How to Use a Packer for Pavers

Interlocking pavers create a stable and strong surface for patios, walkways and driveways. The durability of the installed paver structure depends on the excavation of the site, installation of the sand bed resting below the pavers and the final compaction of the pavers after installation. Compaction causes the pavers to settle in the lower sand bed, which locks the pavers in place. A packer combines weight with vibration to settle the pavers in the sand bed.

Packer
Oil
Fuel

Instructions

- 1
  Rest the packer near--not on--the paver structure. Read the packer manufacturer's operating instructions before starting the equipment. Check the oil and fuel level of the packer. Fill the fluids, if necessary.
- 2
  Start the packer. Move the packer over the installed pavers.
- 3
  Increase the vibration rate of the packer. Move the packer across the paver in a straight line. Shift the packer over one-half the width of the packer. Make another pass across the paver structure. Continue moving across the pavers until all pavers set in the sand bed.
- 4
  Run the packer off the pavers when all the pavers lock together. Walk across the set pavers. Push side to side across the top of a paver. Run the packer over the pavers if any checked pavers shift when pushed. Continue testing the pavers for looseness and use the packer until all pavers remain stationary under pressure.

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