Dock levelers are the crucial part of the loading bay area. It is important to gain a full understanding of the needs while selecting the type of leveler. One should look beyond the upfront cost and understanding the cost of ownership is very important. 

 

Regarding cost, of course the upfront cost is important but many pay less up front (they really got a good deal!) but pay exponentially more over the life of the equipment due to a poor purchasing choice. Looking beyond the upfront cost and understanding the cost of ownership is very important. The other variable is safety, with the wide ranges and type of equipment available safety never has to be compromised.

To understand dock levelers, one must first understand the purpose. A dock leveler is intended to act as a bridge to safely allow for the transfer of goods from a trailer to the building and vice versa.

 

To best determine the type of leveler needed it is important to gain a full understanding of the needs. Many factors should go into the decision, such as volume of use, gross weight transferred, type of material handling equipment used (forklift, hand loading, pallet truck, conveyor, etc.), size of product handled, and building layout are just a few.

 

Regarding cost, of course the upfront cost is important but many pay less up front (they really got a good deal!) but pay exponentially more over the life of the equipment due to a poor purchasing choice. Looking beyond the upfront cost and understanding the cost of ownership is very important. The other variable is safety. With the wide ranges and type of equipment available, safety should never be compromised.

Operation types can be broken down into three basic types: mechanical, air and hydraulic. There are hybrids of these which are often a great choice, for example a hydraulic leveler with a mechanical lip will work great in many applications.

 

Dock levelers

Dock levelers are the crucial part of the loading bay area. Usage of dock leveler aids in fast loading and unloading of goods at warehouse, moreover is also important from safety and security view. Dock leveler acts as bridge between loading bay area and truck, height difference between truck and bay area is bridged and material movement can be carried out smoothly between warehouse and truck. Gandhi Automations manufactures dock levelers conforming to EN 1398 standards and the product is CE marked. Operation of dock leveler is very easy, unskilled labour can use perform operation with ease.

 

Salient features of docklevers are

There are various types of dock levers.

 

Radius lip dock levelers

The most common type of dock and available in a multitude of sizes and capacities, radius lip leveler works well in most situations. Radius lip dock levelers permit the dock to join with the container bed, thus making it convenient to drive straight on and off with forklift trucks etc. The self-cleaning lip hinging arrangement does not recollect tosh with automatic end-of-run, so as to keep the 25 mm safety distance between the folded lip and assembly as per EN 1398 & EN 349.

 

Telescopic lip dock levelers

These are the newest and latest in design and offer all of the advantages of a vertical storing leveler without the safety risks or the end loading challenges.Telescopic lip dock levelers are perfect for joining trucks unable to drive close to dock, ie sea containers, side loading railway wagons etc. These types can be provided with a lip covering up to 1 m.

 

Edge-of-dock levelers

They have low upfront cost but very limited service range. Edge-of-dock leveler is developed in compliance with the latest European safety standard, EN 1398. It has a capacity of 6000 kg and is suitable for use with all types of loading equipment from manual pallet trucks to fork trucks. The open hinge lip construction carries a lifetime guarantee and has a solid welded connection between the lip plate and the beams under the deck to ensure the lip angle of 7.5º will be maintained. It is extremely important when loading/unloading vehicles with bed heights above dock level, to ensure that the lip always lays flat on the vehicle floor to avoid the tripping hazard.

 

Forklift roll-off barrier-lip dock levelers

Specialty levelers such as forklift barrier lip levelers for added run-off protection or truck levelers which can lift the entire truck are also available. They are the ultimate in smooth transition technology and greatly reduce operating costs by preventing worker compensation claims and forklift repair. Forklift lift barrier lip roll-off dock leveler is designed and built to provide all the benefits of the series hydraulic dock leveler with the additional benefit of providing a formidable barrier. Dock leveler with forklift roll-off barrier lip protects closed overhead doors from impact damage and prevents accidental forklift roll-off when the overhead door is open and no trailer is stationed at the dock in the parked position. When the dock is in use, the lip remains flush with the deck, providing a smooth transition for material loading and loading. Two-cylinder hydraulic technology for better stability, one for the lifting of the platform and one for the lifting of the hinged lip. They have features like CE European certification, robotically welded platform and lip in anti-slip steel, and self-cleaning lip hinging system.

Whether you are replacing existing equipment or designing a new facility it is important to keep your long terms needs front and center when selecting the right piece of equipment.