Need Just A Few Traffic Cones?
When I tell people about my business and what I sell, the first response is usually asking if I can sell them a few traffic cones as they want one for their apartment, dorm, a race in their backyard etc. While I (and I am sure other traffic safety vendors) would love to be able to sell small quantities, the manufacturers don’t. They want to sell 100’s at a time!
So here are a few resources for finding those 1 or 2 or 5 cones. First try your local home depot, I have seen them sold as single units and for not a bad price! If you don’t have a home depot or they are all out, try your local hardware store. Even a mom and pop shop (like what I have in my hometown) could carry them because utility companies, the local police, cable companies and more all need small quantities at different times.
Need your cones to be colored? Well now it gets a little more difficult. Obviously they typically come in orange. To find fluorescent green, pink, red etc you will most likely have to look online. To find a company that doesn’t have a minimum order look for those that keep their products in stock. That way the manufacturer’s don’t have to be hassled to send out 3 green traffic cones.
And finally, if you live in a big city (New York City, LA, Chicago) there is most likely a brick and mortar traffic safety company within the city. I don’t imagine minimum orders apply there.
If you happen to need 10 more more we can help you out! Come to our website www.trans-supply.com and shop around!
What Specs Do I Need for My Airport Barricades?
A lot of times when customers call to get a quote from us on airport barricades, they do not know the exact specs they need for those barricades. In this case I am talking about the reflective sheeting requirements (Engineer Grade or Hi Intensity? Sheeting on one side or both sides?) as well as the lights and flags required.
The most common spec I have seen for airport barricade projects is hi intensity sheeting on both sides of the barricade, two red solar 360 degree airport lights on each barricade, and one orange flag on one end of the barricade. This is probably 75% of my orders.
I wouldn’t go so far as to assume that’s what you need, but it’s a good place to start. If you are unsure of the specs you need suggest this spec to the project engineer and see what they respond with. It’s also important to note these barricade I am talking about are 10″ high and 96″ long.
If you need help picking our the correct runway barricade feel free to contact us through our website at www.trans-supply.com.
Reflective Sheeting Types
There are three different common types of reflective sheeting, and we will help you understand the differences in this post. For those who don’t know, reflective sheeting is the orange/white stripes commonly seen on traffic barricades, traffic drums and sometimes on barriers. Delineators usually have white stripes of reflective tape on them.
They are designed to make the product easier to be seen during the day and night. Headlights or sunlight reflect off the tape to make the product more visible. Now the most basic and least reflective version (but in many instances, it will do) is the Engineer Grade option. It is also the least expensive. The next step up in reflectivity is Hi Intensity, some states require this grade on certain roads so do your research before purchasing, especially if you are using your products on a state road!
The most reflective and expensive option is Diamond Grade and in some cases this is required for state roads at certain speeds. But it does depend on the state. This grade will ensure the cars will see the products.
Our website www.trans-supply.com sells reflective tape as well as traffic barricades, barricade lights, traffic cones and more. Click on the following link to see our reflective tape options: https://www.trans-supply.com/c-90-tape-and-paint.aspx
Types of Barricade Lights
Continuing with the theme of explaining the different types of products (we did traffic barricades before) we will explain the different variations of barricade lights in this post. The first we will talk about is solar versus battery powered. A solar barricade light is usually $10 to $20 more expensive per unit but will not need to have it’s batteries replaced. A typical battery powered light will need it’s batteries replaced every 3-5 months. Most of my customers prefer solar as you ‘set it and forget it’. No maintenance involved.
Now another option is the intensity of the light. There are ‘Hi Intensity’ lights that are called ‘Type B’ lights. These are bright enough to be easily seen during the day. A regular barricade light is not intended to be seen during the day and will usually shut off automatically as soon as the sun comes up.
If choosing a battery powered light, you have an option of 6 Volt or D Cell. In this case it means a light that takes 6 Volt batteries or D Cell batteries, usually one 6 Volt battery and four D Cell batteries are needed, respectively. Most people choose a D Cell as the base is smaller so it’s a more compact unit. The 6 Volt version has a more traditional look.
Another option when it comes to battery powered lights is LED or non LED. Choosing to have LEDs in your barricade light will cost you between $3 and $7 extra but will make the light brighter. Other options include lens colors and hot stamping the barricade light with text. Changing the lens from the usual yellow to red or clear will typically cost you more, and hot stamping a light will typically involve a ‘set up’ fee and a per item stamp fee around 50 cents each.
Traffic Barricade Types – What Do They Mean
If you are in the market for traffic barricades but don’t know too much about them you have come to the right spot. First off, the type of barricade has to do with how many boards and/or pieces of sheeting a barricade has. Note: ‘sheeting’ is short for reflective sheeting, the orange and white striped piece you see on the barricade. The first barricade on the left is a type 1, the second a type 2 and the third one is the type 3.
A type 1 barricade has a piece of sheeting on the top board only, and the barricade itself is usually 24″ wide and 42-46″ high (depending on if it is open or closed at the bottom). It still has a bottom board,
but the board has no sheeting on it. A type 2 barricade has sheeting on both the top and bottom board of the barricade. Like the type 1 it is the same size (24″ wide and 42-26″ high).
The type 3 is a very different unit because it can range from 48″ to 144″+ in width. As you can see there are three boards, which command a lot more attention to the unit. These are great for road closures where you need to cover wide distances. The sheeting is on all three of the boards typically.
Now sheeting can have different types too. They range in the amount of reflectivity, starting with the lowest: Engineer Grade, Hi Intensity and Diamond Grade. For most instances Engineer Grade works fine.