Grip Mats
Hi,
Had our first Motorhome (Benimar Tessoro 413) for a month now and loving it.
Just wondering do we need grip mats and are they any good? We intend to use hardstanding wherever possible but appreciate that there may be the odd occassion when hardstanding is not available so will have to use grass pitches. Hear people say they are pointless and don't work when you really need them.
Would love advice from people with actual experiance.
Comments
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Anything is better than nothing. Wet grass is the most challenging of all off-road surfaces, especially on a slope.
I do sometimes carry a couple of bridging ladders if I'm intending any off-highway activities when away with the caravan, and have never needed to use them on a camp-site. At the other end of the scale, a couple of flattened out cardboard boxes can make a difference, or even use the floor mats from the cab.
The essential point is to not spin the wheels and dig a hole. A rule of thumb is that a vehicle sunk in earth up to its axles takes seven times the pull to get it out than one sitting at ground level. And you can use your grip mats, cardboard boxes, etc in snow as well.
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It’s ridiculous how easily a motorhome can be marooned by a bit of wet grass and slight incline. I suppose it’s the combination of constant movement and weight ‘bogging’ it into the soft ground combined with tiny wheels? Folks who choose to leave the waste tank valve open often reap what they sow in that context.
In terms of a cheap solution..... a couple of modified bread trays works wonders.
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We carry four squares of 25mm marine ply in the bottom of a locker.They are carefully placed under each wheel by my lovely assistant(Mrs E.) as we park up on a boggy,grass pitch.We also carry two long grip mats,to place in front of the fwd ply pads when running off wet grass.Not had to use them very often but they have come in very handy indeed when we have needed them to get off boggy ground- think THS and CLs in wet weather conditions.Slow and steady does it as a fast spinning wheel can launch blocks and mats into the air with some force!
A short bit of rope on the grip mats helps the assistant with retrieval, without getting hands too muddy,only once the vehicle is safely out of the way.
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We also try to use hardstandings where possible. If you have to use grass I would suggest a pitch inspection before you drive on to judge how soft the ground is. Likewise pitch as close to the road as you can, don't be tempted by the pitch a hundred yards from the road!!! If the ground is firm, even when wet you may be OK without slip mats but a belt and braces approach would be to use them anyway. Don't forget the style of driving can also contribute to the spinning of wheels so treat wet grass like ice!
David
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We always carry something to put under front drive wheels, ranging from those cheap as chips Aldi track mats, to proper off road waffle bridging ramps if the weather is truly bad. (Those of PD’s look a good alternative👍)
It has made life a lot easier, and we have managed grass pitches in some atrocious weather. Mind, our MH isn’t huge, only 5.5 metres, and we put them down as a precaution rather than a solution.
Always, always walk the pitch prior to putting anything on it, be it caravan or MH. We have towed vans out of muddy holes with our Jeep on some CLs, after unwary folks have got stuck.
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PD's grippers look the business. I've got some Milenco track mats under the wheels of mine but it is surprising how, in just a couple of days, the wheels can sink into the ground.
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Some thoughts;
As pointed out above, make sure the mats are ridged and spread the load of the tyre. Nothing worse than finding the mat neatly wrapping the tyre having sunk.
Fix the mats on the driving wheels before moving off. The mats can shoot out like a bullets from a gun and go for a distance, possibly hitting parts of the vehicle, or bystanders legs.
Once moving, don’t stop until you reach Terrafirma.
Trick question? Do you know where the towing loop is kept, and does it actually screw in without crossing threading . ;-)
rgds
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A short bit of rope on the grip mats helps the assistant with retrieval, without getting hands too muddy,only once the vehicle is safely out of the way.
A longer length of rope and an attachment point on the vehicle ( I use the tow ball ) save having to go back to lift the mat/track/gripper and avoids forgetting them altogether in the joy of release!
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Hard Standings are not always the answer, I got caught at the delightful Old Hartley Site. The hard stands there were concrete rectangles but set into the grass so as I came off the H/S I was not doing enough speed to avoid an immediate settling into the green and soggy
. Fortunately the ( excellent ) warden had some stiff rectangular heavy duty rubber mats and, with a short pull from a mowing machine or similar I was straight off onto the road. Bought a set of the "ladders" such as PeeDee posted asap -- practised with them & they are very good BUT Mr Sod's law applied~~ not been needed since !!1
