BLOG.SENTINELFENDERS.COM

Paintable Fenders

2011-04-07T15:30:00Z

A number of folks have asked about Poly Pro fenders that can be painted.

The Poly Pro series of fenders are not paintable. The unique composition of the High Density Polyethylene material is uniquely slippery. That's good news if you haul loads through sloppy mud and goo but not a good characteristic if you want paint to stick.

Sentinel Composites offers a line of paintable TPO fenders that are easily painted. The TPO (Thermal Poly Olefin) requires an adhesion promoter plus the use of automotive paint with flexing agent. They paint up just like any car bumper that has been in production for the past ten years. See the technical resources area of this website for downloadable instructions for painting.

The TPO fenders are not currently warehoused in The Merritt Equipment warehouses but we can easily drop ship them direct from the factory. The SKU's for the various fenders are:

5300-2 - Single Radius Half Fender
5310-2 - Single Radius Half fender with light prep

5303-2 - Full Tandem Kit
5313-2 - Full Tandem Kit with light prep

5304-2 - Single Axle Full Radius (pictured)
5314-2 - Single Axle Full Radius with Light Prep

5305-2 - Single Axle Full Radius (465 mm tires)
5315-2 - Single Axle Full Radius with Light Prep (465 mm tires)

Sentinel Composites is planning on making these items standard warehoused items in the next months. Allow 4 weeks for build and delivery until they are in all of the distribution centers. These items can be ordered through any of the retailers that carry the Merritt Equipment products, including all Paccar associated retail shops (Kenworth and Peterbilt) in North America.

If you have any question about ordering, drop us a line and we will help find a source for your closest retailer.

Mid America 2011

2011-04-04T15:01:00Z

Just got back from the Mid America truck Show in Louisville and I have to marvel at all of the new products on display.

Sentinel Composites had a new Poly Pro fender on display with the optional light prep kit installed and we received lots of positive feedback. The Engineering department will be making a couple of tweaks to the design based on all of the feedback that we received. Thanks to all who stopped past the Merritt Equipment booth to look at all of the Sentinel products on display.

In this next quarter, we will be tooling up to launch the Super-Single series of Poly Pro fenders. We had a significant amount of interest in the new size as many of the fleets are changing over from the traditional dually setup to the new 465mm tires. Look for the single axle full radius model to launch first followed by the single radius half fender. We will be dropping into all 12 of the Merritt Equipment warehouses around the country in the next 3 months

Also, Bob Zieske, the inventor of the Z&Z bracket system, has agreed to author a series of blog articles detailing the installation of fenders using his unique bracket system. We look forward to gaining insight from this industry veteran.

The Sentinel Poly Pro single axle full radius (SKU 5344-2), the half tandem (SKU 5340-2) and the full tandem kit (SKU 5343-2) are all immediately available through any of the Merritt Equipment products retailers. These include all of the Paccar company stores (Peterbilt and Kenworth) in North America.

Thanks again to the folks at Merritt Equipment who have welcomed our products into their fold. We are looking forward to a great year partnering with them and all of their representatives.

Light prep kits for Poly Pro fenders

2011-03-09T16:45:00Z

Sentinel Composites Poly Pro fenders are now available with light prep. These fenders are pre-drilled with 4.5-inch holes that will accept standard 5-inch round LED tail lights. Each fender kit is shipped with all of the hardware required to assemble the fenders. You supply the lights and wiring. We recommend using the Z&Z EZ-Mount fender bracket system for a seamless installation onto your truck.

Poly-pro fenders are constructed from premium quality High Density Polyethylene which is a durable and stylish material. This HDPE sheds anything that you can through at it. Simply spay off with water and they look as good as new.

Standard 105-inch Dual axle kits can be ordered using Merritt Equipment item number: 5343-2. For spread axle or Canadian axle configurations, use Merritt Equipment Item number: 5342-2 to receive the 111-inch fender kits.

See this fender at the Mid America Truck Show (MATS) in Louisville, Kentucky from March 31 until April 3. Sentinel Composites will be demonstrating products in the Merritt Equipment booth.

New and Improved Fender Designs

2011-03-07T19:06:00Z

You spoke...we listened.

In keeping with our commitment to Total Quality Management, we have revised some design aspects of the Sentinel fender line. In the next iteration, the Poly-Pro! half fenders and full fender assemblies will have a different ribbing pattern at the back of the fender unit. By making this change, the Z&Z fender mounting bracket will fit more easily onto the fender. The current design creates a very tight fit for the mounting bolts. The new design eliminates any over torque situations with the mount bolts.

Current fenders have a spacer pack that is available from the Merritt Equipment customer service desk. These should be available March 31, 2011.

New installation instructions will be published on our website when the new product is available. If you need any extra assitance, please drop me a line at jhoffmann@sentinelfenders.com.

Happy trucking.

