Decisions by contractors or maintenance crews to use ground protection can be critical to protecting the ground around a job site and making projects more efficient. Without it, damage to the ground can stall future projects with repairs that chew up valuable time and resources.
On the market today are three ground protection options:
Many clients are demanding of ground protection&#;while others are only concerned with the final result. As owners and operators know all too well, if post-job ground repairs are necessary, that dramatically impacts the bottom line of the job.
With budgets strained and headcount limited, job site efficiency has never been more important. The less muscle spent on ground protection, the better. Energy and focus should be spent on the main job, not deploying and retrieving ground protection.
Here&#;s how to consider choosing wisely.
The short-term investment with plywood is going to be less compared to using other ground protection options. It&#;s cheap and to some extent works. But plywood will also splinter, crack and get water logged.
The initial benefit of a low price is offset by the downside of a product that falls apart with repeated use and becomes difficult to handle due to broken corners, splinters and slickness in wet conditions.
The downside that comes with repeated use of plywood for ground protection is what causes the contractor to upgrade to an engineered ground protection mat.
Engineered ground protection mats can protect the ground and be used to create temporary roadways. Because the mats won&#;t warp or splinter, performance and usage become consistent since the mat is not impacted by the environment it&#;s in or how many times it has been used.
There are two types of engineered ground protection mats:
A medium duty ground protection mat is a 4×8 with ½ inch thickness that weighs just under 100 pounds.
Medium duty ground protection mats can support skid loaders, aerial lifts, trailers and some all-terrain cranes.
A heavy duty ground protection mat is significantly thicker and bigger.
Heavy duty ground protection mats are designed for heavier industrial equipment like concrete pump trucks and cranes&#;specifically in poor soil conditions where a larger area is needed.
For professional organizations, engineered ground protection mats are an essential tool. However, limitations do exist with the use of these mats, specifically when longer stretches of roadway are needed.
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SlatTrax create temporary roadways for getting from point A to point B. Made from ¾&#;&#; thick recycled plastics that can be deployed up to 100 feet long. There are two ways to deploy SlatTrax:
This video
of the Hydraulically Powered System involves a skid loader attachment system carrying 100 feet of roadway in about two minutes. Using this system, the trax can be disconnected every 25 feet.
SlatTrax can also be deployed and retrieved manually.
This video
is an example of the manual DIY set up system, dragging 12.5 foot sections with grip straps. The trax can be disconnected every 12.5 feet.
View more information about SlatTrax.
Like most everything in life, there&#;s not always a &#;one size fits all&#; solution. A combination of tools are the best way to approach ground protection..
To optimize your effectiveness, a combination of DICA Ground Protection Mats and SlatTrax Ground Protection Roads creates the ideal ground protection solution. You minimize stress on labor, maximize profitability and cover the same ground more efficiently. Create a temporary roadway using SlatTrax to get from point a to point b, then place ground protection mats strategically on the worksites or turning positions.
And to be clear, in some cases you may never need a ground protection mat or SlatTrax. But you certainly don&#;t need to continue going to the lumber yard for sheets of plywood when an engineered alternative can be purchased today!
See examples of best practices in ground protection by following DICA and SlatTrax on Instagram for videos from contractors, landscapers and maintenance workers in the field.
Explore all of DICA&#;s different ground protection products here.
By Kif Richmann
Ground protection mats might seem like they have a basic design, but there&#;s nothing basic about the ways that people put them to use. These versatile mats support heavy equipment or significant foot traffic while offering protection for the ground underneath.We&#;ll discuss each of the most common uses for ground protection mats in detail, but the top five use cases include:When you need to move heavy equipment across your lawn to do work on the property or on the house, plastic ground protection mats make it safe to move an excavator or another piece of equipment across the yard, even if the ground is soft.These driveway mats for grass and landscaping allow you to drive on the grass without sinking into the ground or without tearing up the turf.These driveway mats for grass also can support foot traffic when you want to be able to move across your lawn after a heavy rain. If you are selling a new construction home with a brand new lawn, having a temp walkway during showings of the property can keep the area looking pristine.Our Clear Ground Protection Mats are ideal for use over the top of grass, as they allow some UV light penetration to keep the grass healthy while using the mats.As construction professionals work around your property, driving huge vehicles over a driveway or sidewalk could cause the concrete or asphalt to crumble.For driveway protection during construction, our mats make it possible for vehicles to move safely. Our mat products support the weight of the vehicle without damaging the concrete in the driveway. This is the best option for how to protect a driveway from heavy equipment.A popular product for this use case is our VersaMats Diamond Foot Mat , which can support at least 60 tons of weight from vehicles. This 3-by-8-foot mat has a different cleat design on either side, allowing you to set it up as either a walkway or a driveway.If you prefer a light-duty mat for walkways or for setting up an outdoor event, we offer the Matrax Light Duty Pedestrian Composite Mat that&#;s a little easier to handle at 3.89-by-3.89 feet.When creating a temporary flooring for use for an outdoor event, ground mats are a great choice. They are extremely sturdy, so they can support the weight of tables and chairs.Our heavy-duty mats serve as temporary ground cover for mud and other soft ground. You do not want people attending your event to sink into the ground and track mud throughout the area, plus our mats make it safer for everyone.The Liberty Ground Protection Mats are a popular choice for this use case, as they feature a chevron textured surface that prevents people from slipping as they walk across the mats. With hand holes spread around the edges of each mat, you can carry the mats easily to create your desired layout.The most common use case for our ground protection mats is to generate a temporary road that construction equipment and large vehicles can use.When working at a new build site, the construction workers are often working on bare ground. If any rain falls during the construction, which is almost inevitable, the area becomes muddy quickly.To avoid having vehicles sink into the mud and to prevent huge ruts from forming in the ground around the site that fill with rainwater and cause significant problems over time, these mats create a safe pathway for vehicles to cross.Our Alturnamats Ground Protection Mats are a cost-effective means of supporting loads up to 120 tons around the site of the new home or commercial building. These mats are far better for moving vehicles than using plywood that splinters or bringing in gravel.If you want to give people visiting your acreage a safe way to walk to a remote area, our Mud-Traks Lawn Ground Protection Mats are a popular choice, because they&#;re so easy to handle.These mats are smaller sized than average, so some people will choose to lay two rows of the mats side by side to accommodate the wheels of a larger vehicle.A single row of these smaller mats works nicely for creating a protective walkway on a remote property. They also work for use across the track oval surface at a school, allowing football and soccer players to walk across the track safely and to reach the field in the middle while wearing their cleats.For help with finding the best ground protection mats for your needs, reach out to the Greatmats customer service team today!
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