If you own a 4x4 you will know that the multitude of oil baths and housings found on such vehicles can often go hand in hand with leaks, drips and inevitable oils stains on your driveway or in the garage. Not only are these unpleasant to look at (especially on block paving and the like) they can also be dangerous as the oil builds up to form a slippery patch.
And it doesn’t stop there either. If you service and repair your own vehicle you will know that oil and fluids seldom drain neatly into your chosen container (even if it is your wife’s washing up bowl; the biggest thing you could find). Instead you find a rapidly spreading puddle soaking into whatever it touches, and used oil contains a whole cocktail of unpleasant chemicals that are definitely best kept off your skin and clothing.
Ever dropped a tool, nut or small part when you are working on your vehicle? Nine times out of ten it will find its way onto the ground where it will coat itself in abrasive grit before disappearing from view. If you are really unlucky it will land slap bang in the middle of that oil patch already mentioned!
One trip to any high street motor accessory shop will show you that the variety of drip trays sold there fall sadly short of what is required for a 4x4. They are too flimsy and too small and you need at least two to catch drips from both engine and gearbox. They don’t stand up to the rigours of being left outdoors either, the metal ones rust and the plastic ones crack as sunlight takes its toll on the plastic.
Quite by chance we discovered a perfect solution to all these problems but from an unlikely source. Several years ago we purchased a heavy duty mixing board. This board was extremely durable since it had to withstand the rigours of mixing batches of concrete and mortar by hand and shovel. The board had a thick, high edge to contain liquids and was made of UV stabilised, black, medium density polythene. This meant it could never rust and could be left outdoors without degradation.
We quickly realised that its large size and high capacity made it an ideal drip tray for our leaky Discovery. A call to the manufacturer confirmed that it would be perfectly suited to life as a drip tray since it is unaffected by exposure to oils.
The board itself is a huge 1m x 1m in size and fits perfectly between the wheels of 4x4s. Its size enables both engine and gearbox drips to be caught with a single tray, (not to mention caching those dropped tools and parts during servicing) and it can hold over 20 litres of oil so even big spills or splashes can be contained.
Since we bought our board it has led a very hard life alternating between concrete mixing and oil catching but despite a few scores and scratches its still as durable and useful now as when we bought it. It’s really quite rare to find something as tough, useful and durable as this for less than ten pounds, so much so that we have christened it "The ultimate drip tray".
Difflock Drip Tray Features
- Large 1016mm diameter to span engine and gearbox
- Stackable and lightweight for ease of use and storage
- 20 Litre level fill capacity for accidental spills or seal failures
- UV stabilised Medium Density Polyethylene construction for extremely long life
- Resistant to oils, acids, alkalis, solvents and fuels including petroleum spirit
- Extremely durable, withstands high abrasion and is completely corrosion proof
- Easy clean, can be wiped clean or pressure washed
- Prevents ground surface stains
- Made with recycled content
For maximum health and safety compliance and easy cleaning and use this product can be used in conjunction with Difflock Oil absorbent pads:
