Ground Protection Mats Buyers Guide
When you need to create a walkway or roadway over bare ground, grass, or muddy areas, you need materials and designs that can support plenty of weight without buckling or sinking into the ground. At Greatmats, we offer ground protection mats that deliver all of these features and more. Whether you need yard protection mats, construction site mats, support for boom trucks, or ground protection track mats, we have dozens of products to consider. Don’t settle for temporary roads made using leftover plywood that will splinter and create a bigger mess. Get the peace of mind that our high-quality materials deliver for creating safe and sturdy temporary paths to support vehicles and pedestrians.
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Ideas Before You Buy Ground Protection Mats
Tips & considerations for purchasing Ground Protection Mats:
The following blogs offer tips on what aspects to look for in ground protection mats before making a purchase. Wherever you plan to use this flooring, these are all important things to learn before making your final decision.- To support the weight of vehicles, people walking, tables, and chairs, you can use ground protection mats. They’re made to support significant weight over soft ground without sinking or buckling and damaging the grass or earth underneath. Learn More: What Are Ground Protection Mats?
- Customers deploy our yard and field protection mats in a variety of locations, including for lawn and landscaping protection, driveway protection, outdoor event flooring, temporary roads and walkways, and support for construction equipment. Learn More: What Are the Top 5 Uses for Ground Protection Mats?
- To install residential or construction mud mats, determine the path of the vehicles or pedestrians. Then lay the mats end to end or side to side to cover the desired space. Some mats need connectors to hold them in place, while others lie flat on the ground without connectors. Learn More: How Do You Install Mats for Driving on Mud?
Top 10 Questions About Ground Protection Mats
Below are the most popular questions we've received about ground protection mats. Click the question to get a detailed answer and explanation on these topics.- How Versatile Are Ground Protection Mats? One of the best things about deploying lawn protection mats is that they can be used in a variety of situations. Whether you need to protect landscaping and grass or want to make a safe walkway for a backyard event, these products work perfectly.
- How Long Can You Leave Lawn Protection Mats in Place? When placing lawn protection mats over grass, only leave dark-colored materials in place for one day. You can deploy transparent mats for a few days at a time.
- How Do You Clean Ground Protection Mats? To clean construction site protection mats, consider using a power washer or a garden hose and scrub brush. These techniques should remove stuck-on grass and mud.
- What Size of Ground Protection Mat Do I Need? The proper size of ground protection tiles or mats will depend on the planned use case. Vehicles with larger tires need wider mats to manage the tire width, while pedestrian or bicycle paths can use narrower mats.
- How Do You Create a Temporary Road Using Mats? To create a temporary roadway for vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians, lay our protection mats side by side or end to end. Create a path that allows travel between the starting point and the desired end point.
- Why Do You Need Outrigger Pads? Outrigger pads create a stabilizing point over soft ground or gravel roads to safely support the force that large utility vehicles generate. Cranes, bucket trucks, and similar vehicles need a way to prevent the ground from shifting during deployment.
- What Are Access Mats? Access mats are firm and sturdy rectangular mats or square tiles that provide a stabilized base over soft ground for vehicles, pedestrians, or events.
- What Are the Best Mud Mats for Construction Sites? The best mud mats for construction areas will support various construction vehicles, including skid steers, bulldozers, and utility trucks, without buckling or sinking into soft ground. They are reusable (unlike sheets of plywood) and removable afterward (unlike temporary gravel roads).
- What Are the Lightest Construction Mud Mats for Sale? Some of the lightest mud mats we offer at Greatmats include Portable Outdoor tiles for walkways and Mud-Traks mats for vehicular traffic.
- What Should You Look for in Skid Steer Ground Protection Mats? Some of the most important features of soil protection mats for skid steers include supporting the weight of vehicles without buckling, not sinking into damp ground when placed under stress, and offering textured surfaces to keep vehicles and pedestrians from slipping or sliding.
Ground Protection Mats Product Comparison Chart
When you’re looking for the best ground protection mats, you can compare the various products that we offer at Greatmats.| Product | Max Load | Warranty | Tread Options | Size Options | Thickness | Color Options | Material | Hand Holes | Use Types | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gmats Mats | 90 tons | Lifetime (limited) | Diamond and deep “V” (reversible) | 4x8 Feet | 1/2 Inches | Black | Polyethylene Plastic | Yes | Temporary road, landscaping, and outdoor events | $ |
| Blue Gator Lite Mats | 60 tons | Lifetime (limited) | Diamond and deep “V” (reversible) | 4x8 Feet. | 3/8 Inches | Tan | Polyethylene Plastic | Yes | Construction sites, grass protection, and temporary roadway | $ |
| AlturnaMats Mats | 120 tons | Lifetime (limited) | Diamond and/or Smooth (reversible) | 4x8 feet | 1/2 Inches | Black | Polyethylene Plastic | Optional | Heavy equipment, grass protection, temporary roadway | $$ |
| Liberty Mats | 80 tons | 1 year (limited) | Chevron nub | 3.9 x 7.9 feet | 1/2 Inch | Black | Polyethylene Plastic | Yes | Temporary roadway, outdoor walkway, and grass protection | $$ |
