Dual Towed Mat Floppy Loops

• Price: Price on application

Laying out wire loops on plastic mats may seem like a great, simple and cheap idea. TEM practically requires loops of reasonable size, typically at least 2m x 2m for a transmitter and 0.5m x 0.5m for a receiver if of simple design. Minimum size loops can go on plastic sheets which gradually wear out as they are dragged on the ground and once there is one hole a stump will wedge through it and tear the whole sheet. A 2mm thick HDPE sheet may last a few hundred kilometres if weight is carefully distributed across the sheet.

A second problem occurs with wind such as from passing vehicles. 2mm HDPE is heavy and it is easy to get 200kg of mat flying through the air as a road train passes or a willy willy  (tornado) catches it.

A third problem occurs with any vehicle towed by rope – that is its steering tends to drift downhill and that can be into dams, or across the crest of roads into the path of oncoming traffic on roads.

A fourth problem occurs at gateways if the loop is wide. It is easy to make a 4.5m wide sheet with wings on the side that fold such as shown in the photo. This can fold to pass through gateways.

We can remake towed mat systems up to 2m wide by 6.5m long but refuse to go any larger. See the ‘Floppy Loop on Sacrificial Sheet’ option.