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 Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles?
Businesses in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles receiving both vans and articulated trailers through one doorway can use a lift table to serve every bed height from the same opening. Where ground conditions in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles make a deep recessed dock costly, a pit-mounted or surface-mounted lift table can be the more practical option.
Food, drink and pharmaceutical sites around Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles that need clean, controlled loading points may prefer a lift table with bellows enclosing the scissor mechanism.
We keep the process simple for sites in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. A free survey tells us what the dock needs; a fixed written quote tells you what it will cost and what is included. We then organise the installation, with specialist engineers under our management and a programme agreed around your shifts. Night and weekend work is available by arrangement. Before we leave, the new equipment is tested, demonstrated and handed over with 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.
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.
Towns we cover in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
Each of the following towns in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles has its own page on scissor lift tables, covering how we work and what to send us.
Budget range for supply and fit. The written quote after a free survey is the fixed price. All guide prices.
What do the rules in Scotland mean for the work?
Energy standards for buildings in Scotland are set out in Section 6 of the Building Standards Technical Handbook. For new or replacement loading bay doors in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, we confirm the figure that applies to your project and check what applies at survey, rather than relying on rules written for elsewhere in the UK.
Sites in and around Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles are covered by arrangement. There is no charge for the survey or the written quote, and any travel, ferry crossings or overnight stays needed for the installation itself are itemised in the quote, so you see the full price before agreeing.
Questions
Can you work outside our normal operating hours in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles?
Yes, by arrangement. Evening, night and weekend working can be planned so the installation causes as little disruption as possible to your loading schedule. Out-of-hours work can affect the price, so mention it at the survey and we will include it in the written quote. The agreed times are confirmed in the programme before the job starts.
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles?
It depends on which UK nation the site is in. England and Wales use Building Regulations approval, Scotland uses building warrants and Northern Ireland uses building control approval from the council. Workplace safety is regulated by HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland, and energy rules differ between nations. For your site in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
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.
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.
Other services in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
Full guide to scissor lift tables · All loading bay services in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles