waffle boards

[bravo669]

anybody know where to get cheap waffle boards or similar? thinking of getting some for the slowtrak.
any help greatly appreciated.
cheers

[redhand]

Ebay seems to be the best bet. I was at frickley 4x4 market on Sunday. and a chap was selling a set for £80  :shock: He tried to say that they were specially made for challenge event vehicles. I resisted the urge to tell him he was talking a load of rubbish. They are all made for the petrochemical industry as floor gratings. What you see on the 4x4 scene are the cut offs from the end of a production run or batches with a colour flaw or just a surplus left over from an order. cut to size and sold as waffle boards.

[lee celtic]

what redhand said is true , I met the guys who make them at the health and safety show at the NEC last year .

they come in 10 by 5 feet sheets and the colur tells the thickness and use ;) usually mezzine floors in factories

[Disco Matt]

Ebay's your best bet - managed to pick a pair up for about £50 including postage.

[lee celtic]

found them ;)

http://www.fibreglassgrating.co.uk/homepage.html

[Bob696]

I may have some for sale soon (in time for billing I hope) but I need to test them first as they are slightly different. These have steel rods running through them. Will certainly be less than £50.

[Boddle]

 Recently got some of Ebay £40 + £5 P&P

[Jake]

Ebay seems to be the best bet. I was at frickley 4x4 market on Sunday. and a chap was selling a set for £80  :shock: He tried to say that they were specially made for challenge event vehicles. I resisted the urge to tell him he was talking a load of rubbish. They are all made for the petrochemical industry as floor gratings. What you see on the 4x4 scene are the cut offs from the end of a production run or batches with a colour flaw or just a surplus left over from an order. cut to size and sold as waffle boards.

Thats not technicly true
I cant speak for any other companys out there but we have ours made for us, to the specification we asked for, in the width, length and thickness we required after extensive testing.
They come into us from ....... where we have them delivered by the pallet load (approx 200 a time)
Ours are longer and stronger than all the others on the market and are not made or off cuts from any thing else
If you have a look at ours you'll see there is no cut marks around the outside proving they arn't off cuts
Be careful not to tar every company with that big brush
 [-X

<climbs down from soap box>

[baz2236]

I got mine from here  http://www.fibregrid.com/ they were off cuts of a big job they had 38mm thick ok for my SJ but they bend like mad when my mates TD5 drives on them

[redhand]

Ebay seems to be the best bet. I was at frickley 4x4 market on Sunday. and a chap was selling a set for £80  :shock: He tried to say that they were specially made for challenge event vehicles. I resisted the urge to tell him he was talking a load of rubbish. They are all made for the petrochemical industry as floor gratings. What you see on the 4x4 scene are the cut offs from the end of a production run or batches with a colour flaw or just a surplus left over from an order. cut to size and sold as waffle boards.

Thats not technicly true
I cant speak for any other companys out there but we have ours made for us, to the specification we asked for, in the width, length and thickness we required after extensive testing.
They come into us from ....... where we have them delivered by the pallet load (approx 200 a time)
Ours are longer and stronger than all the others on the market and are not made or off cuts from any thing else
If you have a look at ours you'll see there is no cut marks around the outside proving they arn't off cuts
Be careful not to tar every company with that big brush
 [-X

<climbs down from soap box>

That would probably be this place then!! or somewhere as near as identical as too make no difference. Nice sales patter by the way but It didn't wash. http://www.fibreglassgrating.co.uk/homepage.html

[TechnoTurkey]

I don't think it was a 'sales-patter', as a salesman I should know!

Personally I appreciate knowing that there are different types of products on the market, not all waffles are born equal...

[Lyndsey731]

I bought some cheap ones off e-bay about £50 about a year ago, I've only used them once and that was a scary experience. The creaks and groans they made were terrible the amount of deflection unbelievable, I genuinely thought they were going to shatter into god knows how many pieces throwing shards of fibre glass in all directions. I would certainly think twice about using them again (these were off cuts).

Gav

[stewy1984]

i use 38mm off cut ones, guy up here doe them for £30. they do creek and grown and i wouldnt use them for bridging any large gaps. but for the price and they've been well used and abused. they do the job.

[muddyweb]

That would probably be this place then!! or somewhere as near as identical as too make no difference. Nice sales patter by the way but It didn't wash. http://www.fibreglassgrating.co.uk/homepage.html

It isn't that place...  it's not even a company in this country.  As Jake says they are made in moulds to a specific size which means that the edges are sealed and much less prone to splintering.   Yes, they are more expensive than the offcuts of flooring panels... and that is the reason why.   Please be careful about posting "facts" like yours !

[Rourkie]

Redhand, you could also look at it this way.

"You buy cheap, you pay twice."

"You only get what you pay for."

"Cheap and cheerful normally means they are crap."


