Safeguarding the ground is a crucial responsibility for landscape and hardscape contractors on nearly every design-build project. Engineered ground protection and site access products offer a superior alternative to plywood, effectively reducing equipment damage to the jobsite. These products also enhance your bottom line by boosting productivity and minimizing unexpected post-project ground repairs.
Crafted from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or other synthetic materials, these engineered solutions provide exceptional strength and durability, supporting heavy equipment and vehicles through repeated use. With a variety of options tailored to specific equipment and ground conditions, these solutions are essential additions to any contractor’s tool and equipment inventory.
What to consider
When selecting ground protection mats, a temporary roadway or both, it’s essential to consider the type and weight of equipment you use on a regular basis, as well as common ground conditions for your area. Engineered products come in a variety of materials, sizes and thicknesses, so the strength, stiffness and load capacity will vary. Some products interlock, while others don’t. Many require manual deployment. Some products feature tread patterns to improve grip for equipment.
Light-duty ground protection supports equipment and loads weighing up to 40 tons operating on firm ground or paved surfaces. Typically, light-duty products excel at building temporary roadways for lighter equipment such as vehicles, skid-steers, mini dump trucks, backhoes and telehandlers. While the load-bearing capacity of light-duty matting is lower, it addresses specific needs and is designed with speed of deployment in mind.
When most people think of ground protection mats, they think of medium-duty matting. Mats in this category can support both wheeled and rubber-tracked equipment weighing up to 120 tons, such as wheel loaders, track loaders, forklifts and telehandlers. These mats are available in various sizes, colors and traction options. Mats made from HDPE are flexible enough to conform to the ground while still delivering exceptional strength. Compression-molded mats are stiffer than extruded mats, resulting in less damage to underlying surfaces. Temporary roadways are also available in this category and can be installed manually or with hydraulic attachments.
Heavy-duty mats excel in situations where other mats lack the rigidity to reduce damage to the ground. Products in this category have a load-bearing capacity of at least 120 tons. Because they also spread loads better than medium-duty products, heavy-duty ground protection is a go-to option for bigger equipment, such as excavators and mobile cranes. Heavy-duty mats are also a good solution for long-term installations and swampy ground conditions.
Why not plywood
While cheaper, plywood has significant limitations in strength, handling, traction and longevity. It quickly becomes waterlogged, cracked, slippery and splintered, and it will need to be replaced frequently. In contrast, engineered ground protection and site access products are typically made from recycled materials, which reduces waste and makes them easy to maintain. Beyond regular cleaning with a pressure washer, ground protection mats are a low-maintenance asset.
Engineered products have ergonomic benefits over wood. Many of them are light enough to be moved by one or two people, and some site access products can even be mechanically deployed with equipment you may already have on the job site. For those products that are manually deployed, handholds make them easier to lift, move and place in position. Various tread patterns can improve equipment traction and minimize the risk of slips, trips and falls to worksite personnel or pedestrians.
Buy or rent the right combo
In many cases, a combination of ground protection and site access products may be the most effective approach, especially when linear and area coverage is needed. While investing in engineered ground protection products is a strategic move for contractors, there are also times when renting an item for a unique circumstance makes sense for jobsite productivity.
Unlike plywood, engineered mats offer superior strength, durability and ease of use, making them an essential asset for any contractor looking to maintain high standards of safety and efficiency. By carefully selecting the right products for your specific needs, landscapers and hardscapers can ensure projects run smoothly, safely and within budget.
