- Location
- Portsmouth, Hampshire
- Main postcode district
- PO5
- Nearby (straight line)
- Gosport (2 miles), Fareham (5 miles) and Ryde (6 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.
Is this right for your site in Portsmouth?
Where ground conditions in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth with little yard space often choose a dock lift because a recessed approach ramp would take up too much room.
Each lift table enquiry from Portsmouth is surveyed and quoted in the same way as any other UK site, with groundworks for a pit priced separately.
We do not give a fixed price without seeing the site. A free survey in Portsmouth 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.
One feature of the freight network near Portsmouth is worth a mention: Portsmouth International Port handles ferry and freight traffic. Busy or quiet, a dock needs equipment sized for the vehicles it receives.
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 inspections does a scissor lift table need under LOLER?
A scissor lift table is lifting equipment, so it needs a thorough examination under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) at least every 12 months. If it lifts people, such as an operator riding with a pallet truck, the interval is every 6 months, unless a competent person draws up a written examination scheme instead. Which applies depends on the equipment and how it is used; your insurer or competent person will confirm.
In Northern Ireland the equivalent is LOLER (Northern Ireland) 1999, and the regulator is HSENI rather than HSE.
Thorough examination is separate from routine maintenance. The lift is also work equipment under PUWER, so it must be maintained in a safe condition between examinations.
We specify lift tables to BS EN 1570-1:2024, the current safety standard for lifting tables, and explain the examination regime at handover. Planned loading bay servicing can be arranged to fit around the examination dates.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What do we check at the survey?
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Clear opening width and height for each door
- Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
- Asbestos register and any other site hazard information
Options to discuss
Bridge plate
A hinged plate on the platform end that rests on the trailer bed during loading, bridging the gap so pallet trucks can cross smoothly between lift and trailer.
Safety bellows and skirts
A flexible enclosure around the scissor mechanism that keeps hands, feet and debris out of shear and crush points, and helps keep the mechanism clean.
Regulations and approvals in England
Workplace safety in England is regulated by HSE. For a loading bay in Portsmouth, that means doors meeting regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, equipment maintained under PUWER and suitable safeguards against vehicles driving away too early. We check what applies at survey and design the bay accordingly.
Questions about scissor lift tables in Portsmouth
Do you remove and dispose of the old equipment?
Yes, where it is part of the scope. When we replace doors, levellers, shelters or seals at a site in Portsmouth, removal and disposal of the old equipment can be included and is itemised in the quote, so it is clear what is covered. If anything should be kept, such as a frame or motor that is still serviceable, we agree that at survey.
What details do you need from us to quote for scissor lift tables?
To get started, send the site address in Portsmouth, the number of bays or openings, approximate sizes, and photos of the dock from inside and outside. Tell us what vehicles you load, what goods you handle and any temperature requirements. Drawings help on new builds. We then arrange the free survey and confirm the details before the written quote is issued.
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 Hampshire 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.
Does a scissor lift table need a pit?
No, a scissor lift table does not always need a pit. Surface-mounted lifts stand on the existing floor with a short ramp at the bottom. A pit lets the platform sit flush with the yard so pallet trucks roll straight on, which suits frequent or heavy loading. We recommend one or the other at survey.
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.
Scissor lift tables near Portsmouth
Distances are measured from Portsmouth. Nearby towns we cover include Gosport (2 miles), Fareham (5 miles) and Ryde (6 miles), and other towns in the area are covered too.
Other loading bay services in Portsmouth
Full guide to scissor lift tables · Everything we do in Portsmouth
Ready to talk about a loading bay in Portsmouth? Call us, or send the details through the quote form.