Flooring/mats

[deuce22]

Hi.

I've got to dig a land drain at the back of my site, which is about a 20m run at a gradient of around 20 degrees. I'll be up and down constantly with chippings and I'll churn the ground up to much.
Is there some kind of mats that you can get for soft ground? If they're to expensive I'll just have to wait until the weather gets better.

Thanks.

 

[Engcon UK]

We've used Terra Firma in Abingdon in the past but it may be a bit of overkill for what you need

 

[Brendan]

Hi.

I've got to dig a land drain at the back of my site, which is about a 20m run at a gradient of around 20 degrees. I'll be up and down constantly with chippings and I'll churn the ground up to much.
Is there some kind of mats that you can get for soft ground? If they're to expensive I'll just have to wait until the weather gets better.

Thanks.

You can get rubber track mats but tend to be around £100 + vat a pop, they do come up on eBay used every now and again at around £60 ish each.
You could just some 12mm own instead, you could use plywood but to be honest although it is stronger once it's wet and muddy it's like a sheet of ice.

Better off using a small dumper than tracking back and forward constantly

 

[deuce22]

I probably will use a dumper, but I definitely need something for the ground.

Terra Firma looks great, but it would probably be overkill for what I need to do. I've never experience a site like this before, they've normally been flat, with not to much ground water. I need to get the drains in to reduce it and hopefully it'll be easier in a month or so when the weather gets colder.

 

[doobin]

Hire a small tracked dumper for a day. Will float over the worst ground. Mats and mud would be a recipe for disaster on a slope like that. Pull the trench with the digger, then straddle the trench with the dumper and shovel the stone out. Two straight track lines.

20m is nothing, you could even hire just a tracked barrow and it would be fine so long as no major side slope. Take a little longer to do the job but do it with minimal impact is my advice. What you loose in time and hire fees you'd have lost messing around with mats and their cost anyhow.

 

[diggerjones]

Get the drains in or just the trench. At least it will get rid of the water. Gravel up and back fill in the summer.
Your top priority is get the digger secure.

 

[Komatsu]

Also, if your able to, do it if we have a heavy frost, that will hardened the ground, that will work in your favour at this time of year.

 

[doobin]

Get the drains in or just the trench. At least it will get rid of the water. Gravel up and back fill in the summer.
Your top priority is get the digger secure.

If it's that wet then the trench would be liable to collapse in on itself without stone. Especially a square trench. I like to use my taper profile drainage bucket for this reason, and the saving in stone cost is a big bonus too!

 

[Furniss]

If it's that wet then the trench would be liable to collapse in on itself without stone. Especially a square trench. I like to use my taper profile drainage bucket for this reason, and the saving in stone cost is a big bonus too!

If the land needs it like said get it pulled and graveled up then tidy up when you can.
Dont contemplate buying a V bucket for 20m of trench

 

[V8Druid]

Get the drains in or just the trench. At least it will get rid of the water. Gravel up and back fill in the summer.
Your top priority is get the digger secure.

as Dylan said "Your top priority is get the digger secure."