- Location
- Broadstairs, Kent
- Main postcode district
- CT10
- Nearby (straight line)
- Ramsgate (2 miles), Margate (3 miles) and Deal (9 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.
How does this suit sites in Broadstairs?
Where ground conditions in Broadstairs make a deep recessed dock costly, a pit-mounted or surface-mounted lift table can be the more practical option. Split-level buildings near Broadstairs sometimes use scissor lift tables internally to move pallets between floor levels without relying on forklifts and ramps.
Businesses in Broadstairs receiving both vans and articulated trailers through one doorway can use a lift table to serve every bed height from the same opening.
It starts with a free site survey in Broadstairs, where we measure the openings, check the dock and talk through how the bay is used. You then receive a fixed written quote. Once you accept, we manage the job: specialist installation engineers carry out the work under our management, planned around your deliveries, and out-of-hours working can be arranged. At handover we test everything with you and leave the documentation.
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.
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.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What does the free survey cover?
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
- Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- Control positions, isolators and any existing interlocks
- Wall and steel structure for door, shelter and bumper fixings
Options to discuss
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.
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.
What do the rules in England mean for the work?
Lift tables and dock lifts in Broadstairs 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 Broadstairs
How do you price scissor lift tables for a site in Broadstairs?
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.
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Broadstairs?
We check at survey whether the work is likely to need approval. Forming a new opening or dock pit may need Building Regulations approval, a building warrant or building control approval, depending on the nation, and external structures such as loading houses can need planning permission. Where approval is needed, we explain what is involved, work with your designer or agent, and build it into the programme.
Is the site survey in Broadstairs free?
Yes. For new installations, replacements, upgrades, conversions and complete bays, the site survey and written quote are free and come with no obligation. The survey lets us measure the openings, check the dock and structure, and understand how the bay is used, so the quote reflects your site. Repair and servicing visits are different: they are chargeable, with the price agreed before anyone attends.
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.
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.
Scissor lift tables near Broadstairs
The same survey, quote and repair service is available in towns around Broadstairs, such as Ramsgate (2 miles), Margate (3 miles) and Deal (9 miles).
Other loading bay services in Broadstairs
Full guide to scissor lift tables · Everything we do in Broadstairs
Send a few photos of the dock and a short description of the problem, and we will come back to you about your Broadstairs site.