Whacker plate - Any good?

[Mikey_C]

Gents,
Can I canvass your professional (and DIY) opinions? I am wondering if the plate on the following link might be worth buying as alternative, to trying to tie up my availability, the hiring of a plate and some decent weather. I am planning on a depth of 150mm of type 1 but am quite happy to do it at two sections if it means I can use this plate, which I can then sell on later?

http://www.evolutionpowertools.co.uk/uk/evolution_hulk.html#

Cheers,

Mike

[Ted]

I am not sure! Never heard of them but that is quite cheap so I am suspect.

My plate cost £240 off ebay and is still worth £240, in fact I got offered £300 for it the other day.

It is made by Ammann and cost at least several grand new. Unfortunately it is rather heavy but it is very good.

I always buy a quality plant second hand as a cheap stuff just devalues and then breaks.

[Tony McC]

It's rated at 10kN, which means it's only suitable for compacting blocks and is nowhere near beefy enough for sub-base construction. The BS requires plates to have a compaction force of at least 60kN for Cat IV pavements (drives, patios, footways)

[Mikey_C]

Thanks gents, I was a little suspicious that due to price and the fact it didn’t mention compaction of hardcore that it may not be up to the job, I was just hoping I may have stumbled across a bargain :p Back to looking on ebay.

[Dave_L]

Ebay Bomag Plate

Would take a brave buyer, doesn't look well loved!

[Ted]

He's going to lose out on the postage only charging £5.

[Mikey_C]

that's the trouble! this is usual tosh that comes up on ebay, bits missing, seen better days, miles from home! May just bite the bullet and hire a two drum sit on roller for a week bound to get one or two days good and thats all I should need with it!

[Dave_L]

He's going to lose out on the postage only charging £5.

I think it says "please ignore the postage charges" somewhere on the advert.

Either way, one to steer clear of in my opinion.

[Ted]

You have to be careful on Ebay.

People buy cars and stuff on there for thousands of pounds without even looking at them.

The seller is under no obligation to explain any problems with the product, they simply must not lie in the advert.

It is Caveat Emptor or "buyer beware".

I know a guy who bought a van where it said the gasket had gone, which it had, so it didn't work. Turned out there were two big cracks across the block! He paid £2,410!

[Rich H]

Renting a decent one has got to be the least cost/hassle option. I sold mine on Ebay as I was sick of knackering my back getting it on and off the truck (it weighed 120kg!) for £150. It looked like crap but worked perfectly.

I've also sold chainsaws, etc., as well, and bought a doorway digger from a bloke who sells off old jap machines on Ebay. Nothing wrong with any of it. Just got to be careful.