- Location
- Coleraine, County Londonderry
- Main postcode districts
- BT51 and BT52
- Nearby (straight line)
- Limavady (13 miles), Ballymena (24 miles) and Magherafelt (26 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
A swing-lip dock leveller is a hydraulic ramp set into a pit at the dock edge, with a hinged steel lip along its front. When a trailer is docked the platform rises, the lip swings out, and the platform lowers until the lip rests on the trailer bed, forming a bridge for forklifts and pallet trucks. The lip is typically about 400 to 500 mm long.
Is this right for your site in Coleraine?
Fitting out a new warehouse in Coleraine with pre-formed pits makes swing-lip levellers a straightforward choice for most general loading from day one. Distribution warehouses in Coleraine loading curtain-siders and box trailers every day are typical users of swing-lip levellers, which handle routine pallet loading well.
Mixed bays at a site in Coleraine, where some trailers have tail lifts and others do not, may suit a combination of swing-lip and telescopic levellers.
We keep the process simple for sites in Coleraine. 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.
What happens when a swing-lip leveller is fitted into an existing pit?
Fitting a swing-lip leveller into an existing pit normally takes one to two working days per bay, with the bay closed throughout. The work runs in a set order:
- The old leveller is isolated, lifted out and removed from site.
- The pit is cleaned and measured, and the edge steel checked for damage.
- The new leveller is lowered in, set level, and welded or anchored to the pit steel.
- The hydraulic power pack and control panel are connected, and any interlocks wired.
- Toe guards, lip and bumpers are checked, then the leveller is run through its full range.
From your side we need the bay emptied and taken out of service, clear access for lifting equipment inside or outside the building, and a suitable power supply, which for most hydraulic levellers is three-phase. If the pit needs repairs, these are done first and can add time, which we confirm in the quote.
Do dock levellers have to be inspected by law?
Yes, dock levellers are work equipment and must be kept in a safe condition and inspected where deterioration could lead to danger. The law and the regulator depend on where the site is.
- Great Britain: the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), enforced by HSE.
- Northern Ireland: PUWER (Northern Ireland) 1999, enforced by HSENI.
- Inspection interval: engineering insurers commonly inspect dock levellers under PUWER at 12-month intervals.
- LOLER: most levellers are treated as work equipment under PUWER, but one designed or used to lift people may fall under LOLER, or LOLER (Northern Ireland) 1999, with 6-monthly thorough examination. It depends on the equipment and how it is used; your insurer or competent person will confirm.
- Standard: BS EN 1398:2009 sets the safety requirements for dock levellers. It is current and under review.
Our inspection guide explains what an examiner looks at.
The same published guide range applies across Northern Ireland; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What do we check at the survey?
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods
- Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
Options to discuss
Insulated leveller
An insulated platform with perimeter seals around the pit that reduces cold loss through the floor of the bay at chilled and frozen docks.
Interlocked controls
Control panels linked to the dock door, vehicle restraint or traffic lights so the leveller can only be operated when the dock is safe.
Planning, building control and safety law in Northern Ireland
Energy requirements for non-dwellings in Northern Ireland are set by Technical Booklet F2. For new or replacement loading bay doors in Coleraine, we confirm the figure that applies to your project and check what applies at survey, rather than working to rules from elsewhere in the UK.
Questions about swing-lip dock levellers in Coleraine
Do you cover Coleraine for swing-lip dock levellers?
Yes. We take on swing-lip dock levellers for businesses in Coleraine and across County Londonderry. 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.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Coleraine?
Yes. For new warehouses and fit-outs, we can supply and install the dock package as part of a wider project, working to the main contractor's programme, site rules and permits. We will need drawings, dock levels and the programme, and we coordinate pit details, power supplies and door openings with the relevant trades before installation begins.
Is VAT included in your guide prices for swing-lip dock levellers?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in County Londonderry as everywhere else: for swing-lip dock levellers, it is £5,200 to £8,800 per leveller, 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.
Do levellers need a three-phase supply?
Most hydraulic dock levellers use a three-phase supply, although some smaller units run on single phase. When replacing like for like, the existing supply can often be reused if it is in good order. We check the supply at survey and include any electrical work in the quote.
Can a new leveller fit our old pit?
Usually, yes. Levellers are made in standard sizes and many can be supplied to suit an existing pit, but the pit must be square, sound and deep enough. We measure the pit and check the edge steel at survey, and if adjustment or repair is needed we price it separately.
Swing-lip dock levellers near Coleraine
Close neighbours of Coleraine with their own pages here: Limavady (13 miles), Ballymena (24 miles) and Magherafelt (26 miles). Choose one to see coverage details for that town.
Other loading bay services in Coleraine
Full guide to swing-lip dock levellers · Everything we do in Coleraine
Request a quote for your loading bay in Coleraine, attaching photos of the dock, the equipment and any damage.