- Location
- Brixham, Devon
- Main postcode district
- TQ5
- Nearby (straight line)
- Paignton (4 miles), Torquay (5 miles) and Newton Abbot (10 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
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.
What should sites in Brixham consider?
Where ground conditions in Brixham make a deep recessed dock costly, a pit-mounted or surface-mounted lift table can be the more practical option. Town-centre and retail sites around Brixham with little yard space often choose a dock lift because a recessed approach ramp would take up too much room.
Split-level buildings near Brixham sometimes use scissor lift tables internally to move pallets between floor levels without relying on forklifts and ramps.
Our part of the job in Brixham is to survey, quote and manage; the fitting itself is done by specialist installation engineers working under our management. The survey and the written quote are free. Once the fixed price is accepted, we agree dates that work around your deliveries and shifts, including out-of-hours working where needed. Every installation is tested before handover, and you receive the documentation for each item fitted.
What safety features should a loading bay lift table have?
A loading bay lift table should protect people from the scissor mechanism, stop if anything is trapped under the platform, and stop people or loads falling from the edges. Lift tables are specified to BS EN 1570-1:2024, and common features include:
- Toe guards: trip bars or sensitive edges around the platform underside that stop the lift descending on contact.
- Safety bellows or skirts: a flexible enclosure that keeps hands, feet and debris out of shear and crush points.
- Guard rails and gates: on open sides, sized to how people and pallet trucks move on and off.
- Bridge plate: a hinged plate that rests on the trailer bed to bridge the gap.
- Hold-to-run controls: the lift only moves while the button is held, with a stop button within reach.
- Hydraulic protection: valves that stop the platform dropping if a hose fails.
- Maintenance props: supports that hold the platform up safely during servicing.
Where are scissor lift tables used at loading bays?
Scissor lift tables are used wherever goods need to move between yard level and trailer height without a raised dock. They are a common answer for buildings that were never designed for articulated trailers.
- Ground-level doors: older units, workshops and retail back doors with no dock.
- Mixed fleets: the same lift can serve a van, a rigid lorry and an articulated trailer at different bed heights, typically from around 900 mm to 1,600 mm.
- Tight sites: where there is no room for a recessed approach ramp in the yard.
- Split levels: inside buildings with floors at different heights.
- Supplementing a dock: one lift beside a row of docks to handle vehicles that do not suit the levellers.
Our guide to converting a ground-level door into a loading dock compares lift tables with the other ways of reaching trailer height.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
Survey checklist for your dock
- Drainage on recessed or sloping dock approaches
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
- Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
- Age and condition of the equipment already in place
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
- Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
Options to discuss
Pit-mounted dock lift
Set in a concrete pit so the platform lowers flush with the yard, letting pallet trucks drive straight on. The best choice for frequent, heavy loading at a fixed door.
Surface-mounted lift table
Stands on the existing floor with a short ramp on to the platform at its lowest height. No excavation, a quicker install and easier to relocate later.
Regulations and approvals in England
Lift tables and dock lifts in Brixham may fall under LOLER, with thorough examination at least every 12 months, or every 6 months where people are lifted. It depends on the equipment and how it is used, and your insurer or competent person will confirm. Dock levellers are usually treated as work equipment under PUWER. We check what applies at survey.
Questions about scissor lift tables in Brixham
How do you price scissor lift tables for a site in Brixham?
Guide budgets for supply and fit are £9,500 to £28,000 per lift, excluding VAT. The figure moves with size, insulation, the operator, electrics, access, any pit or groundworks and out-of-hours working. Where levellers are involved, the guide assumes an existing, sound pit. After the free survey you receive a fixed written quote, and that is the price for the agreed scope.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Brixham?
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.
Is VAT included in your guide prices for scissor lift tables?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in Devon as everywhere else: for scissor lift tables, it is £9,500 to £28,000 per lift, excluding VAT. It covers supply and fit for a typical installation. Your fixed written quote after the free survey shows the net price, the VAT and exactly what is included.
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.
Can a scissor lift table be installed outdoors?
Yes, scissor lift tables are often installed outdoors at the loading door. Outdoor lifts need a drained pit or a suitable base, weather-resistant finishes and controls, and sometimes a canopy over the loading area. A canopy is an external structure that may need planning permission, which we check at survey.
Scissor lift tables near Brixham
If your site is not in Brixham itself, it may be near one of these: Paignton (4 miles), Torquay (5 miles) and Newton Abbot (10 miles). Pick the closest.
Other loading bay services in Brixham
Full guide to scissor lift tables · Everything we do in Brixham
Speak to us about your Brixham loading bay. We will ask the right questions, then set out the next step clearly.