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A Complete Guide to Dock Leveler

Author: Sahil Sharma
by Sahil Sharma
Posted: Dec 06, 2014

For any business, which has its own loading dock, the gaps between the warehouse floor or the actual dock and the trucks can cause issues, particularly if you have a large distribution place that is used by numerous lorries per house frequently. A dock leveler can help you overcome this problem as it acts as a bridge between the lorries and the destination of the cargo, thus offering an ideal solution to long standing problems.

A dock leveler is fixed to the dock permanently, which differs for each and every dock plate that is usually portable and not usually used in a static or fixed manner. Dock levelers basically are made up of simple metal plate, known as the lip, which is raised from a certain position and lowered on the back of the truck or lorry that will move the cargo. Dock levelers are either operated automatically or manually by using electronic pumps to lift up the plate.

Dock Levelers are mostly used where any factory or any other kind of building has doors that are leveled to the lorry or truck. This means that the dock leveler will be utilized to load the cargos inside or outside the docks, but when the lorries back in for picking up the load, then it can be straight away put inside the lorry as the vehicles can connect directly with the docks ready for loading.

Compared to dock boards and dock plates, dock levelers are usually a more costly solution when the problems faced by most of the distribution companies are considered, but it is right to say that generally they are more reliable and are able to deal with the heaviest of weights, mostly as they are fixed instead of being portable.

Though there are many different kinds of dock levelers, one among the most common is the pit or recessed dock leveler, which means the leveler, it is placed inside the pit or recess, just beneath the floor and door. This makes them stronger than the portable counter parts as well as it allows heavier cargo and big fork lifting trucks to regularly use them.

A well designed and well built dock leveler will also have an anti skid surface and usually an anti freeze surface. This means that a well built dock leveler can operate in all kinds of environments and weather without the risk of users falling on the ice or on other kinds of hazardous materials.

You will find dock levelers at most of the warehouses and distribution centers across the world and though there are many different manufacturers of dock levelers, the basic principles and making of dock levelers will remain the same always. With today’s fast-paced, modern loading docks, choosing and installing the best levelers properly for the work plays a key role in productivity and safety.

With so many diverse types of dock levelers in the market today, in such an extensive variety of shapes, sizes, and mounting styles, selecting the best one can be much more complicated than before. However, the web can help you here as there are various online stores, offering these machines.

About the Author

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Author: Sahil Sharma

Sahil Sharma

Member since: Sep 04, 2014
Published articles: 39

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