I am replacing a 10x40 feet concrete section. After removing the old concrete I found the ground very soft and I think we have to dig it out and fill it with gravel. However. I understand that it has to be compacted really good and I do not have the equipment to do this. I want to put in roadbase thinking it does not need to be compacted as much. Am I wrong?

I'm not a construction guy, so check back for a post from a person with expert knowledge... we have some great people here who can back up what I say or call it complete bunk. I defer to those who know best... if anything, this'll bump your question to the top of the new posts list again... which is good when sometimes it takes a few days to get good feedback...

I've seen directions that don't say to tamp the rock... but if your ground is soft or questionable, why not? Id rather do too much on the front side than regret it later... then again, I probably spend too much and do too much work when it comes to things like this... I don't like the "should i's?" to become "i should have!"

you can rent a tamper at many local hardware stores or rental shops. When I put in a 20x25 foot patio I "overbuilt" by some peoples opinions... put down a 10 in road base, spread in 3-4 inch lifts, and tamped in between each lift. It isn't hard to use, and made the base quite solid compared to just spreading the road base out... honestly, the rock was cheap and this was in a focal point on my front, so an overbuilt job in an area that has hard freeze thaw cycles was worth the extra physical work and time.

in my case I was laying down a loose brick patio over a sand base (over the road base) and I can tell you the there has been little to no shifting in this patio over the years. I know this is a different application than yours and a different end use, but I've seen workers tamping the base for sidewalk installs, and I think your app demands as solid a base as you can make, esp with your stating your soil is loose or soft... and a tamper should be available in your area if there are rental places or big box stores.

my 2 cents... now we'll see if it holds any water when the real experts chime in...

Also... where are you located roughly? Why is the soil soft? Is it just naturally loose or sandy or loamy in your area? Drainage issues?

I guess its soft because it rained a lot and the concrete was broken up and water seeped into the ground.