Dock Levelers - Protecting Your Loading Docks
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Dock levelers are used to bridge the gap between the dock and the vehicle allowing for safe loading and unloading of goods by forklifts or pallet trucks, making them a valuable piece of loading dock equipment. In order to accomplish this, a dock leveler must be able to support extremely heavy loads, service a wide range of truck heights, and compensate for tilted trucks.
Unlike dock boards and dock plates that are made to be mobile and can be moved from bay to bay, dock levelers are installed onto the bay dock itself and are a permanent fixture.
There are several types of dock levelers to choose from - hydraulic, mechanical, vertical and edge-of-dock. With many models, sizes and weight capacities to choose from.
Mechanical dock levelers are spring biased upwards and incorporate a hold down mechanism, while hydraulic dock levelers are powered by an electrohydraulic system. While the initial cost of a mechanical dock leveler is less than a hydraulic unit, the long term operating cost for a hydraulic dock leveler is generally lower.
Vertical dock levelers are stored or parked in a vertical position. When loading or unloading a truck, they are lowered at a controlled rate until they rest on the bed of the trailer. After the loading/unloading operations are finished, they are raised back up to the vertical (stored) position.
Edge of dock levelers are usually mounted to the face of the loading dock and secured to a curb channel embedded in the concrete. They are a practical, safe, and economical alternative to dock plates or pit levelers if the height difference between the dock and trailer bed is minimal.
There are several factors that should be considered when selecting a dock leveler:
- Capacity
- Frequency of operation
- Dock heights
- Type of vehicle being serviced and grade at dock area
- Pour-in versus Pit-installed
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