Searching for the ideal precasted wheel stopper supplier? The sole purpose of a wheel stopper is to come to a halt at just the right moment, again and again; without cracking open, moving out of place, or chipping from repeated contact. If it does, no one’s the wiser. If it doesn’t, it’s not a matter of the idea of precast wheel stoppers — it’s almost certainly the precast wheel stopper supplier. In this guide, you will learn how to assess a precast wheelstop supplier to ensure the units will hold in place and will not need replacing after a year or two.
The size and the price per unit are not the only factors that should be taken into account when choosing a Supplier.
The first comparison most buyers make is length, height and price per unit. A good starting point but it omits the crucial aspects of how a wheel stopper operates; the ability to reinforce and cure the concrete to withstand repeated impact without chipping or cracking, and the ability to securely anchor it so it remains in place where it is placed.
The repeated impact is absorbed by small wheel stoppers. Each parking operation applies a real, but small, impact load to the same small contact area, day-after-day, for years. A supplier who views the production of wheel stoppers as a real trigger resistant product and not simply “a small precast block” reinforces and finishes accordingly. One who doesn’t will present units that are looking great on the pallet and begin to chip at the touch points, crack or begin to work loose from the anchoring in a season or two of regular use.
Know Exactly What Type of Wheel Stopper Your Project Needs
The wheel stoppers come in a variety of different types, depending on the type of project you are working on, and anchoring requirements, so it is helpful to know what you are looking for before you compare suppliers.
Standard Parking Lot Wheel Stoppers
In most general parking lot and driveway applications, standard wheel stoppers which are fit to the typical passenger vehicle wheelbase are used. They should be all the same length and height to give a uniform line across a parking area, and should not appear to be broken even though each may be sound.
Heavy Duty and Commercial Vehicle Wheel Stopper.
Heavy Duty stoppers are sized and reinforced appropriately for repeated heavier impacts or larger commercial vehicles and trucks than for typical passenger applications. These require reinforcement based on the actual vehicle weight and speed typically experienced because under-sizing raises the rate of cracking and the number of times they need to be replaced.
Wheel Stoppers with reflective and High-visible performance.
Reflective wheel stoppers feature reflective strips or bright colors so that drivers can see them, especially when parking in a dark garage or parking lot. These must be part of the manufacture and not be added as an afterthought as poor bonding or application of reflective elements before the concrete body will fail well before it does.
Parking Wheel Stoppers That Are ADA Compliant and Accessible Parking Wheel Stoppers.
For accessible parking, the applications may have certain dimensional and placement requirements related to accessibility standards. These must have dimensions and perhaps color or marking requirements that comply with the applicable accessibility standard for your location, in some jurisdictions.
Once you have identified the type of project you need to do, you can shortlist your suppliers to include manufacturers that are able to deliver consistent quality at the correct specification for your project.
Do they have any reinforcement or impact resistance?
A supplier who is truly dedicated to the manufacture of wheel stoppers will reinforce them as necessary for the way they are to be used, not just manufacture every size out of the same unreinforced mix. It is more important with heavy duty commercial use; where impact from large vehicles has to be repeated over and over again, causing a true stress on the unit that is greater than that of typical passenger car contact.
Explicitly question if the units are reinforced and what the actual specification of strength they are cast to is, and make sure that is related to your specific application (standard passenger parking vs heavier commercial vehicle use). A supplier that understands different applications and specifies for them is talking your language. Anyone providing a blanket product, without taking the time to ask about use is worthy of further investigation for anything other than light duty parking.
Discuss Their Anchoring System and Fixing Options
In the case of wheel stoppers, the way that the unit is secured to the ground can directly impact whether it will remain stable under continuous impact. What anchoring/fixing options are available (rebar pins, adhesive anchors, or surface mounted fixings) and which they would prefer for your surface type and expected traffic?
A supplier that can communicate on a specific level about anchoring that is suitable for asphalt vs concrete surfaces and regular vs heavy-duty uses is showing actual product knowledge. If a supplier doesn’t bother to provide or specify fixings, they are failing to do much more than leave you to deal with one of the most frequent reasons for wheel stoppers to fail.
Check the manufacturing quality control Precast Wheel Stopper Supplier
There may be two or more wheel stoppers with the same nominal dimensions but would vary in quality due to various casting methods. Inquire about methods of casting units, the procedure for curing and what inspections are carried out before units are delivered.
Consistent size is more important than you might think in some instances, for example, across a large lot where dozens of units need to be in line. A well-cured finish is also much more resistant to chipping due to repeated wheel contact than an undercured unit. These details give you a good idea of the level of discipline that the supplier’s production line has.
Please request colour and finish uniformity over a large order.
In larger installations, colour and finish uniformity throughout the entire order are important for appearance and, in reflective or accessible installations, for visibility purposes. Inquire how the supplier regulates the pigment dose and consistency of finishes from batch to batch and if they can guarantee the same level if you require extra batch during the project in order to obtain the same level of match.
Suppliers who have strict batch monitoring can provide visually uniform units over a big order or subsequent to top up delivery. Suppliers who do not have that control, may supply a noticeably different shade or finish for a subsequent batch of cars over a large, uniform parking area.
Consider the installation and fixing requirements of various materials and components.
Depending on anchoring and the surface type, there are different installation requirements. What installation method is recommended by the supplier for the particular surface – new asphalt, cured asphalt or concrete – and does the supplier supply fixings or instructions for installing as part of the order?
Be sure to ask if their recommended fixing method also differs for heavy-duty applications, because a fixing good for repeated light passenger vehicle impact may not be sufficient for repeated heavier commercial vehicle impact.
Read Their Review and History Precast Wheel Stopper Supplier
With reinforcement and anchoring specifications, you will know what a supplier says their units can do. If you see parking areas installed, you get what you get. Seek examples of wheel stoppers being used for similar applications and vehicle types, and ask what kind of results they’ve had with them, such as “no chipping” and “still in place after many seasons of use.
No spec sheet would reflect the quality of a supplier who has previously had a consistent history of stoppers holding position and not chipping after several years of use.
These are some red flags you should be aware of when buying a used car.
Some of the warning signs that can occur with lesser trusted wheel stoppers recur in most of these suppliers: No differentiation between standard and heavy duty wheel stopper specifications, ambiguous or non-existent instructions on how to anchor the product, chipping or lack of uniformity on sample products, and pricing being substantially lower than that of other suppliers with no explanation provided as to why.
The presence of none of these is not a reason to eliminate a supplier, but if two or three are present, it is a good reason to take a closer look.
Integrating all the pieces Precast Wheel Stopper Supplier
The selection of the best precast wheel stopper supplier will depend on matching the reinforcement and anchoring of the wheel stopper to the actual use; and upon the supplier’s ability to provide a consistent product in your requirements, not just a nice sample. Do this correctly and your wheel stoppers do exactly what they are designed to do – park the vehicles without needing to be replaced regularly – parking after parking.