3" Dual Action Backing Plate - Show Down

[Merlin]

Mini Show Down on 3"+ DA backing plates.

With all the recent talk about the 1" and 2" foam pads that have come out I thought I'd might do a mini show down of the current DA backing plates.

From what I have discovered there are a couple of basic widths. They are 2 7/8" and 3 1/2". Standard D/A machines use a 5/16" mounting stud.

Some of the 3" pads/discs on the market are right at 3" so it is critical that the backing plate be slightly smaller than the pad/disc you are using.

I have taken a few shots of a few of the commonly available backing plates that use a standard 5/16" mounting stud that work with a DA polisher.

Top Row Left to Right
Meguiar's Professional Unigrit™ 3" Backing Plate & Adapter Kit, Dual Action 3 Inch Flexible Backing Plate and the Dual Action 3.5 Inch Flexible Backing Plate

Center Left to Right
Lake Country Hydro-Tech 3 x 1.25 Inch Foam Pad, Griots Garage 3 Inch Mini Red Wax Pad, CCS 4 Inch Spot Buffs Foam Pads

Bottom Row
3 1/2" Carpro Flash Pad and Meguiars 3 inch DMC3 DA Microfiber Cutting Disc



Meguiar's Professional Unigrit™ 3" Backing Plate & Adapter Kit

This backing plate features size 5/16-24 female thread. It is designed to be used with any of the five included adapters. Place the included washer* on the plate, then install the appropriate adapter.

Although this plate was painstakingly designed to optimize the performance of Meguiar's Unigrit™ Sanding and Foam Finishing Discs, it is an outstanding choice for use with any sanding disc or buffing pad.

To insure the 5/16" adapter stays in the backing plate I suggest using Loctite Red or Blue when you screw the adaptor into the backing plate.

Here are a few shots with the different pad/disc to show edge tolerances.





Dual Action 3 Inch Flexible Backing Plate

The 3 Inch DA Backing Plate is designed to offer perfect balance and support for 3 inch foam pads. The actual diameter is 2 7/8 inches, so the plate is recessed back from the edge of the pad slightly for safety.

A few have close tolerances but there is pad overlap.




Dual Action 3.5 Inch Flexible Backing Plate

The 3.5 inch backing plate is designed for 4 inch pads. The 3.5 inch plate has a 5/16” threaded post Lake Country 4 inch pads. Use this backing plate to correct small areas of paint or to polish particular spots.

The backing plate overlaps the edge of the pad - This is dangerous




Last but not least...the backing plate width measurements
Top To Bottom Unigrit, 3" and 3 1/2"




Feel free to add your experiences or to ask questions. Thanks for viewing.

[cayman150]

Good post Merlin.

I can see where using a backing plate that is not smaller than the pad you are using could cause a real nightmare to your paint if you were to make a mistake and let the edge hit the paint when trying to do body lines,curves and tight spots on a vehicle.

I know you are supposed to try and hold the DA and pad perfectly flat when polishing but reality is, for those areas I explained above, it is almost impossible to do.

Better to use a backing plate that is smaller then your pad and not have to worry it.

Thanks.

[02HD9294]

Thanks for the comparison shopping guide. I just received a 3" Lake Country backing plate that measures 2-7/8" diameter. I will be ordering 3" LC Hydro-techs to use with it. The smallest backing plate that I have used up to now is the LC 4", but even it has trouble getting into some tight locations.

[BRIANV]

I use the 3' for headlight restoration