See the Road Ahead with Pexco’s Guardrail Reflectors
Improve Visibility for Demanding Roadway Conditions
Guardrails play an essential role in roadway safety. However, in low-light conditions, poor weather or challenging roadway geometry, they can be difficult for drivers to see. Effective delineation helps make the roadway edge and changes in alignment more visible, giving motorists clearer visual guidance when they need it most.
Pexco’s guardrail reflectors provide high visibility, durability, and simple installation for permanent roadway applications and construction work zones. Pexco manufactures each guardrail marker with engineering resins and high-performance reflective materials to withstand demanding roadside environments while delivering bright delineation from a distance.
What Guardrail Reflector Options Does Pexco Offer?
Pexco offers both standard non-hinged and flexible hinged guardrail reflectors to support a wide range of installation methods, climates, and maintenance needs. This variety gives agencies and contractors multiple ways to match reflector style and mounting methods to specific roadway conditions.
Pexco’s standard non-hinged reflectors can be used for top- or side-mounted guardrail delineation and are manufactured from UV-stabilized polymers. Installation options include bolts or adhesive. Available models include the Butterfly Bolt-on, Butterfly Glue-on, Fat Cat, FG 427, and FG 527. Multiple reflective sheeting options are also available to help meet project and local specification requirements.
For W-beam guardrails, the Butterfly design gives installers two mounting options. Installers can use the bolt-on version during initial guardrail construction. They can also choose the glue-on version to avoid loosening and retightening existing guardrail bolts. Pexco’s Adhesive 795A provides a fast-curing bonding option for the Butterfly Glue-on marker. The oversized Fat Cat marker uses a larger reflective surface to improve visibility on high-speed roadways, in work zones, and along curves.
When a project requires additional marker height, the FG 427 and FG 527 provide a strong option. These 27-inch markers accommodate 36 square inches of reflective sheeting and mount to guardrail posts to position the reflective surface higher above the roadway. This added height can improve visibility in areas where hills, curves, deep snow, or vegetation may obstruct a driver’s view.
What are the Benefits of Hinged Guardrail Reflector?
Pexco’s proprietary “Gator Jaws” polyurethane hinge helps guardrail reflectors withstand repeated impacts, rebound into position, and perform reliably in demanding weather conditions. The hinged design flexes when struck by snowplows, maintenance equipment, or other roadside impacts, then returns to an upright position to help reduce breakage, replacement, and maintenance needs.
The Gator Jaws hinge uses both a chemical and mechanical bond between the hinge and reflective panel for added strength and durability. Its polyurethane construction also remains flexible in sub-freezing temperatures, making it well suited for challenging winter environments.
Pexco incorporates the Gator Jaws hinge into the I-Flex, U-Flex and S-Flex product families. The S-Flex mounts to wood or steel guardrail posts and is designed for cold-weather and sub-zero applications. The I-Flex fits over steel I-beam guardrail posts and is also available for wood-post installations. By bending under impact and springing back into position, these flexible designs help protect the reflector and extend its useful service life. When conducting research for your application, note that Pexco’s polyurethane hinge design is often imitated but never equaled!
Make Your Application Shine
Pexco offers multiple reflective sheeting options to help meet different roadway visibility and performance requirements. Available options include Reflexite AR 1000, Diamond Grade, High Intensity and Engineer Grade. Reflexite AR 1000 provides a bright, abrasion-resistant and UV-stable prismatic surface. Diamond Grade and High Intensity sheeting deliver effective retroreflective delineation for roadway applications.
These sheeting options support a wide range of guardrail reflector applications, including W-beam and box-beam guardrails, wood and I-beam posts, bridge approaches, hills, curves, gores, off-ramps, and wrong-way areas.
The Right Reflector for the Road Ahead
From straightforward bolt-on and adhesive-mounted reflectors to flexible markers engineered for repeated impacts, Pexco offers guardrail delineation solutions for a broad range of roadway environments. With multiple mounting configurations, marker sizes, and reflective sheeting choices, agencies and contractors can select a solution matched to their installation requirements.
Need help looking for the right reflector for your next project?
To get in touch with an expert and discuss what kind of reflector is the right solution for your next roadway project, connect with us at www.pexco/contact-us/.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of guardrail reflectors?
The purpose of guardrail reflectors is to help improve roadway delineation by making guardrails and roadway edges more visible to drivers. They can be especially useful at night, during poor weather, and in areas with curves, hills, gores, off-ramps, or other roadway features where additional visual guidance may be needed.
What is the difference between standard and hinged guardrail reflectors?
The difference between standard and hinged guardrail reflectors is that standard reflectors provide a rigid delineation option, while hinged reflectors are designed to flex when impacted and return to position. Standard non-hinged models are well suited for straightforward guardrail applications. Hinged designs can be beneficial in locations exposed to snowplows, maintenance equipment, or other repeated roadside impacts.
How do you choose the right guardrail reflector for an application?
The right guardrail reflector depends on the guardrail type, mounting method, visibility needs, and roadway conditions. Pexco offers options for W-beam and box-beam guardrails, wood and I-beam posts, as well as applications where additional marker height, a larger reflective surface, and/or increased flexibility may be needed.
What mounting options are available for Pexco guardrail reflectors?
Mounting methods for Pexco‘s guardrail reflectors include bolts and adhesive, depending on the product. For example, the Butterfly is available in both bolt-on and glue-on configurations. Other models may be designed to mount directly to guardrail posts. This allows agencies and contractors to select a mounting style that fits the installation.
Why might a hinged guardrail reflector be preferred in cold-weather environments?
A hinged guardrail reflector may be preferred in cold-weather environments because they can help reduce damage in areas where snow, ice, and maintenance equipment create frequent impact risks. Pexco’s Gator Jaws polyurethane hinge is designed to flex and rebound after impact while remaining flexible in sub-freezing temperatures, making it well suited for challenging winter conditions.
What reflective sheeting options are available for guardrail reflectors?
Pexco offers multiple reflective sheeting options to help meet different roadway visibility and project requirements. Options include Reflexite AR 1000, Diamond Grade, High Intensity and Engineer Grade. This gives agencies and contractors flexibility when selecting the appropriate level of reflective performance for an application.