Ground protection mats
You want to drive a machine over a lawn, soft ground or a path while limiting the marks.
Three points decide:
the heaviest machine when loaded, the ground to protect, the area to cover.
A photo of the route and of the machine is enough to start.
Suitable for soft ground and repeated passes; limit:
on a slope, a mat that is not linked to the others can slip.
Photo:
Dave Spicer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Mats laid edge to edge on the ground.
They make a temporary track for the machine,
and the ground is much less marked when they are taken up, depending on the soil and the load.
Other names for this product: ground protection boards, site mats, trackway mats, trackway panels, road plates, trench plates.
- Family
- Site essentials
- Material
- Polyethylene to protect the ground, steel to cover a trench
- Sizes
- Length, width and thickness: we calculate them with you, depending on your machine and your ground
- Laying
- Edge to edge, by hand or by machine depending on the weight
- Carrier machine
- None, the machine drives over them
What they are for
On a lawn that bears well, the ground ruts much less.
Computer-generated video.
Right: without mats, the same machine digs ruts full of water.
What sets them apart:
they spread the machine's weight over a large area, and the ground ruts much less, depending on its bearing capacity and the load.
Computer-generated image.
A ground protection mat is a rigid panel, laid flat on the ground so that a machine can drive over it.
Laid edge to edge, the mats form a temporary track:
the weight is spread over their whole surface, and the ground ruts much less.
They protect a lawn, a garden, a paved path or a sports pitch during works, and they reduce the risk of a machine getting bogged down on waterlogged ground, without removing it:
on saturated ground, the mats can sink with the machine.
Covering a trench is another use, crossing:
it calls for a steel plate designed for it, bedded on its edges.
They also make temporary access roads and storage areas on civil works sites, and ground walkways for outdoor events.
Synthetic mats, made of polyethylene, come in several sizes, including narrow ones for a path or a doorway.
Their thickness and mass depend on the model:
they are read in the maker's instructions.
Moulded handles allow them to be laid by hand.
Their surface is ribbed, fine or coarser, on one side or on both.
Many are made of recycled material, and they resist UV, frost and weather.
Steel mats, much heavier, are laid by machine.
Both kinds exist new or used.
A mat is not a bridge. Over a trench, only a mat designed to cover it, and bedded on its edges, may be laid under traffic.
The permitted load depends on the model, its thickness and the ground underneath, not on a generic figure.
On which machine?
Ground protection mats do not fit on any machine: the machine drives over them.
The weight of the machine, the track width and the area to cover: we calculate them with you for your machine.
What the tool does
They are made of polyethylene to protect the ground, or of steel to cover a trench.
For example, for a length of 3 000 mm: width from 500 to 1 500 mm, thickness from 6 to 22 mm.
They are laid edge to edge, by hand or by machine depending on their weight.
Their dimensions, the permitted load, the weight of one plate and the connection between plates: we calculate them with you for your machine.
What is needed on the hydraulic side
They need no connection: the machine simply drives over them.
Figures taken from 39 models on the market.
Your study sets the exact value for your machine.
Don't have these figures?
A photo of the machine is enough to start.
Have your site checked.
Describe the ground to protect, the length of the route and the heaviest machine that will drive on it.
State how long the mats will stay in place.
- The heaviest machine Its make, its type and its laden weight.
- The running gear Tracks, tyres, or both.
- The ground Lawn, waterlogged soil, sand, paving, asphalt, or a trench to cover.
- The route Its length and width, or a site plan.
- The duration A few days or several months.
Without these details, the study still begins: we will ask you for them.
Or call 01 84 16 55 49 · our lines are open 7 days a week, from 7h to 22h.
Written study within 3 working days, once the file is complete.
What determines the choice
Each point says what changes the choice.
The values, we check them in your carrier's instructions and in the tool's.
-
01 — The ground to protect
Lawn, sports pitch, waterlogged soil, paved path, asphalt:
the non-slip face and the face laid on the ground are chosen with it. -
02 — The machine and its load
Mini-excavator, loader, tractor, lorry:
the thickness and the material are chosen with the heaviest machine, laden. -
03 — Synthetic or steel
Synthetic for running over, to protect a surface and lay quickly;
steel for the heaviest loads, and for crossing a trench with a plate designed for it. -
04 — New or used
For a one-off site, used mats may be enough.
For a track that is laid again on every site, they are chosen new.
What is checked before ordering
- The permitted load It is checked against the heaviest machine, laden, and against the actual ground underneath, not against a figure read on its own.
-
The ground under the mats
On saturated or very loose ground, the mats can sink with the machine:
the bearing capacity of the ground is checked before choosing. -
Linking the mats
Depending on the model, connectors join them:
a mat that slides opens a hole in the track. - Handling The weight of a mat decides whether it is laid by hand or by machine, and by how many people.
- Transport The number of mats and their size decide the vehicle that delivers them and collects them.
- Family
- Site essentials
- Most common machine
- Mini-excavator