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.
How does this suit sites in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles?
Distribution warehouses in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles 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 Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, where some trailers have tail lifts and others do not, may suit a combination of swing-lip and telescopic levellers.
Operators in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles who have added electric pallet trucks to their fleet may find an existing leveller too short, making a longer platform worth considering.
We never ask you to commit before you have a fixed price. A free survey at your Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles site comes first, followed by a written quote. When the order goes ahead, we plan the installation around your operation, book any out-of-hours working you need and manage the specialist installation engineers on site. The job ends with a full test, a run-through for the people who will use the equipment and a set of handover documents.
How long should a dock leveller platform be?
A leveller platform should be long enough to keep the slope gentle across the full range of trailer heights you load, because the steepest gradient decides which handling equipment can use it safely. A longer platform spreads the same height difference over a greater distance.
- Know your trailer mix: with a dock typically around 1,200 mm high and trailer beds ranging from roughly 900 to 1,600 mm, the height difference can be considerable.
- Check your equipment: low-clearance electric pallet trucks cope with less gradient than a counterbalance forklift with good ground clearance.
- Common lengths: platforms are commonly made from around 2 to 3.5 m long, with longer units where trailers sit very low or very high.
- Width: a wider platform gives more room when pallets sit close to the trailer sides.
When replacing a unit, the pit size limits what can be fitted, so we measure the pit and record your trailer heights at survey before recommending a length.
What wears out on a swing-lip dock leveller?
The lip hinge, hydraulic hoses and seals are usually the first parts to wear on a swing-lip leveller, and planned servicing finds most of these problems before they stop a bay.
- Lip hinge: takes an impact every time the lip lands, and suffers badly if trailers reverse into a lip that has not been stored.
- Hydraulics: hoses, cylinder seals and power pack oil age and can leak.
- Velocity fuse: the safety valve that stops the platform dropping if a trailer pulls away must be tested.
- Toe guards and maintenance strut: must be intact and working. HSE guidance notes guards or skirting may be needed where something could be caught.
- Dock bumpers: worn bumpers let trailers strike the leveller and dock edge.
A leveller with a cracked lip hinge, a bent platform or repeated hydraulic leaks may be better replaced than repaired. Service and repair visits are chargeable and agreed before anyone attends.
Towns we cover in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
Find your town in the list below for details of swing-lip dock levellers across Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, or contact us if your location is not shown.
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.
For Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, installation work is planned in advance rather than on a routine round. The survey and quote are free; where we can, we group installation visits with other work nearby, and any travel and accommodation costs for fitting are set out clearly in the quote.
Questions
Do you cover Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles for swing-lip dock levellers?
Yes. We take on swing-lip dock levellers for businesses in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles and across Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. 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.
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles?
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.
What happens if a trailer pulls away with the lip on its bed?
The platform drops until its safety system stops it. Hydraulic levellers have a velocity fuse that arrests the fall, but the event can still damage the leveller and endanger anyone on it, which is why dock traffic lights, restraints and key control are used to prevent early drive-away.
How long does a replacement leveller take to arrive?
Lead times depend on size, specification and the manufacturer, and we confirm them in the written quote. The existing leveller can usually stay in use until the replacement is on site, so the bay is only closed for the installation itself.
Other services in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
Full guide to swing-lip dock levellers · All loading bay services in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles