Built from standard modules
A bespoke load-spread system built from standard ALIMATS modules, configured specifically for MEWPs, scissor lifts and spider cranes.
Spider Crane Mats
ALIMATS Powered Access Solution is a modular aluminium mat configuration built specifically for spider cranes, mini cranes and MEWPs, so ground protection keeps working while the machine is tracking, not just standing on outriggers.
Spider crane mats need to spread load while the machine is moving, not just while it's parked on outriggers. The ALIMATS® Powered Access Solution does this with a patented interlocking aluminium module system that transfers load from mat to mat as a spider crane, mini crane or MEWP tracks across it. Modules are light enough to handle by hand, configurations go together in hours, and the system won Most Innovative New Product at the Building Innovation Awards 2023.
Ground protection built for tracking, not just standing
Spider cranes and mini cranes get chosen for exactly the jobs a full-size mobile crane cannot reach: restricted basements, roof plant rooms, narrow site frontages, glazed atria. That manoeuvrability only counts for something if the ground underneath can take the load while the machine is tracking, not just parked on outriggers.
Standard crane mats are built and tested for a static outrigger load sitting in one position. A spider crane or MEWP moves its point load across the mat surface as it tracks, which is a different, and on softer or made-up ground, a harder problem to solve.
Brilliant Ideas Ltd designed ALIMATS to answer both problems with the same modular aluminium system: engineered ground protection for static outrigger loads, and a purpose-built configuration, the Powered Access Solution, for loads that move.
The ALIMATS Powered Access Solution
Patented interlocking design
Load carries from module to module as the machine tracks across the surface, rather than treating each mat as an isolated pad, so the system supports a moving point load rather than only a fixed one.
Award-winning innovation
Won Most Innovative New Product at the Building Innovation Awards 2023, recognition specifically for this tracking use case rather than the standard crane mat configurations.
Why stiffness matters more than strength once a machine is moving
Brilliant Ideas' own bending test rig compares ALIMATS aluminium against a competing UHMW-PE plastic mat under a three-point load simulating an outrigger, applied through a 500mm by 500mm steel plate. At 1 tonne, the plastic mat deflected 102mm; the equivalent ALIMATS module deflected just 2mm. At 2.25 tonnes, the plastic mat deflected 328mm against 3mm for ALIMATS.
| Load test | UHMW-PE plastic mat deflection | ALIMATS aluminium deflection |
|---|---|---|
1 tonne (single layer, 50mm plastic vs 60mm ALIMATS) | 102mm | 2mm |
2.25 tonne (single layer, 50mm plastic vs 60mm ALIMATS) | 328mm | 3mm |
3.5 tonne (double-layer 100mm plastic vs single-layer 60mm ALIMATS) | 161mm | 8mm |
Load test:
1 tonne (single layer, 50mm plastic vs 60mm ALIMATS)
UHMW-PE plastic mat deflection:
102mm
ALIMATS aluminium deflection:
2mm
Load test:
2.25 tonne (single layer, 50mm plastic vs 60mm ALIMATS)
UHMW-PE plastic mat deflection:
328mm
ALIMATS aluminium deflection:
3mm
Load test:
3.5 tonne (double-layer 100mm plastic vs single-layer 60mm ALIMATS)
UHMW-PE plastic mat deflection:
161mm
ALIMATS aluminium deflection:
8mm
That gap comes down to stiffness, or modulus of elasticity, rather than compressive strength alone. A plastic mat can carry a respectable compressive rating and still flex enough to let load triangulate straight through to the ground instead of spreading across the mat surface. Ranked for stiffness, steel comes first, then aluminium, then timber, nylon and polyethylene, per the design guide Construction Ground Condition for Plant, October 2014.
For a spider crane tracking across a mat run, that flex matters more than it does for a static pad: a mat that has already deflected under one track plate has changed shape by the time the next one lands on it. ALIMATS' aluminium construction, alloy 6005A with a compressive strength of 280 MPa, tensile strength of 270 MPa and modulus of elasticity of 69,000 MPa, is built to stay rigid through that whole sequence.
Handleable modules, no heavy plant needed
ALIMATS modules range from the 13kg Mini (0.58m by 0.58m) up to the 48kg Long and Extra Long modules used in the larger configurations. Every module in the range can be carried and placed by hand.
That matters on the sites where spider cranes and MEWPs earn their keep: tight access, restricted headroom, no room to bring in separate plant just to lay mats. Crews can build, and reposition, a Powered Access Solution configuration within hours rather than waiting on additional machinery to move mats around.
