Elevate your loading dock efficiency with versatile Dock Lifts. These hydraulic scissor lifts bridge the gap between truck bed level and dock height for safe and easy operations.
Be sure the lift you select is engineered to support your boat’s dry weight. Also, ensure that it will fit into your dock space without impacting the surrounding water and shoreline conditions.
Dock lifts bridge the gap between a loading dock and truck bed to provide a safe, stable platform for cargo transfer. They’re more versatile than dock levelers, safer than ramps or inclines and less expensive than a recessed truck well.
EOD dock lifts are mounted to the side of a dock to operate in a range between truck bed and loading dock heights. They’re simple to install and require minimal structural modification. Their mechanical design enhances durability and reduces maintenance needs compared to other loading dock equipment.
They use a lip plate to float the platform up and down on a series of hydraulic cylinders. A push-button control raises the platform and extends the lip, and a push button lowers it back to dock floor level. EOD dock lifts offer an increased range of dock-to-truck heights than a traditional aluminum free dock plate, and are a good solution for facilities with moderate traffic and lighter loads.
Designed for light equipment, these dock lifts work well with hand carts and pallet jacks. They’re equipped with ramps that double as wheel chocks when raised, helping to prevent a cart from rolling off the lift platform. They can also be adapted to support heavier sit-down forklifts.
To ensure safety and longevity, it’s important to maintain the dock lift properly. Keep the power unit and cylinders clean of oil and debris to prevent damage and corrosion. The recommended oil for the lift is ISO 46 hydraulic fluid, although Dexron III transmission fluid can be used as a substitute. If the pit is flooded, it’s important to check and flush all air and hydraulic lines with clean water before resuming operation.
Combination Dock Lifts
Whether it’s getting your personal watercraft in and out of the water or moving pallets, containers and other industrial loads across your dock, you need to have the right dock lift to ensure efficient and effective material handling. ATI’s selection of combination dock lifts features an extensive range of configurations and accessories to fit your application, from standard and universal lifts to wide body models. The result is a premium lift that’s easy to use, requires less maintenance and will last for years of dependable performance.
At the center of our dock lift designs are thoughtfully engineered features that deliver optimal reliability, superior strength and impressive efficiency. Unlike some competitors that rely on corner connections, Golden uses a system that connects at the center to create a stronger and more stable foundation. This design also reduces wear and tear on the equipment, which can cause premature breakdowns and costly repairs.
Our combined dock and boat lifts also feature a patented gear system that runs more quietly than belt-driven systems. These gears provide exceptional longevity and reliability, outperforming belts in both performance and cost-efficiency over time. Our premium materials and expert engineering also extend the life of your lift, ensuring that you get a maximum return on investment.
Today’s longer and lower vehicles present new challenges for loading dock operations. Truck levelers are designed to address these challenges by safely raising or lowering the vehicle to match the height of your dock, enabling faster and safer loading operations in wet, icy or inclement weather conditions. For more demanding applications, our combination lifts pair the speed and efficiency of a dock leveler with the versatility of a scissors lift to service any “above grade” application. These dock lifts are installed either flush with the floor or in-pit and can be used to move pallets, containers and other loads from the ground up to the back of a truck.
Truck Leveler Dock Lifts
Today’s longer and lower trucks require a truck leveler to safely match their height with your dock, enhancing safety for materials loading/unloading. Also known as dock plates, these ramps fill the gap between your dock face and the truck bed to ensure a balanced stance.
Truck levelers are commonly mounted in two ways: recessed and edge-of-dock. Recessed dock levelers, also called pit-style dock levels, mount in a pit formed by the loading dock deck and are typically a minimum of 6 ft. long. Edge-of-dock (EOD) dock levelers are installed directly to the dock face and can be either mechanical or hydraulic.
Mechanical dock levelers are upwardly biased with a spring and hold down system to keep the main platform raised. When ready to use, a worker pulls the release chain attached to the dock leveler to raise the ramp and extend it out. The ramp is then walked down onto the trailer bed by hand until it’s at a level position with the trailer floor. Once the ramp is on the trailer, a ratchet mechanism engages to prevent the dock leveler from raising up again.
When deciding on the type of truck leveler for your facility, consider the recommended working range and maximum grade operation. A working range of 12 inches below and above dock level is ideal for most applications. The maximum grade recommendation is the incline you want to allow your equipment to travel up or down while on the ramp and should be limited to the max capability of your material handling equipment (typically 7%). Regular inspections should include looking for signs of wear, such as rust, which can weaken the metal components of dock levelers, leading to structural failures and unsafe operations.
Rail Dock Lifts
Dock lifts are ideal for facilities that rely on rail transport as they offer a simple and effective way to bridge the gap between truck and railcar, allowing loads to be loaded or unloaded without needing to move trucks between vehicles. These powered lifting systems offer precise, powerful movement and are designed for frequent use in harsh environments.
They also provide flexibility, enabling operations to handle a wide range of truck bed heights. This eliminates the need to modify loading dock levelers, which can often become obstructions for non-conforming truck models, as well as reduces the time required to load and unload a vehicle by allowing workers to quickly and safely raise or lower truck beds and equipment.
Hydraulic dock lifts are a great choice for marine applications, as they are able to adapt to changing water levels and can be easily repositioned on the dock. They are also highly energy efficient and can accommodate a variety of truck sizes and types, making them a great alternative to conventional dock levelers or tailgate lifts.
Vertical boat lifts are another popular dry docking option. This unique system consists of a platform that is supported by hoists or jacks on each side, which can be raised and lowered in order to perform inspections, maintenance, and repairs. However, they are not suitable for vessels of medium or large size, limiting their application to smaller boats.
These lifts are also a more cost-effective alternative to traditional floating dry docks, which can be expensive and difficult to maintain. They are easy to install and require minimal dredging and fill, making them an attractive option for shipyards. In addition, they can be used in combination with other solutions, such as trailer dock plates or wheels risers, to make full use of the available space in the dock area.
Kelley Dock Lifts
Providing an alternative to expensive, space-consuming dock well recesses and concrete ramps, stationary single-scissor type hydraulic dock lifts offer high speed, safe, easy operation with minimal maintenance. The recessed dock lifts feature a nonskid, safety-tread steel platform with beveled toe guards on all four sides, heavy duty, double-crown steel scissor legs and hydraulic operating system. The dock lifts are self-contained with an internal power unit and controlled from a remote push button station. The lifts operate at a maximum raising height of 60 inches from the lowered position.
Featuring an exclusive, patent-pending support strut that reduces maintenance needs and provides structural integrity during operation, air powered dock levelers are known for their smooth transition design that prevents vacant dock drop off, and features a constant radius rear leg hinge and optimized lip chamfer to help minimize jolts to lift trucks and product. The innovative design also includes a simple, easy-to-use push-button operation with a seven-amazing, advanced lift technology to ensure high performance and low maintenance costs.
The dock levelers’ open frame design allows for easy cleaning and prolongs component life. It also helps reduce the risk of accidental forklift runoff with its patented, integrated safety dock support strut. The aFX series dock levelers also utilizes proprietary, patent-pending airDefense Technology leg design to prevent stump-out and a consistent structural steel dock interface that eliminates forklift runoff.