.

Wear All Your Safety Gear

As an operator, your contractor should provide you with training and safety gear. Even if you're driving a simple vehicle, it's always best to wear the proper gear so you can be safe at all times. You can't just wear any clothes you want. You must adhere to the standards of the construction site, not only for uniformity but also for your safety. Make sure that you're always wearing your helmet, safety goggles, and other protective gear when operating any equipment.

Inspect Your Road Roller

Before using your road roller, give it a thorough inspection. Check if you need to do any repairs or cleaning. Are there any leaks? Are the gauges working? Taking your time to inspect your heavy equipment can prevent accidents in the future. It can also help you with repairs in case of an emergency. Check to see if everything is operational. If you find that the critical parts of your road roller aren't functioning properly, report this to your supervisor immediately.

Turn On Your Ignition

Turn on your ignition. Don't disengage the lock yet as you still need to take some precautions. Like the previous step, you must inspect if parts of your road roller are functioning properly. Before you start rolling over your material, check the notes and preferences stated by the civil engineer on the project. It's also good to know the limitations of the machine so you can determine how many passes you need to do on the material you're compacting.

Depending on your road roller, the frequency of your vibration may have different and separate settings. Make sure that you're using the right one. If someone else previously used your roller, be sure to flip it back to your desired settings before you get started. The last thing you would want is to use the wrong settings and end up with an entirely different result.

You can control all these functions with the control panel on your road roller. These can be selected by using the operating lever. The control panel electrically acts on the hydraulic valves controlling the servo switch of your road roller. This proceeds to operate the hydraulic pumps that drive the propulsion motors of the road roller.

Control Your Gear Lever and Steering Wheel

Your operating lever should be equipped with a handle that can move from a deflected position and a neutral position. You can easily operate your gear lever by simply selecting the forward and reverse switch that's integrated into the handle of the operating lever. The acceleration of the road roller is directly related to the position of the operating lever. The more deflected it is, forward or backward, this can determine the speed of the roller itself. It's very easy to use because you only need to push the lever forward or backward depending on the direction you're planning to go.

The functions of the road roller are located at the control panel. Here, you can see the settings of the frequency. The vibratory function can be turned on from the control panel if it's not on the operating lever already. When you're turning on the vibratory function, don't double click the button. It can take a while before you can feel the vibratory function but you can easily distinguish this once you feel the entire roller moving with much force.

Key Takeaway

Operating a road roller, like any standard construction equipment, requires a lot of attention, no matter how simple it is. This is for your safety and the safety of other people around you. Before you get started on using your road roller, make sure you have all your protective gear on and inspect your road roller before starting it up. After that, it should be smooth sailing. If you're still unsure of how to operate your roller, you can always consult the manual for your specific model.