One of the most frustrating aspects of managing a fleet of gasoline vibrating earth tamping rammers is simply getting them to the jobsite safely. These machines are inherently top-heavy. You have a heavy gasoline engine mounted high above a narrow base. If you just throw one in the back of a pickup truck and take a corner at speed, it will tip over and smash the carburetor. However, you cannot simply lay a 4-stroke jumping jack flat on its side like a shovel.
Because these utilize commercial 4-stroke engines, they have an oil sump. If you lay the machine down on the wrong side, the engine oil will bypass the piston rings, flood the cylinder head, and soak the air filter. When you get to the site and try to pull the recoil cord, the engine will be hydro-locked. Best case, you blow a cloud of thick white smoke for ten minutes; worst case, you bend a valve. I am fanatical about transport logistics. We utilize specialized rammer transport racks welded to the trailers that lock the shoe in place and strap the handle upright. If a machine absolutely must be laid down in an emergency, it must be laid on the specific side dictated by the manufacturer—usually with the carburetor facing up—and the fuel petcock must be aggressively shut off to prevent the crankcase from flooding with raw gasoline.
