In a variety of construction projects, e.g. the construction of wind power plants and deep foundations, heavy working machines must be used on soft and low-bearing ground. In context of the re-search project “Bearing Layers for mobile Construction Machines and Cranes” the failure mechanism of geosynthetic reinforced multi-layered systems and the complex interaction between construction machines and supporting layers have been clarified by coupling model tests, field tests and numerical simulations. The performed 1g-model tests simulate the loading of construction machines on reinforced support layers underlain by a soft layer under static and cyclic loading conditions in the scale 1:3. This paper presents the results of model tests comparing the bearing and deformation behavior of reinforced and an unreinforced supporting layers for working platforms.