Padfoot vs Smooth Drum Roller: Choosing the Right Compaction Equipment

Padfoot rollers and smooth drum rollers are both compaction rollers, but they compact material differently and suit different stages of a job. Getting the choice wrong can mean soil that never reaches the density an engineer specified, or a finished surface left with ridges through it. This guide compares the two types of compaction rollers to match the machine to the ground, from a clay heavy building pad to an asphalt overlay. Quotor stocks both machine types across most of the sites it services in Australia.