Helpful Hints
2 - for Using Trail Blazer Mats with Manufactured Homes |
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1.
Trail Blazer Mats is an engineered, portable roadway system,
made from a space-age fiberglass composite material. This
is the strongest mat system ever offered to the mobile home
industry. Trail Blazer Mats will carry the weight of a mobile
home without breaking, splintering, or folding up, even when
matting over tire ruts, rocks, curbs, and mud that looks like
"chocolate pudding". |
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2.
Trail Blazer Mats were intended for the Manufactured Home.
And they are certainly strong enough for the weight of a Tow
Vehicle, but they need some help to keep from being "spun
out" from under the drive wheels of a vehicle pulling
30,000 lbs. of dead weight. We can add "Spikes"
to make a Tow Vehicle version. "Spike" is just a
play on words. They're really just bolts that protrude below
the mats about 3/4". If the "Spikes" aren't
enough, then add 1" angle iron to the "Spikes".
That has been found to stop any spinning out problem. |
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3.
When laying Trail Blazer Mats, overlap them about 6".
This is true for any type of sheet product you would be using
whether it is plywood, plastic, or old "aircraft"
landing mats. Always overlap in the direction that the Manufactured
Home is going. That means picking up the end of the "ground"
mat and sliding the tip of the new mat underneath. That way
the mat being driven over controls the tip of the next mat.
This is particularly important in extremely soft ground or
on uneven surfaces. If the mats are overlaid the wrong way
or just butted together, the tip of a mat can flex up and
catch the under carriage of the house or will get between
the house tires. If that is allowed to happen it can result
in sever problems! The softer the mud, the more overlap is
required. For mud of the consistency of "chocolate pudding"
the required overlap can be as much as 2 feet. Controlling
the tip of the mat prevents most of the problems that can
occur. |
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4.
The Trail Blazer Mats product line is actually (4) four distinct
items: |
Tight Spotter Mats |
The Ditch Bridge |
Jack Pads |
Dozer Mats |
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A. Tight Spotter Mat can handle the weight of any manufactured
house. They are offered in the following widths, 16",
24", 32", 48", and can be any length. Keep
in mind that weight is a big factor in the decision of which
mat to order. The most popular mat, Tight Spotter Mat p/n 3750-300-0206, is 2' X 6' and
weighs 48 Ibs. The largest mat, Persuader p/n/ 3750-100-4808, weighs
115 lbs., is used for cranes up to 100,000 lbs. to set modular
sections. A typical Trail Blazer Mats mat comes with hand
cut-outs for ease of handling in the field. Rule of Thumb:
If the ground is so soft that a bulldozer is needed to pull
the house in, Trail Blazer Mats will keep the house up. |
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B. The Ditch Bridge is the only "Bridge"
ever offered the mobile home industry is built out of the
same material as our Trail Blazer Mats. Built to carry the
weight of a house (limited to 50,000 lbs.) over a road side
ditch up to ( 6' ) across, without requiring support underneath. |
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There are three (3) important things to remember when using
the Ditch Bridge: |
1. Line it up straight |
2. Drive straight |
3. Make sure the ground can carry the load on both sides of
the ditch whatever that requires. |
The Ditch Bridge is built strong enough to carry the load
but, the responsibility for using in under safe conditions
and handling it appropriately remains with the user in the
field. |
The Ditch Bridge is 26" wide and 8' long. Weight is about
145 lbs. You are going to need at least (2) two Bridges. With
the trend for long houses and multi-axles, it is going to
be tough to get everything lined up so you can get by with
just one Bridge. |
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A word about weight limits. The Ditch Bridge has been designed
to cover 90% of the market. If you need a bridge for
heavier houses, call us. Bridges are labeled with a 20,000
lbs. point-load limit. In a multi-axle situation, some of
the weight may be carried by other axles. Your concern should
be, "how much weight is going across the bridge at anyone
time". |
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The
Ditch Bridge is intended for use with the Manufactured Home.
The Ditch Bridge is NOT INTENDED FOR USE WITH THE TOW VEHICLE.
The Ditch Bridge is not wide enough for the wheels of a Tow
Truck, and The Ditch Bridge has no side rails. |
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C. Jack Pads are also made from the same material as
the Trail Blazer Mats. In fact,
Trail Blazer Mats can be used for jacking the house. The Jack
Pads have been built 24" square with (2) two hand cutouts
for ease of handling. Weight is 13 lbs. |
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D. Dozer Mats are made from a tough rubber belting
material. It's a simple product
for those who use bulldozers to move houses. They keep the
tracks from tearing up the road or the parkway in mobile home
parks. Using Dozer Mats are a lot easier than using old tires. |
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5.
Clean any of the Trail Blazer Mats products with a water hose
and elbow grease. |
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6.
Even though Trail Blazer Mats are made with UV inhibitors,
the sun finally gets to them. The life expectancy can be greatly
increased if the mats are stored inside or covered from direct
sunlight when not being used. |
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7.
Yes! We make all sizes of mats: shorter, longer, wider, narrower,
stronger. Color, shape, textured surface; we do it all. We
can customize Trail Blazer Mats to do your job. |
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8.
Trail Blazer Mats and The Ditch Bridges are made from a polymer
reinforced glass material. These are traction mats with sharp,
tough surfaces. They WILL cut you if handled without appropriate
work gloves. Eye and hand protection are also required. |
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9.
Hand cut-outs on the side of the mats make them easier
to handle. The bad news is that the Hand Holes create a weak
spots in the Mat. Your crew needs to be aware of this and
make sure the mats are laid in such a way that the tires don't
cross over the hand cut-outs. |
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Helpful
Hints 1 - General Applications |
Helpful Hints 3 - Cemeteries |
