What Is A Loading Dock Leveler? A dock leveler is a piece of equipment that is usually either mounted to the dock face or recessed into a pit at a loading dock door creating a bridge between a building and a transport vehicle.
How much does a loading dock leveler cost? There are numerous considerations when pricing a dock leveler. Budget $7,500 for a leveler from a reputable manufacturer. Cheap levelers come at a HIGH cost to your facility.
What is a dock leveler pit? Dock Levelers. Dock Levelers are sometimes called pit levelers because they are mounted within a pit on the dock surface to be level with the driving area. Buyers can choose between mechanical and powered dock levelers.
How long does a dock leveler last? Mechanical Levelers: These have a 5- to 7-year life expectancy, due to springs wearing out, hold-downs failing and lack of proper maintenance and adjustments.
What Is A Loading Dock Leveler? – Related Questions
How much does a dock leveler weigh?
Many of our customers prefer a mechanical dock leveler rather than a hydraulic model. Our mechanical dock levelers have the same weight capacity (27,000 pounds), but are lighter, with the smallest mechanical leveler weighing in at 1,225 pounds (6′ x 6′ dock leveler) up to 1,650 pounds (7′ x 8′ dock leveler).
How big should a loading dock be?
Keep in mind that the common dock height is 48″ – 52″.
Eight foot (96″) high doors can accommodate many loading/unloading operations, but do not facilitate full floor to ceiling loading of product (Figure 1).
Do I need a dock leveler?
1. Why Dock Levelers Matter. Dock levelers are important because it’s impossible that your dock match the height of every truck that services your loading zone. If they don’t, this leaves a gap between your dock and the truck, which can make it cumbersome and dangerous to load at your dock.
What is a dock leveler used for?
A dock leveler forms a ramp to bridge the distance between the dock and truck.
It must be able to compensate for the up-and-down movement of the trailer during loading and unloading.
What is a mechanical dock leveler?
A mechanical dock leveler:
Should dock levelers always be kept elevated?
Always make sure dock levelers are returned to the stored position after being used “below-dock.
” Proper storage will eliminate a large “void in the floor” and help prevent forklift cross traffic accidents.
When should you travel around the dock area?
Make sure that the dock plate is properly secured and can support the load before driving over it. (Load weight should be clearly marked.) Drive carefully and slowly over the plate. Do not spin wheels.
How do I raise my dock plate?
Use the lift ring to raise the dock plate up and walk across the dock plate until it’s flat and secured into the truck bed. Begin to load or unload the truck with proper lifting tools.
What are dock seals?
Dock Seals are foam pads that the trailer compresses into when it backs in and comes to rest against the dock bumpers, forming a seal around three sides of the trailer. This happens as foam and fabric from the dock seal side pads enter the trailer opening when they are compressed by the trailer.
What is a truck restraint?
A vehicle restraint is a piece of equipment installed at the loading dock that is intended to prevent a transport vehicle from leaving the dock during the loading/unloading process. It is also a serious safety hazard for a trailer to pull away from your loading dock while your fork lift operator is still inside.
How is dock leveler capacity calculated?
A simple guideline exists to calculate the safest dock leveler capacity for light to normal usage. Add the gross weight of the vehicle and the gross weight of the load. Multiply that by 2.5 (ie. 8,000 lbs. forklift gross weight + 4,000 lbs gross load = 12,000 lbs x 2.5 = 30,000 lbs; rounded up to 30,000 lbs).
How heavy is a forklift?
roughly 9,000 lbs.
How Heavy Is a Forklift
How do you use dock leveler manually?
Walk on platform to the front edge (DO NOT walk on lip). While the platform is lowering pull and hold the safety leg chain. Walk the leveler down until the platform is in the fully below dock position with the lip positioned between the face of the loading dock and the truck/trailer bed. Release safety leg chain.
What is a loading dock plate?
Loading dock plates are standard equipment in warehouse and distribution center facilities, providing a bridge between the loading dock lip and the bed of a truck or trailer.
Are guardrails required on loading docks?
Semitrailers, flatbeds and straight trucks all have bed heights that closely align with 48-inch-high platforms, so loading dock platforms most commonly are 44 to 48 inches high.
Refrigerated trucks are 50 to 60 inches in bed height, so they always will require a guardrail.
What does loading bay mean?
Loading bays
What is a grade level door?
Grade level doors: Grade level doors are level to the ground or floor which allow easy access for forklifts, hand trucks, and foot traffic from warehouse workers.
