Wind damaged pavement signs

[L J.]

Nigel,
I would suggest that anyone (with any commonsense) leaving their A Board outside in this wind is asking for trouble, it is certainly not the sign makers fault.

I actually gave up stocking what i call cheap A Boards a few years ago as i was having the same problems. What I’ve done since is try & convince the customer what the downside of these cheap A Boards are, & then show them the heavy wooden ones that i do recommend.

Some listen & take my advice (so far no more complaints) & i admit some orders i loose by not selling them a cheap one, (some you win & some you loose) but saying that the few i have lost i think i have saved my self a lot of future re-work when they complain in this weather, which leaves you to get on with earning a living.

My advice for what it’s worth is if those strengthening strips are a reasonable price why not pacify them by fitting them f.o.c. & try & come to an agreement on price to re – letter.
I would then change suppliers.
good luck,
long john

[Mike Grant]

I no longer offer these cheepies for those very reasons, more hassle than they are worth.

I now make my own “A” frame from 3mm aluminium, strong & heavy enough not to blow over in all but the heavyest of storms. OK they do cost more but as you say you win some and you loose some, but you won’t loose your profit because you feel guilty and redo them for free to save face!!!!

[Nigel Fraser]

…thanks guys, i think you’re probably right 😕 but trouble is almost all my customers who want pavement signs seem to think they will cost about 50 quid and be light enough for a small child to lift with one hand !! I will try and come to an agreement with this particular customer and see what she says !
I think i’ll make the new panels out of 3mm solid pvc to save me a few quid over the alu version this time.

Nigel

[Paul Rollason]

How about a demo Mike

Paul R(mackerelbus Design)

[Ian Higgins]

Hi,
I make the centre panal out of 5mm foam board with brass eylets in the top. I have only ever had one that was a problem and we put a powder coated steel strip along the top and re drilled it.
If your customer has 3 that have broken she should claim off her insurance for storm damage…
cheers
Ian

[Dave Bruce]

Nigel, I am having the same problem. I discussed the problem with Signwaves(?) and they suggested makeing another panel out of 3mm alucolour/Dibond, I have done this for one customer, but it still swings alot. Signwave sell a more expensive version, you fill the base with water but the panel is even bigger and thus catches more wind. I have made on out of heavier aluminium before and it did the job, I suppose it depends what the customer wants to spend.

Cheers

Dave

[Phil Davies]

nigel

we also used A display a boards
for a while, had a few complaints

they actually do blow over dead easy
well the ones i was using anyway
ended up redoing a few
not good aswell when i go past a frame ive done
and they had to weigh it down with a slab
also they go rusty really quick around the welds

we dont use them any more as poor
products reflected on us .we pay a bit more now
and use rotosigns had no complaints up to yet anyway

phil

[Nigel Fraser]

glad to hear i’m not the only on who’s had probs anyway 🙄 I guess the moral is you get what you pay for. Having said that a-display have launched a new version of that sign with the pivots on the sides of the panel and not the top edge – did one this week and it seemed better made.
thank anyway guys 😉
Nigel

[John Singh]

Was is it with folk

We’ve had storms, floods, landslides, roofs blowing off, power lines down and trees yielding to the mighty elements.

We’ve had dirty great big articulated lorrys overturned by strong gusts……………

and then we get the Charlie who asks about his ‘A’ board, (which is not fixed into cement or padlocked to a lamp post,) say: “Will it be alright in a strong gale?” 🙄

John

[L J.]

quite agree with you short john
long john

[Bill Dewison]

Problem is exactly as you say Nigel, customers expect an A board will cost them £50 and last for a decade 😮 I’ve been selling a variety and no matter what I make them out of, or where I buy them in from, they all fall down at some point. As John says, the wind can take out static objects, huge wagons etc. so an A Board doesn’t stand a chance 😕

I’ve started recommending to customers not to display thier a boards when the wind really picks up, unless they want to go for a heavily weighted display board thats going to cost them £350. Again, exactly as you say, you get what you pay for. Upto now though, no-ones ever bought one of the heavily weighted ones, they all want the lightweight metal ones for just over £100 🙄

Cheers, Dewi