Fender Bender: Plastic, Metal or Minimizer

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Steel fenders won't distort over time, and won't crack under extreme temperature changes

Blooming Prairie, MN (PRWeb UK) July 17, 2009

Whether you want to minimize dents or add a classic look to your truck or trailer, the choice of fenders is an important decision. What if you could accomplish both with one product?

In the past, when purchasing a truck, not much consideration was given to fenders. If fenders were included with the truck it was a bonus. But rarely did the stock fenders do their job well or last long.

Today, truckers and fleet owners are more conscientious about safety, splash, spray and aesthetics.

Safety has a direct connection with the bottom line. Splash and spray are hot-button legislative issues from time-to-time. Purchasing decisions must consider this but also product performance. The ravages of over-the-road trucking, hauling, off-road usage, pick-up and delivery all take their toll on equipment.

The right product must be chosen. The wrong product won't last long in this industry.

Fender choices today fall into two categories: traditional metal or polymer plastic. Proponents of each have their reasons as we discovered when we hosted round-table discussions with both manufacturers and end-users to discuss the topic of plastic versus metal fenders.

A Classic Look Never Dies, It Evolves

To some, there is just "something about" the classic, mirrored stainless-steel fender. It's an intangible in the gleam, the way the sunlight catches the metal.

But good-looking trucks don't pay the bills; trucks that perform pay the bills. Beyond aesthetics, stainless steel fenders have to perform and last a long time to become classics.

We spoke with Jeff Ortenzio, Sales Manager of Life-Time Truck Products located in Canfield, Ohio. Life-Time manufactures stainless-steel metal fenders. The classic metal product offers a sleek and clean-cut look and is made from durable 16-gauge steel that is guaranteed not to crack, with a reinforced bead for extra rigidity. They will also etch a company logo or name to personalize the fenders.

Life-Time also produces fenders made from aluminum, as well as black-painted steel. Options include semi-smooth and corrugated fenders to fit multiple axles.

Jeff is quick to detail the benefits of the classic metal fenders. "They are unaffected by weather conditions. And the aluminum fenders are lighter-weight and more economical than steel."

But according to Ortenzio the majority of customers prefer the classic stainless-steel fender product. "The strength of the material is what sells the product."

"Steel fenders won't distort over time, and won't crack under extreme temperature changes," Jeff added.

So, what about plastic fenders?

Polyethylene fenders were originally introduced as an alternative to metal fenders because they wouldn't dent and were less susceptible to scratching. In our discussions, no one argued with the durability of the poly material, but they've never had the shine of metal fenders. And, some poly fenders don't always live up to promises of durability, they can crack and shatter.

Something New Beyond Plastic

If metal chips and dents and poly doesn't always survive, what else is there?

Minimizer.

Minimizer poly fenders are constructed of a revolutionary poly HDPE composite material and Minimizer is the only manufacturer with proprietary thermoform technology to construct the Minimizer poly fender.

Minimizer poly fenders stand up to the rigors of over the road trucking and they come with a lifetime warranty. They are better than poly fenders and won't crack, dent or rust.

It's the last fender any truck will need.

Poly HDPE fenders have evolved into highly customizable products. The innovative leader is Minimizer and they now carry several product options that have a metallic look including Diamond Plate and Liquid Platium.

Learn about Minimizer

Minimizer, manufacturer of the lightest, most durable, longest lasting semi truck fenders, bracket kits and truck accessories in the trucking industry, is located in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. Minimizer is proud to be "Made in the USA". Everything Minimizer manufactures is in the USA.

The company's founder, Dick Kruckeberg, was a hard-working flatbed driver in the 1970s and 80s. He knew delivering a load clean was critical to his success. Because of the nature of the heavy truck industry, the metal fenders he purchased for his truck kept getting damaged. And the inevitable mud and grime usually degraded the longevity of the stainless steel. He knew there had to be a better way.

One day his wife backed her car over a Rubbermaid® garbage can. Dick popped the can back into shape and thus the idea of a plastic fender was born.

The Minimizer advantage can be found in the polyethylene material used to manufacture the fenders, HDPE, and the patented thermoform technology used to produce the fenders. The fenders never need paint, never fade, never rust, never stress crack and never need polishing.

And now with the addition of options like Diamond Plate and Liquid Platium finishes customers can enjoy a metal-like finish that adds to the aesthetics. In other words, Minimizer's poly HDPE fenders have now evolved to have a classic look of their own.

The parent company of Minimizer, Spray Control Systems, Inc., has grown beyond a one-product company into a leading manufacturer of poly truck fenders, poly toolboxes, customized mud flaps, and bracket kits. The company operates from a state-of-the-art 45,000 square foot manufacturing facility.

The effectiveness and proven durability of Minimizer fenders has created many die-hard converts from traditional metal and plastic fenders.

Alan Fite of Dallas Mack Truck Dealerships has been using Minimizer fenders for many years. Since the majority of his clientele are "more or less off road," the longevity of the fenders is important. "It's proven that the longevity of the Minimizer is seven or eight times longer than metal fenders," Fite said. "The only thing we've had crack is a composite bracket, but that was when somebody dropped a trailer on it! We were amazed at the durability!"

Fite said many customers find the multiple axle HDPE Minimizer poly fender designs help eliminate accidental rock throwing that occurs between tandems. "In our business, those are the kinds of things you have to worry about," Fite said. "Since we've been using the multiple axle HDPE Minimizer poly fenders I've put on one set of stainless steel fenders. The customer had to have stainless steel, I couldn't talk them out of it."

Another end-user and sales representative who testifies to the efficacy of the Minimizer HDPE poly fender is Jesse Callaway. Jesse owns Callaway Truck Equipment in Shelby, Nebraska, a manufacturer of roll-off containers for the waste industry. Their fenders get pummeled with repeated trips to the landfill, drivers backing into things and items that fall out of the dumpsters.

"Even if you try to physically tear the Minimizer off the truck they don't break," Callaway said, "I've used so many that it's the only thing I will stand behind with regards to durability and weight."

"The metal fenders we used previously were often too small, poorly designed and made of metal that got banged up and eventually torn from the truck," Callaway added.

Longevity is the Road to Classic

Craig Kruckeberg, Chief Visionary and second-generation owner of Minimizer, stressed the importance of longevity.

"If you want to become a classic, you better be around for a long time. This goes for the product and the company standing behind the product," Kruckeberg said.

"Take a big hammer, or a wrecking ball, or a trailer to our fenders and they will hold up and even hide the scuff marks left behind. No metal or fiberglass fenders will do that--no way, no how. And don't forget, we're made in the USA unlike a lot of our competitors," Craig added.

The benefits of modern HDPE plastic over classic metal fenders are a combination of safety, return-on-investment and durability. And now with new metallic finish options the classic gleam can be had on new modern HDPE poly fenders.

About Minimizer
Headquartered in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, Minimizer manufactures HDPE poly truck fenders, poly toolboxes, custom mud flaps, and bracket kits. Family owned and operated for nearly three generations, Minimizer's parent company, Spray Control Systems, Inc., was founded in 1983. Minimizer aims to provide products tough enough to please tough people in a tough industry. For more information call (800) 248-3855 or visit http://www.minimizer.com.

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