Find Compactors For Sale
Compactor Benefits
Compactors help prepare stable surfaces for roads, yards, paths, foundations, and reinstatement work. Contractors, hire fleets, councils, and private buyers use them to reduce voids in soil, aggregate, asphalt, and waste so each job can meet strength, finish, and handover needs.

2021 Bomag BW138AD-5 Smooth Drum Compactor
On MachineryTrader.co.uk, buyers can review compactors for sale by drum type, operating size, condition, and application. The right machine can improve pass efficiency, reduce rework, and match the space available on busy UK jobsites.
- Better surface preparation for roads, car parks, footways, trenches, and building pads
- Choice of ride-on, towable, and walk-behind units for large sites or tight access areas
- Useful options for soil, asphalt, granular material, and landfill compaction
- Potential to lower rework by matching drum, tyre, or padfoot design to the material
Compactor Applications
- Road surfacing, motorway works, and local authority resurfacing schemes
- Housing developments, commercial groundworks, and industrial estate preparation
- Utility trench reinstatement, kerb work, footpaths, and small civil engineering jobs
- Quarries, recycling sites, transfer stations, and landfill operations
Types Of Compactors
- Smooth drum compactors use a smooth steel drum for asphalt, granular fill, and finished surface work. They suit road crews, site preparation teams, and contractors needing an even finish across lanes, yards, and access roads.
- Walk/tow behind compactors are built for smaller areas, edges, trenches, and confined spaces where larger rollers cannot work safely. They are common with landscapers, utilities, builders, and repair crews handling short runs or frequent moves.
- Padfoot compactors use raised pads to knead cohesive soils such as clay and mixed earth. They are well-suited to embankments, housing plots, and bulk earthmoving where deeper soil compaction is needed before finishing.
- Pneumatic compactors use rubber tyres to deliver a kneading action across asphalt and base materials. Road contractors often choose them for surface sealing, density control, and follow-up passes behind paving crews.
- Combination compactors pair a steel drum with pneumatic tyres for mixed compaction needs. They can be practical for contractors moving between patching, surfacing, and smaller road repair jobs.
- Landfill compactors are heavy machines built to spread and compress waste in demanding site conditions. They often feature guarding, specialised wheels, and high ground clearance for transfer stations and landfill cells.
How To Buy The Right Compactor
- Match the machine to the material. Smooth drum and pneumatic models suit asphalt and granular layers, while padfoot units are better for cohesive soils and earthworks.
- Check site access and working width. A large ride-on roller can cover open areas faster, but walk-behind and tow-behind units are easier to use near kerbs, trenches, and restricted plots.
- Compare operating weight and compaction method. Buyers reviewing compactors for sale should weigh machine size, vibration settings, tyre layout, and drum style against the depth and finish required.
- Review condition and support needs. Look at service history, wear on drums or tyres, cab condition, safety features, and whether parts support fits your fleet or local dealer network.
Top Compactor Manufacturers
Browse new and used compactors for sale on Machinery Trader from Bomag, Caterpillar, Dynapac, Hamm, Sakai, Volvo, Wacker Neuson, and other manufacturers, then compare configurations, hours, condition, and seller type to find equipment that fits your work.