John Hoffmann
Product Manager
Sentinel Composites

The New Guardian Fender

2010-08-23T22:35:00Z

The new Guardian fender is here.

You asked for an entry level fender to outfit the fleets of trucks on the road, and we've delivered. The new Guardian fender line is constructed from High Density Polyethylene and available in full radius single axle sizes, single radius half tandems, and as extended half tandems.

A new connector bridge kit will now allow you to bridge together two of the half tandem fenders to create one huge, 105-inch dual axle fender. This kit includes two connector bridges and enough mounting hardware to outfit a complete tractor. Use the extended half tandems with the connector kit for spread axle applications. this setup creates a 111-inch long, dual radius dual axle fender that will protect your rig from rocks, slush, and other assorted nasty things.

This entry level fender is just the ticket for fleet managers looking for an inexpensive fender to cover all of their trucks. The handsome design will compliment the look of your equipment, not look like a bargain basement add on. Combine the Guardians with a set of EZ-Mount brackets, and you'll have a durable set up that is on the job for years of trouble free operation.

For more information about these new products from Sentinel, contact your local Merritt Equipment retailer.

The Ultimate Durability Test

2010-04-07T18:59:00Z

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

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

Mid America Truck Show

2010-03-29T18:18:00Z

Wow.

The Mid America Truck Show was a blast. All of the folks in Louisville were awesome and the convention center was first rate. This is the only convention center that I've seen with an amusement park in the parking lot. That's a huge complex!

Our product launch went better than expected. Thanks to all who stopped past the Merritt Equipment booth to look at our new fender lines. The feedback was positive and we learned a few things that need to be fixed as well.

Some of the things we learned: the severe-duty fenders are are in great demand by a lot of you guys who fight with gravel roads or carry uneven loads, very few people liked the brilliant orange paint over a textured surface (my idea), and our Guardian fenders rival the best line of decorative fenders that are out there. We have some work to do - getting our brand name out on the streets, but there was a lot of buzz in Louisville, so hopefully y'all are talking about our products with your friends.

For now, our engineering team is hunkered down and putting the CAD computer through its paces and the tooling department will work its magic. We will be filling the warehouses with some cool truck fenders in a few weeks. If you want to find a dealer close to you, go to www.merrittequipment.com .

John Hoffmann
Product Manager - Fender Systems
Sentinel Composites

We're ready to launch.

2010-03-09T20:27:00Z

Greetings all.

Sentinel Composites. A brand you've never heard of before.

That's because we're launching a totally new brand of products into the marketplace. We have had the good fortune to partner with the good folks at Merritt Equipment Company in Henderson, Colorado to be our exclusive distribution partner. Merritt has been around for more than 50 years, with experience in manufacturing and selling high quality aluminum trailers and truck accessories. We got our start in the boating industry, making all kinds of products for some of the most popular fishing and pleasure boats on the water.

It's a good fit. We have decades of experience manufacturing high-quality fiberglass, plastic, and composite products that need to be durable and visually pleasing to some of the most discerning boat designers around. Merritt has decades of experience selling quality items into the truck accessories market. Together, we have a solid partnership that will deliver some of the highest quality fenders and other aftermarket accessories available.

It all began when our over-the-road truck driver was petitioning our management team to buy a set of fenders for one of the company trucks. The response was, "Why would we do that? We could just make you a set. It can't be that hard."

Fortunately, that driver was persistent enough to coerce the tooling manager to create a set of tools to make a fender in our plant along side all of our regular products. Using technology and proprietary resins that we had formulated for the marine industry, the first set of fenders came through the 'skunk works' a little out of round and rough around the edges. Not as easy as we thought.

After a couple of tries, a lot of welding, cutting, and retooling, we made a set of fenders, that are now branded as the "Guardian" series. Our paint shop did their usual magic and painted them up a glossy shade of Freightliner Red. We got them mounted on the truck and set off for the Chrome Shop Mafia's "Guilty By Association" truck expo in Joplin, Missouri. The company truck looked great with the new fenders and all shined up. Luckily, Bill Chaplin from Merritt Equipment was at that show with all of his accessories and Bob Zieske from Z&Z, the maker of the world's best universal fender mounting hardware. They were weeks from choosing a composites company to partner with, so the timing was just right for us to meet.

We are officially launching the Sentinel line at the Mid America Truck Show (M.A.T.S.) on March 25th in Louisville. Stop past the Merritt Equipment booth and say hello. We look forward to meeting all of our new "old friends" and getting your input into what styling queues will give your truck "The Look" that defines your style.

Sentinel is busily working on tooling to make new fender styles. We hired a new fiberglass expert and have our engineers grinding out some cool new concepts. We are planning on releasing a new design every two to three months to fill up the product catalog, so check back often to see what new products are available for your truck.

Welcome

2010-03-08T19:23:21Z

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.