NXGN uses compatible standard temporary-fencing weights as counterweights for its freestanding hoardings. Often called fence feet or weight blocks, these are the familiar concrete-filled blocks used with temporary fencing. In an NXGN installation, they provide removable ballast on the steel upright feet behind the hoarding.
This makes the counterweight supply part of an established construction supply network. You can use suitable weights you already own, hire compatible stock, or buy from your preferred supplier. NXGN does not require you to purchase NXGN-branded counterweights.
Available across Australia, without vendor lock-in
Temporary-fencing weights are widely available through fencing suppliers and trade retailers across Australia. National suppliers and hire networks serve capital cities and regional areas, giving installers options close to the project as well as suppliers that deliver interstate.
That open supply approach gives you control over price, collection, delivery and replacement stock. An installer working in another state can source compatible weights near the job instead of depending on a single hoarding vendor to send a proprietary ballast unit. Check the local quantity and delivery window when planning the installation.
Examples of retail and trade supply include TTFS temporary fence feet and Bunnings temporary fence bases. These illustrate the available supply channels; compare the offered block with the NXGN weight and fixing details when selecting stock.
Reuse the same weights across projects
Counterweights remain separate, removable components of the hoarding. Once the installation is dismantled, suitable blocks can return to the yard or hire fleet and be used on the next project. The ballast is not consumed by the installation.
A contractor who also works with temporary fencing may already have compatible weights in stock. The same stock can serve fencing or hoarding projects when it meets the requirements of the system being installed. This gives the weights a useful role between hoarding jobs and can reduce the need to hold separate sets for each application.
Build recovery into the job plan: count the weights at removal, clean them, inspect the casing and concrete for damage, and store sound blocks for the next use. Keep different block types identifiable so the next crew can match the available stock to the required arrangement.
Sustainability through reuse and local sourcing
The main sustainability benefit is extending the useful life of equipment already in circulation. Reusing suitable counterweights can avoid purchasing newly manufactured ballast for each installation and reduce the material discarded when a temporary hoarding is removed.
Local sourcing can also shorten the distance that heavy weights travel. For a project away from your usual base, compare nearby hire or purchase with transporting your existing stock. The benefit depends on the distance, availability and number of future uses, so plan both delivery and the return journey.
Durable reuse starts with careful handling and recovery. Keep serviceable weights in use, set damaged units aside, and ask the supplier or a local recovery facility about options for the concrete and plastic when a block reaches the end of its useful life.
Match the counterweight to the upright
Supplier choice works alongside a defined installation detail. Temporary-fencing blocks vary in mass, dimensions and hole positions. Match the chosen block to the upright foot and weight locators, and use the block type and quantity specified for the hoarding configuration.
The NXGN load ratings and weight-block installation guide explains the block arrangement and its relationship to hoarding height. The upright setout drawings show the weight locator positions. These details let you compare a supplier’s product with the required configuration.
Allow for the counterweight and upright footprint
Counterweights occupy space behind the hoarding face. Include the upright feet and complete block arrangement when setting out the hoarding, positioning returns and planning the working area. The drawing below shows how the support footprint relates to the unobstructed working area (UWA).
Where a support arrangement conflicts with an opening or the end of a run, refer to the offset upright details. Plan that detail with the hoarding layout so the required ballast and access space are both accommodated.
Plan supply, installation and the next use
Record the block type and required quantity with the hoarding layout, then decide which weights will come from existing stock, hire or purchase. Include delivery access, handling space and where the blocks will go after removal. This keeps the benefits of open sourcing and reuse part of the whole project.
Use the uprights and load-rating manual for the construction details, or read about NXGN component hire when planning the equipment supply. The installation guide brings the panel, practical-hoarding and upright manuals together.