Jake wasn't trying the sales pitch, just stating some facts. If you don't know their products it's wrong to presume they the same. [-X

[redhand]

Well perhaps this thread needs some facts instead of "our waffles are better than floorgratings because we say so" If they are made to spec and stronger, lighter etc etc it won't hurt to post those specs for all to see. then people can compare those specs to the ones on the link I posted. and then they'll be able to decide for themselves.

We don't need any trade secrets just simple things like thickness length width and load ratings should be enough.

[landroverkeith]

getting my next set from work  ;) we have some 15 x 10 foot sections the engineers cut for flooring in the workshops  :shock: might cost me a couple of cups of coffee lol

[redhand]

   Please be careful about posting "facts" like yours !

WHY???

[muddyweb]

We don't need any trade secrets just simple things like thickness length width and load ratings should be enough.

They are 1415x312x38mm  and 1415x312x50mm

They don't have load ratings as they are not certified items.

[muddyweb]

   Please be careful about posting "facts" like yours !

WHY???

Why ?   Because whatever your motivation, things which you are presenting as factual and truthful are in fact incorrect and misleading.   You have the right to express an opinion, but when you start to post authoritatively about specifics from what appears to be an uninformed position...  That's when I take exception.

[Discopoo]

I'll have maole syrup on mine

[glaggs]

Try here - I know the guy and the stuff he sells are used by the Challenge guys. Yes they bend and creek but not seen one snap yet. He gets different colours and thickness' so give him a call.

http://lrsoffroad.co.uk/shop/index.php?mod=product&id_prd=208

[redhand]

   Please be careful about posting "facts" like yours !

WHY???

Why ?   Because whatever your motivation, things which you are presenting as factual and truthful are in fact incorrect and misleading.   You have the right to express an opinion, but when you start to post authoritatively about specifics from what appears to be an uninformed position...  That's when I take exception.

We only have your word that What I am saying in wrong. and you seem to have a vested interest in wanting people to believe that some waffle boards like for like are better than others. I have absolutely no interest other than not wanting people to fork out loads of money. When they can buy the same thing for half the price.

As far as I am concerned my word is as good as yours. I have provided proof that waffle boards are made from floor gratings I'm still waiting for proof that there are waffle boards out there that were never designed as floor gratings, and are made to  a higher specification.

[muddyweb]

We only have your word that What I am saying in wrong. and you seem to have a vested interest in wanting people to believe that some waffle boards like for like are better than others. I have absolutely no interest other than not wanting people to fork out loads of money. When they can buy the same thing for half the price.

As far as I am concerned my word is as good as yours. I have provided proof that waffle boards are made from floor gratings I'm still waiting for proof that there are waffle boards out there that were never designed as floor gratings, and are made to  a higher specification.

You have more than my word....  you or anyone else can see for yourself by just comparing the two products.  Since you are going to be at Billing, just wander over to our stand, (you don't even need to speak to anyone so we won't try and influence you or sell you any), and look with your own eyes at the waffles.   They are different to the floor grating offcuts...   they have sealed edges....  they are longer than most of the grating offcuts sold... the surface finish is different to the floor grating material.....  and yes, they are more expensive.

Once you have done this, you can make your own choice about whether it is worth the extra money for a set.   Some people think it is, some think it isn't.   That is the way of the world.

Whatever you may wish to imply, my interest in this conversation is not to sell waffles, but to make sure that people have the correct information about what is available.   To correct you once again, people cannot buy the same thing for half the money.  They can buy a similar product for half the money and for many people this will be absolutely fine and will do everything they need.   

I'm not sure why you are finding it so hard to accept that there are different grades of product here just in the same way there are cheap tyres and expensive tyres, cheap springs and expensive springs, etc, etc.

If you'd like to talk to me in person about it, I'll be happy to spend some time to discuss the finer points at the show.

[glaggs]

The 'Floor grating' off cuts as you call them come in different specs yes. But if you buy from someone who knows the spec then you should be OK as all floor gratting is designed to given safety specs. My contact can get 38mm gritted or un gritted and these have a spec that will support a 2 1/2 tonne vehicle across a 1' gapp easily. He can also get 50mm in gritted or un-gritted and heavey duty 50mm which we are told will support 25 tonne over a 1' span. The advantage of the off cuts as you call them is that with in reason you can specify width and length and my contact can supply. So if you want a short length  or even small off cuts for you Caravan to sit on he will do them as well as lengths longer than normaly suplied. No comparrison test have be done I agree but the industrial flooring is of similar or higher spec than other waffle boards out there. The only proof we have of their capability is that several teams in the Howling Wolf Challenge series are now using 38mm waffles supplied by my contact. I have even spoken to suppliers and they admit cutting up larger sheet for some of the countries leading 4x4 suppliers who then sell it on as bespoke sand ladders.

