There are so many features to look out for and compare when purchasing or renting a plate compactor; sometimes though, what may at first appear to be a small insignificant difference in design can make a tremendous difference to the operator. Forward plate compactors are a tried, tested and trusted member of the contractors tool set, offering a no-nonsense approach to compacting ground. With modern ergonomics and ease of use, choosing the right one seems hard to get wrong.

That being said, there is one key thing that can get overlooked when choosing a machine

HANDLE-MOUNTED THROTTLE CONTROL

To cut a long story short, the benefit of having the throttle control at the operator's handle makes it easy to fine-tune and optimize the speed of the compactor for the ground you're working on. A lot of our competitors have forward only compactors that position throttle control at the base of the machine, meaning you have to lean over and adjust the machine while it's running in front of you. For obvious reasons, this isn't ideal; it’s not a very intuitive experience for the operator when out at a job site. This might seem like a very minor detail, but when you're investing in a machine, you want to know that every aspect of its operation was thought through and optimized for the user's operator’s user experience, as well as throughput and production rate.

BENEFITS OF HANDLE-MOUNTED THROTTLE

Just a simple consideration like this automatically gains these benefits:

- Lower likely hood of Operator injury – no bending over constantly to adjust the machine

- Easier to fine-tune the exact speed when working

- Switching speeds is a breeze when done with the push of a thumb

- Less time wasted pausing to adjust the engine

In addition to all of the other great standard features of our forward compactors (removable water tank, wheel kit, high compaction force, low cost), there's a lot of reasons to choose a Bartell compactor over the competition's.

When you're out looking for your next compactor - whether to rent or buy - don't forget about the simple yet important control features.  It might just save your wallet.