A scissor lift table, often called a dock lift, is a powered platform raised and lowered by a hydraulic scissor mechanism to move goods between two levels. At a loading bay it lifts pallets and pallet trucks from ground level to the height of a trailer bed, making it a practical alternative to a raised dock where forming one is not possible.
Why do sites in City and County of Bristol choose this?
Food, drink and pharmaceutical sites around City and County of Bristol that need clean, controlled loading points may prefer a lift table with bellows enclosing the scissor mechanism. Businesses in City and County of Bristol receiving both vans and articulated trailers through one doorway can use a lift table to serve every bed height from the same opening.
Older industrial buildings in City and County of Bristol built with ground-level doors only can use a scissor lift table to load trailers without excavating the yard.
We do not give a fixed price without seeing the site. A free survey in City and County of Bristol lets us check the details that affect the job, and the written quote that follows is a fixed price for the agreed scope. We plan the work around your operation, arrange out-of-hours access if you need it and manage specialist installation engineers throughout. Handover includes testing, a demonstration and the paperwork you need for your records.
How much does a scissor lift table cost?
A scissor lift table for a loading bay typically costs £9,500 to £28,000 per lift, supplied and installed, excluding VAT. Smaller surface-mounted lifts sit towards the lower end; large, high-capacity pit lifts with gates and bridge plates sit towards the top.
What moves the price:
- Capacity: dock lifts are typically rated somewhere between 2,000 and 6,000 kg, and heavier ratings need a stronger mechanism.
- Platform size and travel: larger platforms and greater lift heights cost more.
- Mounting: pit-mounted or surface-mounted with a ramp.
- Safety equipment: bellows or skirts, toe guards, rails, gates and bridge plates.
- Electrics and access: supply to the power pack, delivery access and out-of-hours working.
Forming a pit, drainage and other groundworks are priced separately after survey. Following a free site survey, the written quote is the fixed price. VAT is added at the standard rate.
What happens on site when a dock lift is installed?
Installing a dock lift takes the doorway out of use while any pit is formed and the lift fitted, so an alternative loading point should be planned for that period.
- Pit works: where a pit is needed, the yard is broken out, the pit formed and drained, and the concrete left to cure.
- Delivery and positioning: the lift is offloaded and set in place by forklift or crane, then levelled and fixed.
- Power and controls: the power pack and control station are connected to the supply confirmed at survey.
- Testing: the lift is run through its full travel, safety devices are checked and it is tested under load.
- Handover: operators are shown how to use it, and the documents and examination regime are explained.
We ask you to provide a delivery route, a cleared working area, the electrical supply, any drawings of buried services and a contact on site.
Towns we cover in City and County of Bristol
Find your town in the list below for details of scissor lift tables across City and County of Bristol, or contact us if your location is not shown.
Budget range for supply and fit. The written quote after a free survey is the fixed price. All guide prices.
Which rules apply in England?
Powered doors and dock equipment installed in England may carry the UKCA or the CE mark, and doors are covered by the product standard BS EN 13241. We hand over the relevant documentation for each item fitted in City and County of Bristol. Planning and Building Regulations questions are never assumed either way: we check what applies at survey, so you know before work is booked.
Questions
Do you cover City and County of Bristol for scissor lift tables?
Yes. We take on scissor lift tables for businesses in City and County of Bristol and across City and County of Bristol. We survey the site, provide a fixed written quote and manage the installation, with specialist installation engineers working under our management. Visits are arranged in advance at a time that suits your operation, and the same single contact stays with the job through to handover.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in City and County of Bristol?
Yes. For new warehouses and fit-outs, we can supply and install the dock package as part of a wider project, working to the main contractor's programme, site rules and permits. We will need drawings, dock levels and the programme, and we coordinate pit details, power supplies and door openings with the relevant trades before installation begins.
How often does a lift table need servicing?
A lift table needs routine maintenance as well as its LOLER thorough examinations. Many sites combine the two so the lift is serviced shortly before each examination. The right maintenance frequency depends on how heavily the lift is used, and we agree it with you at handover.
What capacity of dock lift do I need?
A dock lift needs a capacity above the heaviest combined load it will carry, including the goods, the pallet truck and an operator if they ride on it. Loading bay lifts are typically rated somewhere between 2,000 and 6,000 kg. We work out the right rating from your loads at survey.
Other services in City and County of Bristol
Full guide to scissor lift tables · All loading bay services in City and County of Bristol