doobin
Well-known member
Looking for something not too heavy, just for using for muckaway piles and running the Sherpa or E19 across a lawn. Ideally want chequerplate one side and smooth the other. Any suggestions?
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OBL
Well-known member
I just bought 12 Medium duty access mats from Safe fence for £80 each.
Happy with them, they’re more flexible than I imagined but seem indestructible, fairly light for dragging round on your own.
They have the grip on one side, clean on the other for tipping loads on. Also handholds. About 15mm thick I think but would have to check. Bought the 2.4x1.2 rather than 8x4 so they fit in the plant trailer under the digger.
Only wish I’d bought the joining connectors as they slide around on muddy ground if you have the grips up.
Can put a pic up if needed.
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Monkeybusiness
Well-known member
Have a look at stokboard - good value and practically indestructible. Lacks the chequerplate finish but ticks all the other boxes.
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Smiffy
Well-known member
Bloody heavy in comparison to proper ground matt's though. Probably not a problem if doobin uses forks on the Sherpa but to be moved by hand is not a fun task.
The proper ground matt's I can drag 2 up the lorry ramps by myself at a fair pace.
Stockboard if it's wet I have to lift one end at a time onto the lorry as can't drag it up just end up slipping down
doobin
Well-known member
Where from? What gauge?
M
Monkeybusiness
Well-known member
I’ve never found it to be particularly heavy (certainly not in comparison to other ground mats) and it definitely doesn’t absorb water - it’s recycled plastic.
@doobin - solway recycling sell it online, we can buy it locally from a farm shop.
Thickness - I’ve got 12mm (I think) on the Land Rover roofrack and that would be more than strong enough for what you are proposing. 6mm would probably do in honesty!
6
6feetdown
Well-known member
I was keeping an eye on market place a few weeks ago but weren't many about
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Smiffy
Well-known member
I can't find the ones we have online but they are about 1/3rd the weight of the stock board that we have. For the same size.
This does equate to them being more durable but is a hell of a difference bumping 50 or so out.
And I meant when the lorry body is wet and no traction. But some of the stock board gets quite shredded by some machines and the mud packs in the scars making them heavier when it's wet.
Nick...
Well-known member
I’ve got a pile of 8x2 plastic sheets,fkexable too whic came of some gates in a pig shed 30 years ago.about 12mm thick.called K board and made from discarded camera film cassette things.if your over 35 ask your dad.probably got 20 plus if anyone wants some.not heavy either.im in Norfolk if anyone interested
nick...
nick...
JD450A
Feral as Fk 🐾
I've a pallet of Plastic 8x4 sheets.... no chequreplate but good. £50 a Mat +Vat to members as I only need to keep 10 or so.
Giles
Well-known member
They’ve got expensive I’m sure used to be around 60 each
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
I'd guess they've 'walked' off a site slowly over a period of time .... looking at their 'location'
tinydigger
making machines look small since 1980
I might be interested in some in the new year if you still have any left then
Nick...
Well-known member
I’ve never tried to sell any so if you want some you’re wellcome
nick…
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Stroppymonkey
Well-known member
Hey guys. I bulk bought a load of boards a year ago. Probably ever used about half of them so far, but they are handy! 10 or 12mm x 8x4 smooth x chequer. They are 36kg a board and contour really well. Fine for micro kit on lawns or driveways and as spoil boards. If you want to be driving a van or loaded trailer across wet ground then you'd need a much heavier/stiffer board. I'm keeping my eyes open for some local as a few of the 900x 2000 heavy ones would be good. There's a photo on here somewhere here of me using the trailer crane on top of them. We have cut a few into 8x2 for narrow access.
I think from memory when I was doing my research, the lightweight ones are LDPE whereas the stiffer/stronger boards are HDPE
Mine are mostly like these. But mine have handles and joiners
www.ground-guards.co.uk
I bought a pallet (40) of what was advertised on ebay as 2x8 boards from Northern PolyTunnels for about £1600 plus vat but when the pallet turned up it was 4x8 boards with joiners so I ended up with a deal for a change.
Some of you have mentioned using stockboard. Dad used to use it for pig pen doors in the 80s. Our local farmers merchants sell this and we have a few 12mm sheets cut into thirds ( 1200mm x 800mm) which work well for putting under the mixer , spoil boards when hand digging small holes or using as boards under the tracked carrier when turning to avoid leaving rubber marks. We keep a few on the vans as standard. I'd say the 12mm sheets are similar weight and flexibility to my 10/12 mm ground boards but without the chequerplate.
I think from memory when I was doing my research, the lightweight ones are LDPE whereas the stiffer/stronger boards are HDPE
Mine are mostly like these. But mine have handles and joiners
Budget Mat 2.4m x 1.2m x 10mm (8′ x 4′) | Ground Guards | Ground Protection Mats
BudgetMats are a low cost, reusable alternative to ply! Don’t settle for using plywood boards that will bend, break and blister! Try GroundGuards’ BudgetMat – the cost-effective trackway of choice for all your lighter duty applications. Lightweight, manoeuvrable, and reusable, they improve site...
www.ground-guards.co.uk
I bought a pallet (40) of what was advertised on ebay as 2x8 boards from Northern PolyTunnels for about £1600 plus vat but when the pallet turned up it was 4x8 boards with joiners so I ended up with a deal for a change.
Some of you have mentioned using stockboard. Dad used to use it for pig pen doors in the 80s. Our local farmers merchants sell this and we have a few 12mm sheets cut into thirds ( 1200mm x 800mm) which work well for putting under the mixer , spoil boards when hand digging small holes or using as boards under the tracked carrier when turning to avoid leaving rubber marks. We keep a few on the vans as standard. I'd say the 12mm sheets are similar weight and flexibility to my 10/12 mm ground boards but without the chequerplate.
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Stroppymonkey
Well-known member
When I was looking the good boards were over 100 each.
Gunners
Well-known member
Personally I have had trouble with the more flexible mats getting caught up in the grab bucket and the tracks on the machines catch corners too when you turn. They are also way too wobbly which makes them more awkward to handle despite them being lighter.
www.ground-guards.co.uk
I have these and yes while the muck does like to get between all the little grip knobs, they do scrape off pretty well and I've not broken one yet. But they are heavy. You can also link them all together and run lorries across some quite rude ground with no issues.
The flexible mats just wont put up with that, but work ok for small works.
MultiTrack GG48 2.44m x 1.22m (8’x4’) | Ground Guards | Ground Protection Mats
MultiTrack is the original plastic ground protection system, imported by GroundGuards since 2003, and still recognised as by far the most durable product on the market. Hence it remains the number one choice for the plant hire and civil engineering sectors. Made in the USA from a unique and...
www.ground-guards.co.uk
I have these and yes while the muck does like to get between all the little grip knobs, they do scrape off pretty well and I've not broken one yet. But they are heavy. You can also link them all together and run lorries across some quite rude ground with no issues.
The flexible mats just wont put up with that, but work ok for small works.
Grahams
Don't complain - suggest what's better
Having some 8x4 ground guards with hand holds and some without the ones with hand holds are the ones that get used. When you are tired, wet and muddy at the end of a job you want the last thing, lifting the ground guards, to be as easy as possible.
Also if you are using them on really wet ground you need to pin them down as they float!
Also if you are using them on really wet ground you need to pin them down as they float!
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