Anyone ever built their own "bog mats"?

[boostmg]

I have a job i need to do which will require something like this. If you don't know what bog mats are - they are usually wooden rectangles/square sections that an excavator can pick up, put in front of them, and drive on in marshy conditions.

I don't have an excavator- i have a tractor with backhoe so I cant make them too heavy, i would have to transport them by hand.

So far i was thinking of maybe making mats big enough to put under each tire then just keep inching it forward accordingly.

 

[MossRoad]

Have you checked the price of lumber? Or do you have your own supply?

 

[boostmg]

I was going to buy rough cut

 

[4570Man]

I’d just rent or hire an excavator to do the job.

 

[WranglerX]

Just get 8 to 10 feet long scrap (rough) 2x12.... Its the surface area the load is dispersed over that matters...

 

[Rustyiron]

How "boggy" is it and is your backhoe full size?
If you need to travel very far across this bog, you'll need enough matt's to get all the way there. An excavator can work off of 3 of them sitting on 2 of them, rotating 180* and "leapfrogging" the 3rd one in the direction of travel.
I'd be very leery of just individual planks or pair of planks under each side of the machine. Not placed perfectly or driving perfectly in the middle they'll want to flip. Then you know that they'll be very muddy in short order and that will complicate things and you'll be trying to drive on slippery, sideways tilting, halfway buried planks that your about ready to slip off of.
How's that for painting an ugly picture. Maybe it's not as soft or wet as I envision, but a proper "mat" is like a barge and a few planks (not connected)..... think canoe.

 

[boostmg]

Just get 8 to 10 feet long scrap (rough) 2x12.... Its the surface area the load is dispersed over that matters...

Where can i get scrap?

i understand about the canoe analogy too. I just used plastic pallets this weekend and they helped me get unstuck but i didn’t use them as bog mats.

that’s the trick i have to come up with a system i can leapfrog using the tractor. So moving by hand.

 

[Rebeldad1]

how big? maybe just fill with 6" crush.

 

[boostmg]

how big? maybe just fill with 6" crush.

It’s a big area. Probably 2-300 ft total. I would need to leapfrog it someway.
I’m thinking large enough wood sections for each wheel will do it.

 

[beeforty]

Depending on how boggy it is, the last time I saw someone using mats for an excavator, they had 12x12's bolted together in about 8' x 12' mats! They were digging out mud along the flooded area of San Francisco Bay for a new access road to a bridge. Watched a Cat operator with 6" high paddle tracks curl up the goo to somewhat dry out before excavating the mud. from a distance the operator looked like he was sitting at mud level! I think you would want some width to your mats to allow for differences in the density of the ground to not have to worry about rolling off the edge.

 

[dirttoys]

I did. For a 4 ton mini. Used the tee's and stand offs from server power polls I had, they are roughly 3X4 and worked great. Drilled and used half inch all thread.

I use treated plywood for trying to save grass with wheeled machines. Mud mats work good with tracks, Make sure you have a plan for when you drop a wheel or two off with a tractor.............

Best careful,

ed

 

[Doorman63]

Once the weight of your tractor pushed the lumber down I don’t think you’d get them out by hand.

 

[bcp]

Boggy all year? Maybe frozen in winter? Access from a different direction? Do something else? Excavate with high explosives?



Bruce

 

[WranglerX]

Where can i get scrap?

i understand about the canoe analogy too. I just used plastic pallets this weekend and they helped me get unstuck but i didn’t use them as bog mats.

that’s the trick i have to come up with a system i can leapfrog using the tractor. So moving by hand.

Try local building salvage yard or any deconstruction/demolition company.... Just be sure if using individual boards the are laid perpendicular to direction of travel and not try to straddle board laid in direction of travel...

 

[ponytug]

Even experienced operators drop equipment off of hurdles or bog mats or corduroy roads when the semisolid soil liquifies or sinks. I have seen the holes that can be punched through apparently solid marsh soils by heavy equipment. Once it breaks through, it is gone.

I think that you would be well advised to think up a different way to do what needs doing.

All the best,

Peter

 

[bindian]

I cut them out of 3 inch thick Red Oak 24-30 inches wide and 10 foot wide. For my excavator. I don't see how you can get them unstuck from the mud without hydraulics. Hyd thumbs on excavators excel at this. I can see slick mud matts letting a BH slide sideways off the edge of matts if the mud is softer on one side. I'm sure it can be done, but is it worth the pucker factor?

I agree with 4570Man. Hire or rent an excavator. Then you will want your own!
hugs, Brandi

 

[WranglerX]

Local utility company has "synthetic" (plastic?) mats in their yard where they store power poles... Mats look to be about 8 X10 and perforated.... Maybe perforation is answer to break suction when trying to move.... Some on line searches show the mats are not greatly expensive and some are actually made from recycled plastic milk jugs and such... Again its all about what you are trying to do and where you are going with mats...

 

[Gee Ray]

The plastic mats seam like a good idea but they are extremely heavy and they are hard to move.

 

[GJohnson]

The plastic mats seam like a good idea but they are extremely heavy and they are hard to move.

The plastic mats are a lot less weight than swamp mats made of creosote ties. In fact, a small loader can place them with ease. When renting these, plan to rent as many as needed to road in to where the work will happen. If you need a platform to work off of, measure the area and rent all at once. They work really well and can be utilized by wheeled vehicles as well as tracked ones. Also, the ones I’ve used, can’t speak for everyone here, but the ones I’ve used have a tongue and groove edge for lapping over the next panel, creating an actual solid roadway. As always, use good judgment when applying weight!

 

[kevin37b]

Do not even attempt that with a backhoe , Kevin .