Using The Soil Compaction Tester - AgraTronix 08180 Manual Para Operadores

USING THE SOIL COMPACTION TESTER

1. Loosen the wing nut on the shock collar and slide the collar down the
shaft at least 1" away from the plastic housing.
2. Your tester includes 2 tips (large and a small) that are stored in the
tester housing. The tips can be removed by simply unthreading them
from the housing. (The tips are threaded on to the housing not
snapped on).
Choose the tip that best suites the type of soil you have. The small tip
is used for firm soil and the larger tip is used for loose soil.
*It is recommended that you start with the small tip and obtain some
readings. If you feel the readings are very low or the soil is very loose
then change to the larger tip.
Once you have chosen a tip, thread the tip on to the end of the Soil
Compaction Tester's shaft.
Note: No valid readings can be obtained from the tester if a tip is not
attached to the end of the shaft.
3. Position the tip of the tester on the ground in the area you wish to
test. Apply even downward pressure on both handles of the tester to
keep the shaft and tip penetrating the soil at a slow even pace.
4. The tester shaft is marked at three inch intervals for easy depth
measurement. As the tester's shaft penetrates the soil, the gauge
readings at the 3", 6", 9" 12", 15" and 18" depths should be recorded.
(Be sure to use the correct scale for the size tip that you are using on
the shaft as indicated on the dial face)
5. A compacted layer can be determined by the gauge indicator in-
creasing upward into the red range and then moving back down into
the yellow or green after passing through the compacted layer. The
depth of the beginning of the compacted layer and depth of leaving
the compacted layer should be noted.
Note: multiple readings must be taken from each area of the field.
To get an accurate determination of whether or not you have a soil
compaction problem and at what depth the problem exists. The same
procedure should be repeated in other areas of the field as well. One
area may not represent the condition of the whole field.
6. When the tester is not in use, loosen the shock collar's wing nut and
slide the shock collar up the shaft until it comes in contact with the
plastic housing and tighten the wing nut. This will help prevent dam-
age to your Soil Compaction Tester.
Operation
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