Portakabin
“
The ALIMATS® system works well – we use them on 9/10 jobs. Our temporary works team look at the ground, do the calculations and there’s never a problem with specifying these mats to spread the load. They interlock and are easy to set-up without heavy plant
Configuration range and load capacity
- Configuration range
- 1.346m2 to 8.073m2
- Module weight range
- 13kg to 48kg, handleable without plant
- Safe working load range
- Up to 80 tonnes across the core range
For smaller outrigger footprints, typically up to around 1.0 square metre, Brilliant Ideas recommends a crane pad rather than a full mat configuration, specifically certified Nylanite Nylacast Big Foot pads rather than standard HDPE. A Nylacast pad is often used alongside an ALIMATS configuration to optimise load transfer and protect the mat surface, a common combination on spider crane and MEWP jobs where outrigger loads sit at the smaller end of the range.
The Half Loader module
The newest addition to the range, the Half Loader module, moves load away from the centre of the mat and spreads it across two locations instead of one, reducing pressure on the supporting ground for high outrigger loads and, in some cases, removing the need for a separate crane pad altogether.
Every safe working load published for the ALIMATS range is independently verified with a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, so temporary works teams are specifying against a checked figure rather than a manufacturer estimate alone.
Hire, buy, and get mats on site fast
Flexible terms
Available on single day, weekly or long-term hire, or for outright purchase.
Corporate colours
Mats can be painted in corporate colours on request.
Quality checked
Every mat coming back from hire is fully inspected, cleaned and quality-checked before it goes out again.
Delivery runs 24/7, nationwide, on Brilliant Ideas' own FORS Bronze van fleet, with the company's own CSCS-card-holding drivers, most of them CPCS certified, and fully automated proof of delivery. When Ainscough Crane Hire needed a fast turnaround on a 7.06 square metre configuration for a job at Grangemouth, the order went in at 2.50pm and the mats were on site by 8.02am the following morning, inside 18 hours.
Ainscough Crane Hire
“
When we needed a quick turnaround on mats, the Brilliant Ideas team delivered. The 7.06m² mat configurations we hired were ordered at 2.50pm and arrived on site in Grangemouth at 8.02am – all within 18 hours. The mats are handleable and easier and quicker to set-up than steel mats, which are heavy.
ALIMATS configurations, including Powered Access Solution builds, have gone onto sites including Manchester's Co-op Live Arena, HS2, Heathrow and Gatwick airports, Google's King's Cross HQ, Euston Station, London Bridge and major Scottish wind farm developments. Brilliant Ideas is trusted by more than 80 percent of the UK's top twenty Tier 1 contractors.
Frequently asked questions
Can ALIMATS mats take a spider crane's load while it is tracking, not just when it is standing still?
Yes. That is specifically what the ALIMATS Powered Access Solution configuration is built for. The patented interlocking design transfers load between modules as the machine tracks, rather than treating each mat as a separate static pad, and the configuration won Most Innovative New Product at the Building Innovation Awards 2023 for this use case.
What size mat configuration do I need for a spider crane or MEWP?
It depends on the machine's footprint and outrigger loads and on the ground conditions on your site. The core ALIMATS range runs from 1.346 square metres up to 8.073 square metres with safe working loads up to 80 tonnes across the range, and the Powered Access Solution builds a bespoke configuration from those same modules. Use the ALIMATS configurator for an instant price on a starting configuration, or request full specs and drawings so your temporary works team can confirm the right build.
Do I need a crane pad or a full mat configuration for a spider crane outrigger?
For smaller outrigger footprints, typically up to around 1.0 square metre, Brilliant Ideas recommends a certified Nylanite Nylacast Big Foot crane pad rather than standard HDPE. For larger footprints a full ALIMATS mat configuration is the right call, and a Nylacast pad is often used alongside it to optimise load transfer and protect the mat surface.
How is the Powered Access Solution different from a standard ALIMATS crane mat setup?
A standard ALIMATS configuration is engineered for a static outrigger load. The Powered Access Solution uses the same modules but is configured, and interlocks, specifically so load transfers from module to module as a MEWP, scissor lift or spider crane tracks across the surface, rather than each mat carrying an isolated point load.
How quickly can ALIMATS be delivered for a spider crane job?
Brilliant Ideas delivers nationwide, 24/7, on its own FORS Bronze van fleet with its own CSCS and, in most cases, CPCS certified drivers. On one recent job for Ainscough Crane Hire, a 7.06 square metre configuration was ordered at 2.50pm and on site at Grangemouth by 8.02am the next morning, inside 18 hours.
Can I hire ALIMATS for a single day rather than buying a full configuration?
Yes. ALIMATS are available on single day, weekly or long-term hire as well as outright purchase, and every mat coming back from hire is fully inspected, cleaned and quality-checked before it goes out again.
Ready to spec ALIMATS for your next spider crane or MEWP job?
Get an instant price on an ALIMATS configuration through the online configurator, or request full specs and drawings so your temporary works team can check the numbers before you order. Both are available directly on the ALIMATS page.
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