[redhand]

The 'Floor grating' off cuts as you call them come in different specs yes. But if you buy from someone who knows the spec then you should be OK as all floor gratting is designed to given safety specs. My contact can get 38mm gritted or un gritted and these have a spec that will support a 2 1/2 tonne vehicle across a 1' gapp easily. He can also get 50mm in gritted or un-gritted and heavey duty 50mm which we are told will support 25 tonne over a 1' span. The advantage of the off cuts as you call them is that with in reason you can specify width and length and my contact can supply. So if you want a short length  or even small off cuts for you Caravan to sit on he will do them as well as lengths longer than normaly suplied. No comparrison test have be done I agree but the industrial flooring is of similar or higher spec than other waffle boards out there. The only proof we have of their capability is that several teams in the Howling Wolf Challenge series are now using 38mm waffles supplied by my contact. I have even spoken to suppliers and they admit cutting up larger sheet for some of the countries leading 4x4 suppliers who then sell it on as bespoke sand ladders.

Yep that is exactly the point I was making. Most of the floorgrating manufacturers will also sell you Sand ladders and at a Fraction of the cost of most of the 4x4 suppliers.

[Jake]

I have even spoken to suppliers and they admit cutting up larger sheet for some of the countries leading 4x4 suppliers who then sell it on as bespoke sand ladders.

Yep that is exactly the point I was making. Most of the floorgrating manufacturers will also sell you Sand ladders and at a Fraction of the cost of most of the 4x4 suppliers.

You have proved your knowledge knows no bounds. Waffles (or whatever ) are useless in sand and have never been sold as sand ladders  :lol: :lol:
Muddyweb has thrown the gauntlet

Since you are going to be at Billing, just wander over to our stand, (you don't even need to speak to anyone so we won't try and influence you or sell you any), and look with your own eyes at the waffles.   They are different to the floor grating offcuts...   they have sealed edges....  they are longer than most of the grating offcuts sold... the surface finish is different to the floor grating material.....  and yes, they are more expensive.

Prove us wrong (but you wont). Then i'll show you what sand ladders look like followed bythe Maxtrax sand recovery system
There is a big giveaway as to who's waffles are off cuts....(this is a trade secret here so take note) If the waffle measures 4ft long, its an off cut. Any longer, its been specially made. Dont forget your tape measure when you come to Billing  ;)
Muddyweb has some figures regarding strength and so on but i dont feel its worth posting them, it wouldn't make any difference in this debate.
I've noticed that Redhand obviously knows his stuff. Next he'll say that all the worlds springs come from the same factory, all the winch bumpers are made in china, snorkels are all assembled in Taiwan and all of the worlds vehicles come from the same manufacturer which he will be able to prove without actually proving it  :roll:
This has been a fun thread with some non factual egg throwing followed by factual information followed by more expert analisis
I think it should now be settled at the bar  :twisted:
 :dance:

[muddyweb]

Yep that is exactly the point I was making. Most of the floorgrating manufacturers will also sell you Sand ladders and at a Fraction of the cost of most of the 4x4 suppliers.

Um...  not quite.   The point you made was this.....

What you see on the 4x4 scene are the cut offs from the end of a production run or batches with a colour flaw or just a surplus left over from an order. cut to size and sold as waffle boards.

Which is factually incorrect and what Jake originally objected to.   

If you are now saying that some of the 4x4 suppliers use offcuts and sell them for more money than you can buy them direct from the manufacturer....  well, I can't argue with that...  I don't have sufficient factual information to do so.   What I can confirm is that we don't.  Hope to see you at Billing for a glass of Devon cider.

[redhand]

There is a big giveaway as to who's waffles are off cuts....(this is a trade secret here so take note) If the waffle measures 4ft long, its an off cut. Any longer, its been specially made. Dont forget your tape measure when you come to Billing  ;)
Muddyweb has some figures regarding strength and so on but i dont feel its worth posting them, it wouldn't make any difference in this debate.
I've noticed that Redhand obviously knows his stuff. Next he'll say that all the worlds springs come from the same factory, all the winch bumpers are made in china, snorkels are all assembled in Taiwan and all of the worlds vehicles come from the same manufacturer which he will be able to prove without actually proving it  :roll:
This has been a fun thread with some non factual egg throwing followed by factual information followed by more expert analisis
I think it should now be settled at the bar  :twisted:
 :dance:

That's funny because floor gratings are manufactured in 10' x 5' or 3mtr x 1.5mtr and I have seen 5' offcuts. Why you feel the need to personalise this debate and start making childish insults is beyond me. I can only assume it's an attempt to draw peoples attention away from the fact that people are been ripped off.

[Jake]

Why you feel the need to personalise this debate and start making childish insults is beyond me.

Because for some reason you refuse to believe that there are more than one manufacturer of waffles
We have repeated the information over and over but you're still implying that we're lying for some big rip off (which is a personal insult towards us)

I can only assume it's an attempt to draw peoples attention away from the fact that people are been ripped off.

By some 4x4 suppliers, may be, Just not all (including the one I work for)
Thats all we've been trying to say but for some reason or the other you just cant get your head around that fact.
Hence why i said

you must think all the worlds springs come from the same factory, all the winch bumpers are made in china, snorkels are all assembled in Taiwan and all of the worlds vehicles come from the same manufacturer

:roll: