- Location
- Tamworth, Staffordshire
- Main postcode district
- B79
- Nearby (straight line)
- Lichfield (6 miles), Sutton Coldfield (7 miles) and Coleshill (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.
What matters for scissor lift tables in Tamworth?
Businesses in Tamworth receiving both vans and articulated trailers through one doorway can use a lift table to serve every bed height from the same opening. Food, drink and pharmaceutical sites around Tamworth that need clean, controlled loading points may prefer a lift table with bellows enclosing the scissor mechanism.
Older industrial buildings in Tamworth built with ground-level doors only can use a scissor lift table to load trailers without excavating the yard.
Keeping the dock running is usually the first concern, so we plan around it. After a free survey of your Tamworth site and a written quote at a fixed price, we agree when each bay can be released and whether any work should happen out of hours. Specialist installation engineers working under our management then fit the equipment, and we test it and hand over the documentation before the bay goes back into use.
Operators sending trailers to and from Tamworth may already know this: Birch Coppice business park and rail terminal at Dordon sits near junction 10 of the M42. Regardless of traffic volume, a dock must seal, level and hold vehicles safely.
Should a dock lift be pit-mounted or surface-mounted?
A pit-mounted dock lift is best where pallet trucks need to roll straight on at ground level, while a surface-mounted lift suits sites where digging a pit is impractical or the lift may move later. Both raise goods to trailer height; the difference is how you get on at the bottom.
- Pit-mounted: the lift sits in a concrete pit so the platform is flush with the yard when lowered. Pallet trucks drive straight on. The pit needs drainage, and forming it is a structural job that may need building control approval.
- Surface-mounted: the lift stands on the existing floor and a short ramp leads on to the platform at its lowest height. No excavation, quicker to install and easier to relocate, but the ramp takes space and can be harder work with heavy loads.
Ground conditions, drainage, available space and the weight of your typical load usually decide it. We set out both options at survey where either would work.
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.
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
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
- Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
- Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
- Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
- Clear opening width and height for each door
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.
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.
Which rules apply in England?
Lift tables and dock lifts in Tamworth 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 Tamworth
How long does installation take at a site in Tamworth?
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.
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Tamworth?
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 Tamworth, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
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 Tamworth, 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.
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.
Can a forklift drive on to a scissor lift table?
Only if the lift has been designed and rated for forklift traffic. Most loading bay lift tables are built for pallet trucks, and a forklift's weight and wheel loads need a much heavier platform and mechanism. Tell us how you load at survey so the lift is specified correctly.
Scissor lift tables near Tamworth
The same survey, quote and repair service is available in towns around Tamworth, such as Lichfield (6 miles), Sutton Coldfield (7 miles) and Coleshill (9 miles).
Other loading bay services in Tamworth
Full guide to scissor lift tables · Everything we do in Tamworth
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