Bomag BW Series Rollers: Models, Variants and Specs

The Bomag BW range is the roller family from Bomag, the German compaction manufacturer based in Boppard and part of the Fayat Group. "BW" is Bomag's designation for its rollers, and the range covers the full spread of compaction work on a construction site: pedestrian rollers for confined areas, tandem rollers for asphalt, combination and pneumatic-tyred rollers for sealing and kneading, and single-drum machines for soil and earthworks. This profile is based on AssetBase data.

Across the range, operating weights run from roughly 1 tonne on the hand-guided pedestrian rollers to about 26 tonnes on the largest single-drum soil compactors, with diesel engine outputs from around 15 kW on the light tandems to 150 kW on the heavy earthworks machines. A single "BW" badge therefore covers very different equipment, so the model number and the suffix (AD, AC, D, PD and related codes) matter far more than the prefix when identifying what a given roller is built to do.

In the wider construction taxonomy, the BW range sits across several roller subcategories at once: tandem vibration rollers, single-drum rollers, combination rollers and pneumatic-tyred rollers. Reading the model group is the practical way to tell an asphalt finishing roller from an earthworks compactor that happen to share the same family name.

The takeaway: BW is a whole roller catalogue rather than a single machine, so the model group sets the duty class and the working environment.

BW models covered

The BW range is best understood as six practical groups, split by what the roller compacts and how the operator works it. The lightest are hand-guided pedestrian rollers; the heaviest are ride-on, articulated single-drum soil compactors. Between them sit the tandem, combination and pneumatic-tyred asphalt rollers that finish and seal road surfaces.

The takeaway: the first job is to place a machine in its group, because a 1.7 t pedestrian roller and a 25.7 t soil compactor sit at opposite ends of the same family.

What the BW range is used for

The BW rollers divide along the oldest line in compaction: soil versus asphalt. Single-drum machines (the D and PD models) work the ground itself, compacting fill, sub-base and embankments in layers before anything is paved. A smooth drum suits granular soils, sand and gravel, while a padfoot drum kneads cohesive, higher-moisture soils such as clay. These are the heavy end of the range, running from about 4.75 t up to 25.7 t with drum widths of 1,430 to 2,130 mm.

The tandem, combination and pneumatic-tyred rollers work asphalt. Tandem rollers use two vibrating steel drums to compact and smooth hot mix, from small BW 80-class machines on footpaths and car parks up to BW 206-class rollers on motorway lanes. Combination rollers pair a steel drum with pneumatic tyres so a single pass delivers both dynamic compaction and a kneading, sealing action, which helps close the surface. Pneumatic-tyred rollers use rubber wheels only and are favoured for sealing, chip seal and finishing granular bases.

Operator format follows the duty. Pedestrian rollers are walked behind and suit trenches, kerb lines and repairs where a ride-on machine will not fit. Everything from the light tandems upward is a seated, articulated ride-on roller, where the pivot joint keeps both drums tracking the same line through curves. For site teams, matching drum width and weight to the layer and material is what controls both productivity and finish quality.

Variants and configurations explained

The suffix after the model number is the most useful part of a BW name, because it encodes the drum arrangement and, with it, the whole purpose of the machine. Two rollers with similar numbers can be an asphalt tandem and a soil compactor depending only on those letters, so the suffix is what a buyer, fleet manager or operator should read first.

The main operational difference is the drum: two vibrating drums for asphalt (AD), a drum plus tyres for sealing (AC), and a single drum over a driven axle for soil (D and PD). Beyond these, further codes fine-tune the same machines: DH and PDH denote higher-amplitude single-drum versions for deeper lifts, BVC adds Bomag's Variocontrol variable-amplitude system with continuous compaction measurement, ADO uses tangential oscillation for gentle work on bridges, seams and thin layers, and AM adds the Asphalt Manager measurement and documentation system.

Key specification signals

For rollers, a few numbers explain most of the practical difference between models. Operating weight and static linear load set how much compaction force reaches the material; drum or working width sets how much ground is covered per pass, and therefore productivity; and drum type (smooth, padfoot or tyred) sets which materials a machine suits. Engine power scales with size but is a secondary signal next to weight and amplitude.

The figures below are grouped so the ranges stay readable. In practice, buyers compare within a group first, then look at amplitude and drum options once the size class is fixed. All values are based on official OEM datasheets and sources.

The takeaway: weight and width move together up the range, so the quickest read on any BW roller is its group, then its weight class within that group. A more detailed technical profile is available in AssetBase.

Energy use and lifecycle CO₂ context

Most BW rollers are diesel-powered, with current models meeting the EU Stage V and US Tier 4 Final emission standards, while the smallest pedestrian rollers use compact petrol engines and the pneumatic-tyred RH rollers are rated to Stage IIIa / Tier 3. Fuel use on a roller is driven less by rated power than by how the machine is worked: number of passes, drum amplitude, travel speed and idling time all change the energy consumed per compacted square metre.

Bomag also offers an electric light tandem option, the AD e models, which run a 48 V drive on a 25 kWh lithium-ion battery for asphalt work with no local emissions. Comparing a diesel and an electric roller only on operational energy misses most of the picture, because production, the battery or engine system, transport, maintenance and end-of-life treatment all sit outside the fuel gauge.

EmissionBase® helps separate operational energy from broader lifecycle CO₂ assumptions such as production, battery or engine system, transport, maintenance and end-of-life treatment.

How this asset fits into wider roller coverage

Within Bomag, the BW rollers sit alongside the rest of the road-building line: light compaction equipment such as rammers and vibratory plates, multi-purpose trench rollers, and, since the Fayat acquisition, asphalt pavers, cold planers, soil stabilisers and recyclers. The BW range is the roller core of that catalogue, covering both the soil phase and the asphalt phase of a job.

Against other makes, the BW rollers compete with comparable ranges from manufacturers such as Hamm, Caterpillar, Dynapac, Volvo and Ammann, which offer their own tandem, single-drum, combination and pneumatic rollers. For classification and comparison, the useful anchors are the same across makes: roller type, operating weight, drum width and drum configuration.

The takeaway: the BW range covers the compaction step of road building, with Bomag's pavers, planers and light equipment sitting either side of it in the same workflow.