Safety should always come first in any warehouse or business. For many businesses, loading and unloading cargoes is one of the riskier aspects of operating, so taking the required precautions to provide a safe dock environment will help to keep both workers and priceless cargo safe.

Advantages of Dock Levelers

Although diameters of loading docks are somewhat consistent, dock heights do differ. The fact that different truck trailers have different heights adds another layer of complexity. When there is a height difference between the trailer and the dock, dock levelers offer a bridge to ensure the secure loading and unloading of cargo. It is safer and much more productive to load and unload freight on a level, smooth surface.

Traditional dock levelers vs. Edge-O-Dock Levelers

Vestil dock levelers come in two main varieties that Gold Key Equipment carries. At the front of the dock, in the loading area, are traditional Vestil Dock levelers. A leveler of this kind is present at the dock's floor level to facilitate cross traffic. The leveler is lifted (either manually via mechanical operation or hydraulically by push button) and the outside lip is extended when a truck joins the dock. Once the lip of the leveler has overlapped the trailer bed, it is lowered to create a bridge onto the trailer.

The Vestil Edge-O-Dock levelers are made to be simple to set up. They occupy less dock area and lessen the chance of pinched fingers or toes because they are fastened or welded to the outside edge of the loading dock. The lip is pushed up, extended, and then dropped down to overlap the trailer bed, operating much like a conventional dock leveler would. Since Edge-O-Dock levelers are typically less expensive than conventional models, firms with limited budgets may consider them.

Dock levelers can be operated mechanically, hydraulically, or both (manual). Hydraulic dock levelers demand a larger initial outlay due to their higher unit cost and electrical requirements on the pier. Electric hydraulic levelers have a straightforward one-button operation. To lower the lip onto the trailer bed, the operator simply releases the button after pressing the raise button until the leveler reaches the necessary height to clear the trailer.

The operator elevates manual mechanical levelers by pulling a chain or lever that rises the leveler and extends the lip. The operator then needs to exert weight on the leveler by walking on it in the case of a conventional dock leveler in order to push the lip down and overlap the trailer bed (for edge-o-docks this step generally happens via lever actuation). Although they require less maintenance, mechanical dock levelers require more physical labor to operate.

Visit www.goldkeyequipment.com for additional details on dock levelers or any of our other products, or email us at sales@goldkeyequipment.com