IBA floor rails.

[copperglobe]

On my IBAs I have floor rails that keep the vehicles in the center of the bays as they enter and wash. I've seen though IBAs that have removed or never had any floor rails to guide vehicles into the bays. Vehicles, I guess, enter the bay and drive forward until the stop light comes one and the side to side position isn't a worry? I'm thinking of removing mine simply because everyone (and I mean everyone!) rubs that right/passenger side rail as they enter.

For those that don't have rails (since new or they removed them) what's your experience? Have you had times when a customer gets so far to one side that their car interferes with the wash equipment? Just wondering your experiences.

thanks

 

[Jeff_L]

You need an IBA with sensors that find the vehicle’s dimensions and adjust it accordingly. If you bent have that, then I wouldn’t remove the rails.

 

[Rudy]

My 25 y/o wash has 3.5" aluminum guide rails that are getting close to wearing through. Like your wash, people tend to run down the right side.

The solution to replacing the rails are few. There was a thread on this forum (somewhere), where people replaced the metal side rails with plastic parking bumpers. I actually bought the bumpers....but backed off installing them. I am afraid of nicking the floor heat tubing....which would immediately create a huge problem.

Lately, I've been looking at two products available at Sonny's:

Banana Peel, 15ft Yellow UHMW Extrusion | Conveyor Parts | Parts & Supplies | Sonny’s The CarWash Factory

car wash supplies - UHMW Rail Cover Banana Peel Yellow 15ft Length. - Shipped Via Truck Only

www.sonnysdirect.com

Angle, Conv Yellow UHMW Rail 15ft Length | Conveyor Parts | Parts & Supplies | Sonny’s The CarWash Factory

car wash supplies - UHMW Rail Cover 3in x 3in x 1/2in Yellow Angle x 15ft Length. - Shipped Via Truck Only

www.sonnysdirect.com

I'm considering using one of these products to "line" the sides, and get more life out of the existing rails.

Something you might consider?

 

[Greg Pack]

Yes, eventually some will get too close without guidance.

I will confess that a few weeks ago an Istobal gantry struck my truck bumper due to the guide rails being so small that I couldn't feel them when I ran over them. There, I said it. I thought I would feel better getting that out in the open but I don't. The point is it that gantry strikes will happen,especially with oversized vehicles. If I've got to explain to a customer that I'm not going to pay for a passenger side mirror the gantry snapped off I better have some guiderails in place I can point to and ask why they were over them.

I think the best option is guiderails large enough that the customer can feel them and made of a material that won't scratch rims. I'm trying plastic parking blocks for rails on a new install and so far like them.

Delineator posts at the entrance will help.

 

[Rudy]

Greg...any chance you could post some pictures of the plastic parking block install?

Apart from the trickly (floor heat issue) install....I'm also somewhat concerned that people will be able to drive over the plastic blocks. With the aluminum rails....It's VERY difficult (although not impossible) to jump the rails.

 

[OurTown]

Greg...any chance you could post some pictures of the plastic parking block install?

Apart from the trickly (floor heat issue) install....I'm also somewhat concerned that people will be able to drive over the plastic blocks. With the aluminum rails....It's VERY difficult (although not impossible) to jump the rails.

Yes Rudy, the Super Wash rails are difficult to drive over and I like them over most others that I see out there. They are probably a little tall for a machine that would have wheel scrubbers but work great for the fixed oval touchless. I don't see the amount of rubbing on the passenger side that you and copperglobe see so maybe Super Wash mounted ours a tad wider in 2003. Did you talk to Super Wash to see what they do about replacing them? I'm not sure if they were made standard but we are removing ours in a few months and are in descent shape.

 

[OurTown]

Also maybe Joshswashes on here still has his Super Wash rails that he tore out for his new Razor.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

 

[Greg Pack]

 

[Greg Pack]

This is prior to install. The concern was that the photoeye for the wheel spinners would be blocked and the unit wouldn't be able to find the wheels. The eye is in the hole just to the left of the spinner near the bottom of the gantry. They had three holes for mounting and I requested they mount the eyes in the top hole. The other two are plugged. I bought these parking blocks through zoro with a coupon. Total cost around $900 IIRC. They're made out of recycled plastic so I'm not sure how well these will hold up, but I guess I'll see.


I got the shorter 3" high blocks because of the potential eye issue. These are the ones I ordered:

Plastics R Unique Parking Blocks, Ultra Blue, 6 ft., 3"H, Lags ULTRA3672PBBL-LAGS | Zoro

Order Plastics R Unique Parking Blocks, Ultra Blue, 6 ft., 3"H, Lags, ULTRA3672PBBL-LAGS at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

www.zoro.com

 

[Rudy]

I purchased mine from Recycled Plastic Factory. They use recycled plastic, are solid....and I got them in Canary Yellow for about $40 apiece.

How did you anchor them into the floor? Galvanized (or Stainless) lags and lead anchors? How deep? How did you avoid the floor heat?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I used these 97110A304, 8½" galvanized wedge anchors from McMaster-Carr. No floor heat in auto bays, so can't help you there.

 

[OurTown]

How did you avoid the floor heat?

Although I have not tried it yet you can try to crank up the floor heat and use an infrared imager to find the tubes. You might even be able to use a cheap $15 infrared thermometer and scan it across to find the tubes which would have the highest temperature.

 

[Overachiever]

Although I have not tried it yet you can try to crank up the floor heat and use an infrared imager to find the tubes. You might even be able to use a cheap $15 infrared thermometer and scan it across to find the tubes which would have the highest temperature.

I tried out one of the FLIR infrared cameras that connect to your phone, heres a couple pictures to get a sense of what it looks like.

 

[Greg Pack]

I purchased mine from Recycled Plastic Factory. They use recycled plastic, are solid....and I got them in Canary Yellow for about $40 apiece.c

How did you anchor them into the floor? Galvanized (or Stainless) lags and lead anchors? How deep? How did you avoid the floor heat?

No floor heat here either. I bought stainless steel lag screws from Mcmaster Carr but we ended up putting in some coated masonry screws for now.

 

[Roz]

Another idea I have seen at a wash is flexible traffic cones (slim version) inside the door to help drivers align with the rails before they reach the rails. They are 36"-48" tall and flex if hit but do provide an easy visual aide prior to getting over a railing.

Boomerang Surface Mount Delineator | Surface Mount Delineators Bulk - Transportation Supply

Order boomerang surface mount delineators for your work site. These reboundable delineator posts have triple the elasticity of standard rubber bases. Our surface mount delineator has a polymer base that will not crack or split. Buy surface mount delineators at Transportation Supply.

www.trans-supply.com

 

[soapy]

I wonder if you could put some tunnel wash correlators in next to the rail so when people hit the guide rail it would easily slide the car into position.

 

[OurTown]

I wonder if you could put some tunnel wash correlators in next to the rail so when people hit the guide rail it would easily slide the car into position.

I brought that up in another thread. What would it take to retrofit one? I have never looked at one in person. Are they a lot of maintenance? Has anyone tried to just spray some appropriate type of lube on the curved/angled/funnel portion daily so tires could not climb it easily? Maybe even spray the concrete right there too.

 

[soapy]

They should just bolt to the floor and have a series of rollers on bearings that will let the car move over when tire hits the guide rail.

 

[soonermajic]

Ate you guy's washes unattended?

Are reflectors an option? I use reflectors w/ great success, but my wash is attended 6days/week.