The Ultimate Durability Test
The Ultimate Durability Test
-----do not attempt----
We had the opportunity to see just how durable our Guardian fenders really are. After a long and brutal winter of continuous use, our Minnesota-to-Texas Freightliner truck was in a wreck. On a twisty two-lane, the passenger-side front tire lost the pavement and grabbed onto the soft, shoulderless berm in central Missouri. This wrenched the whole rig, complete with 53-foot trailer, down into a six foot deep ditch for 75 yards. Our seasoned operator had the presence of mind to not panic and flip over, but after working his way back to the road surface, the driver's side front tire grabbed with force that was too intense to be corrected. This took the rig out of the right-side ditch, went airborne and did a nose-plant into the opposite ditch. Still upright, the trailer was traversing the entire roadway with the cab firmly planted with its nose down in the opposite ditch.
With bumper mangled, fuel tanks crushed, and steps forcibly removed, the original set of Guardian fenders managed to survive without failing. But, when the wrecker came to pull our trusty rig out of the mud, the cab and trailer twisted and grinded enough to crack the top surface. These Series-1 fenders passed all of our stress tests with flying colors and we won't fault them for failing after this abuse. All of the Tensile Modulus and Flexural Modulus testing gives our engineers a good idea of how durable a fender will be, but nothing beats real-world testing
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We know that trucks in the real world see these events every day. Road debris, uneven pavement, shoulderless highways, and other assorted hazards put our trucks through stress tests every day. It's nice to know that you don't have to worry about your fenders losing their way when everything is does.
By the way, our driver is fine and is using a rental truck for the immediate future. We'll be repairing the Freightliner and fitting her with a fresh set of Protector fenders painted up in Brilliant red. Hopefully, our lab testing is enough for now.
the Sentinel Team
It looks like you guys are just copying what's already out there. What makes yours better?
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Looks can be deceiving.
We actually have imported technology used in manufacturing components for the marine industry to build our line of fenders. Much of the material construction used in producing the fenders is also technology that we have developed over three decades to produce durable, rigid, and beautiful boat consoles and helms. In the marine market, materials are exposed to the extremes of weather and also have to remain a show piece for the boat's interior. Additionally, structural components need to meet strict guidelines established by the U.S. Coastguard for safety and performance.
The Mark-I fenders are constructed using a proprietary technique that bonds ABS and fiberglass chop at the molecular level. This guarantees that the components meld into a homogeneous material that will never delaminate. The advantage is that the resulting structure is super strong with about half the weight of a pure gel-coat fiberglass fender. This manufacturing method allows for production of 8 to ten units per hour at each manufacturing station. A pure gel coat fender mold will produce one or two units per day. Labor content is greatly reduced resulting in a cost savings that we pass along to the end user. A single axle Mark-I fender weighs in at 57 pounds and will easily support my weight if I stand on top ( I weigh 195 pounds) with no flexing or strain.
The single piece fenders are constructed from engineered materials along with some more common materials. Fiberglass-impregnated Thermopoly-olefin, high density polyethylene, and automotive grade thermopoly-olefin are some of the materials that we use in our fender materials. In each product line, we have chosen materials that maximize performance and value.
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