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.
Where does this fit at a dock in Hertfordshire?
Sites in Hertfordshire replacing an ageing dock lift should look at its LOLER examination history, as repeated defects can signal that replacement is due. Older industrial buildings in Hertfordshire built with ground-level doors only can use a scissor lift table to load trailers without excavating the yard.
Each lift table enquiry from Hertfordshire is surveyed and quoted in the same way as any other UK site, with groundworks for a pit priced separately.
Your loading bay stays our responsibility from the survey to the handover. In Hertfordshire, the survey and written quote are free, and the quoted price is fixed for the agreed scope. Installation is carried out by specialist engineers working under our management, at times planned with you to protect your loading schedule. Out-of-hours work is available by arrangement. We finish by testing the equipment and handing over its documentation.
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 Hertfordshire
Choose a town below to see how we handle scissor lift tables in that part of Hertfordshire.
- Watford
- Hemel Hempstead
- Stevenage
- St Albans
- Welwyn Garden City
- Cheshunt
- Hatfield
- Bishop's Stortford
- Borehamwood
- Hitchin
- Hoddesdon
- Letchworth Garden City
- Harpenden
- Bushey
- Hertford
- Rickmansworth
- Potters Bar
- Berkhamsted
- Ware
- Royston
Budget range for supply and fit. The written quote after a free survey is the fixed price. All guide prices.
Regulations and approvals in England
Workplace safety in England is regulated by HSE. For a loading bay in Hertfordshire, 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
Do you cover Hertfordshire for scissor lift tables?
Yes. We take on scissor lift tables for businesses in Hertfordshire and across Hertfordshire. 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.
How long does installation take at a site in Hertfordshire?
It depends on the equipment, the number of bays, the condition of the dock and whether any building or electrical work is needed. We agree a programme with you after the survey, setting out which bays are out of use and when. Larger jobs are usually phased so that part of the dock stays open, and out-of-hours working can be arranged.
Can people ride on a dock lift?
Some lift tables are designed to carry an operator with the load, and others are for goods only. If the lift carries people, LOLER thorough examinations are typically needed every 6 months rather than every 12, unless a written examination scheme sets a different interval. Your insurer or competent person will confirm.
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 Hertfordshire
Full guide to scissor lift tables · All loading bay services in Hertfordshire

