DICA
DICA recently showcased its range of engineered ground protection mats and site access products at the Equip Expo show.
“Ground protection and site access products offer significant benefits for landscape and hardscape contractors that help them cut costs, streamline operations, and improve safety. Engineered ground protection solutions also help to distribute the weight of the equipment and minimize soil compaction, rutting, and other forms of ground disturbance,” says Kevin Koberg, sales director for DICA.
New at the booth this year were MaxiTrack and EnviroMat. MaxiTrack provides temporary access for wheeled or tracked equipment weighing up to 130 tons, while EnviroMat enables contractors to quickly create temporary access and vehicle roadways without the use of tools.
The one-inch thick MaxiTrack mats measure 3 feet by 6 feet and weigh just 88 pounds, making them light enough to be placed by hand. A crew of four can install more than 1,000 square feet in under an hour. When bolted together, the four-inch overlapping flanges enable the individual mats to function as a single unit, limiting seepage, and providing a stable platform.
EnviroMat’s modular design increases flexibility for solving a variety of site setup needs. The micro-traction design reduces slick surfaces and provides superior turf protection to preserve the ground’s integrity under heavy loads.
“Each mat has six handholds and weighs 10 pounds less than DICA’s other similarly sized (4’x8’x½”) ground protection options, making it a practical, extremely user-friendly solution. EnviroMat mat can be used with wheeled and tracked equipment and has a load bearing capacity up to 100 tons,” Koberg says.
SlatTrax also appeared at Equip Expo. The single or dual spool systems mount easily on skid steers and other loaders, rolling out 100 feet of roadway in just two minutes. This system minimizes manual labor and reduces the number of crew members needed to prepare a site.
Up to 100 feet of pallet-based DIY Trax with ratchet straps can be deployed or retrieved manually in 15 minutes or less. The compact, self-contained systems require less space for transport and storage. The standard pallet can be picked with forks to transfer the Trax to the work site. Steel grapple pallets are an option that allows crews to use grapples to move the system when forks are not available.
“Using engineered ground protection products eliminates the need for contractors to repeatedly purchase plywood sheets which become waterlogged, cracked, and splintered. DICA’s engineered ground protection and access mats are made from recycled material, and offer a superior alternative that maintains functionality over its life span,” Koberg says.