| VersaMats Mats | 120 tons | Lifetime (limited) | Cross and diamond (reversible) | 2x8, 3x8, or 4x8 feet | 1/2 Inches | Black | Polyethylene Plastic | No | Temporary roadway, skid steers, and grass protection | $ |
| Mud-Traks Mats | 17.5 tons | 1 year (limited) | Grooves (reversible) | 1.83 x 6 or 2.67 x 6 feet | 5/16 Inches | Off-white | Fiberglass | No (uses rope handles) | Utility work, landscaping, and structural movers | $$$$ |
| TrakMat Mats | 90 tons | 6 years (limited) | Button top (reversible) | 3x8 or 3.67 x 8 feet | 1/2 Inches | Black | Polyethylene Plastic | Yes | Construction sites, landscaping, or temporary roads | $$ |
| System7 Mats | 650 pounds per sq. inch | 1 year (limited) | Raised texture | 8x14 feet | 4-1/4 Inches | Tan | Polyethylene Plastic | Yes | Utility work, crane work, and construction sites | $$$$ |
| Scout Mats | 87.5 tons | 1 year (limited) | Diamond (reversible) | 4x8 feet | 1/2 Inches | Tan | Polyethylene Plastic | Yes | Construction sites, temporary roads, and grass protection | $ |
Specialty Ground Mats Product Comparison Chart
When you need specialty mats for supporting utility vehicles, creating outdoor walkways, or assembling event flooring under tents, compare the several products we offer at Greatmats.| Product | Max Load | Surface Tread | Size Options | Thickness | Material | Color | Use Types | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Gator Recovery Mats | 20 tons | Diamond (reversible) | 1.3x4 or 1.6x4 feet | 1/2 inches | Polyethylene and rubber | Black | Freeing stuck vehicles in snow, ice, or mud | $$$ |
| Outrigger Pads | 30 tons | Textured (reversible) | 1.5x1.5, 2x2, 2.5x2.5, 3x3, or 4x4 feet. | 1 inch | Engineered thermoplastic | Black | Lift bucket trucks, lightweight cranes, and utility trucks | $$$ |
| Matrax Light Duty Pedestrian Composite Mat | 225 pounds per sq. in. | Diamond | 3.89 x 3.89 feet | 1-1/2 inches | Polyethylene plastic | Gray or white | Event flooring, pedestrian sidewalks, and ADA-compliant walkways | $$ |
| Matrax Heavy-Duty Drivable Mats | 450 pounds per sq. in. | Diamond | 3.89 x 3.89 feet | 1-1/2 inches | Polyethylene Plastic | Gray or white | Temporary roadways for vehicles, event flooring, and storage area flooring | $$$ |
| Portable Outdoor Tent Tiles | N/A (supports tables, chairs, and pedestrians | Perforations | 1x1 ft. | 3/4 inches | Polypropylene plastic | Gray or black | Outdoor event floors, portable floors over grass or temporary sidewalks | $ |
Best Ground Protection Mat Products
Gmats Ground Protection Mats
The Gmats Ground Protection Mats deliver excellent traction when creating roadways over soft earth. You can also use them to protect concrete from crumbling when heavy vehicles travel across it.
AlturnaMats Ground Protection Mats
The AlturnaMats Ground Protection Mats each have a 120-ton load capacity, which allows them to support extremely large construction vehicles or landscaping equipment. The 1/2-inch thick polyethylene plastic won’t sink into the ground or buckle under pressure.
VersaMats Diamond-Versa Mats
You can use VersaMats Diamond-Versa Mats in areas where vehicles need maximum traction when traveling over a temporary roadway. These mats are available in widths between 2 and 4 feet to meet varying coverage requirements.
Liberty Ground Protection Mats
The textured surface on Liberty Ground Protection Mats delivers excellent traction for vehicles, yet its profile is low enough that it won’t cause a trip hazard for pedestrians. Each mat can support a load of up to 80 tons.
Blue Gator Recovery Traction Mat
If you’ll be driving a personal, commercial, or industrial vehicle in areas with mud, ice, or snow, the Blue Gator Recovery Traction Mat product provides peace of mind in case you become stuck. These narrow mats are made to provide enough traction to let the vehicle escape when tough road conditions leave it spinning its wheels.
Outrigger Pad
An Outrigger Pad from Greatmats creates a sturdy base for vehicles that need to create force against the ground while in operation, such as cranes or bucket trucks. Each outrigger pad has 55,000 pounds of vertical load capacity.
Matrax Heavy-Duty Drivable Composite Mats
Matrax Heavy-Duty Drivable Composite Mats deliver a sturdy surface for large vehicles. The installation system for these mats ensures a smooth transfer of the vehicle’s load from mat to mat.
Ground Protection Mat Customer Installations
Whispering Tree Service
Whispering Tree Service needed a product to create temporary roadways for tree removal, trimming, or similar work. The team wanted a safe way to move heavy vehicles across grass to the tree’s location, and our lawn protection mats were the ideal option.
Landscaping Protection: AlturnaMats Ground Protection Mats
Lisk Landscape Innovations
When working on problems with standing water around homes, the team at Lisk Landscape Innovations needs to be able to move heavy equipment across grass to reach the area with the issue. Our transparent protection mats allow vehicles to move safely while giving grass some sunlight, even if the work requires a few days.
Grass Protection: Transparent Ground Protection Mats
Axel Landscape
When Axel Landscape prepares to serve a customer’s landscaping needs, the team doesn’t always know ahead of time exactly what areas of the property will need protection from heavy vehicles. Transparent ground mats work over grass, muddy areas, driveways, and sidewalks, preventing damage in these areas.
Versatile Ground Protection Mats: Transparent Ground Protection Mats
Industrial By Products LLC
The team at Industrial By Products LLC must deliver fertilizer and similar products to farm fields, which could be completely dry, extremely muddy, or something in between. Our textured ground protection mats let the team use their semi trucks in any conditions without worrying about sinking into the ground or creating unwanted ruts.
Textured Protection Mats: Diamond Tread Ground Protection Mats
Ground Protection Mat Installation & Maintenance Videos
How to Install Matrax Composite Mats
How to Clean Ground Protection Mats
How to Install 4x8 Ground Protection Mats for Driving on Mud