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Rammers have come a long way from their original design which consisted of a heavy post which was manually pounded into the ground to consolidate cohesive soils. Today’s rammers use advanced technology to achieve maximum impact force along with ease of use and operator comfort.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, there has been active debate over the best type of engine for rammers. The original design used a two-cycle engine, but there were drawbacks including the necessity of mixing gasoline and oil. As a result, a four-cycle engine for rammers was developed which required only straight gasoline. The problem with original four-cycle rammer engines was that they were limited to a 20-degree angle of operation and they could not be laid on their side for transport.

Many advancements have since been made to both the two-cycle and four-cycle rammer engines. Fortunately for equipment owners, gone are the days of tedious fuel mixtures and transport issues with rammers. Whether it uses two-cycle or four-cycle power, today’s rammers are light years ahead of where they were even a decade ago and are continuing to improve.

So while the engine is still a primary point of differentiation among brands of rammers, there are numerous features to consider that enhance performance, ergonomics, maintenance and more.

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Due to increasingly stringent environmental regulations in the late 90s, most rammer manufacturers had to switch to four-cycle engines which have lower environmental emissions. The exception is Wacker Neuson, which still manufactures its own two-cycle engine specifically for its rammers.