Loading dock Levellers
Loading dock levellers are currently the best way of loading and unloading goods. At Alapont Logistics we have a wide range of leveller models for loading docks, in accordance with the requirements of each type of client. In our catalogue you’ll find hydraulic, mechanical and special levellers. We offer the possibility of designing custom-made loading levellers, adapting to the different characteristics of the dock.
Our products and services may include the complete manufacturing and installation of the dock or its components, such as the ideal lifting leveller, insulating shelters or doors.
A suitable solution for any loading dock. It is characterised by its strength and safety.
The ideal solution for docks that require strict temperature control and high levels of cleanliness.
This is the best option for reduced spaces where a conventional leveller is not viable.
This is the best option for reduced spaces where a conventional leveller is not viable.
This adapts to the space of the existing dockwithout needing any or needing very little construction work. A fast and economic solution.
Sturdy and hard-wearing. Does not require the construction of a pit or a power supply.
Adapted to the characteristics of the dock, whatever the manufacturer. No need to carry out construction work.
An effective solution when a loading dock that allows the required tasks to be performed is not available.
This consists of a formwork box, which comes as a kit along with the leveller chosen, eliminating the need to build a pit.
Solution when the construction of the buildings does not allow the installation of internal levellers or a pit is not envisaged for the docks.
Advantages of our loading dock levellers
The hydraulic dock levellers with a hinged lip are made of 6/8 mm teardrop steel plate with one lifting cylinder and another for the lip. The latter is made with 13/15 mm teardrop plate and with a projection of 400 mm. The metal plates are treated with an anti-corrosion system. There is also the possibility of a galvanised finish, thus increasing their durability.
In order to minimise deforming and ensure firmness throughout its useful life, Alapont Logistics folding lip levellers are equipped with 10 reinforcement beams that support the platform, providing them with greater strength and durability. In addition, in the area of the hinged lip , one of the areas exposed to the greatest wear, it incorporates reinforced steel hinges.
At Alapont Logistics Solutions you have technical advice available before and after the purchase, and maintenance of all the components of your loading docks, thus ensuring your peace of mind and comfort. Our technical service gives you the support you need, either for replacing a part, advising you if you have any questions or simply guaranteeing the good service and use of the loading dock.
Despite using high quality materials in each and every one of our products, the prices we have for our loading docks are very competitive. You can contact us at any time and request your quote without any obligation.
Components and types of dock levellers
These products are intended to compensate for the gap between the docks and the loading bed of vehicles at different levels. They constitute the transit route between the transporting vehicle and the parts of the building where the merchandise is located. Alapont loading docks levellers are characterised by their strength and safety, and are designed to be used by people and manual (pallet trucks) or motorised equipment (forklifts) in even the most unfavourable working situations.
Elements of the dock levellers
Types of levellers for loading docks
Standard hydraulic dock leveller
They are characterised by their strength and safety, and are suitable for the passage of people and manual or motorised transport in even the most unfavourable working situations.
Vertical hydraulic dock leveller
This is the perfect solution for those warehouses in the food or pharmaceutical sector which need to have strict temperature control and high hygiene standards.
Telescopic hydraulic dock leveller
This is characterised by having a retractable lip capable of getting to places where the standard leveller cannot reach. It is especially suitable for facilities where thermal insulation is a relevant issue.
Edge of dock
This is the best option for loading and unloading goods in small spaces, where installing a conventional levelling ramp is not possible.
Mechanical loading and unloading bridges
These loading and unloading bridges do not require a power supply, making them ideal for those premises that do not have electricity. In addition, they can be fixed, transportable or mobile, and can be moved sideways, thereby optimising their use.
Maintenance, inspections and commissioning.
In general, the regulatory framework regarding the obligation to perform maintenance on an item of work equipment is set forth in Royal Decree 1215/1997. In its Article 3.5 it stipulates that “the employer shall take the necessary measures to ensurethat, by means of proper maintenance, work equipment is kept during the entire time of its use in conditions such that they satisfy the provisions of the third paragraph of Section 1. Said maintenance shall be carried out taking into account the manufacturer’s instructions or, failing that, the characteristics of this equipment, its conditions of use and any other normal or exceptional circumstance that might influence its deterioration or poor adjustment”.
The maintenance of all the components of the loading and unloading docks must be carried out in accordance with each manufacturer’s Instruction Manual. In addition, Article 3.5 itself states that “any maintenance, repair or transformation operations that pose a specific risk for employees, may only be entrusted to personnel who have been specially trained for this purpose”.
You can find more relevant information about the maintenance of loading docks, as well as the technical requirements for the access of external personnel for loading and unloading in storage facilities in the following article: maintenance of dock levellers.
CE Marking and signage
Regarding the dock leveller’s CE marking, the following details must be displayed visibly and legibly:
- Name and full address of the manufacturer and, where applicable, of its authorised representative.
- Name of the machine.
- Capacity of the levelling ramp.
- Serial or manufacture number.
- Year of manufacture, i.e. the year in which.the manufacturing process has been completed.
- Additionally for externally supplied levelling ramps, details of the required power requirements (voltage, frequency, power).
In terms of the signage, there should be an easily visible and permanently attached notice of “personal prohibition” in letters of a minimum height of 15 mm stating: “Do not position yourself under this levelling ramp unless it is mechanically blocked”.
CE marking on levellers for loading docks
Safety criteria on the loading dock
During the process of loading and unloading there are countless risk factors of varying severity that can affect both the operators of the loading docks and the drivers of goods vehicles and transporters. Good planning, together with the help of the other safety components, can help us minimise the risks that occur at loading points . To do so, the loading dock must be properly designed taking into account several essential aspects that you can consult in the following table.
Avoid the truck’s load height difference.
Use handling equipment in accordance with the loading capacity of the leveller.
There should be horizontal signage for the loading areas.
Levelling platforms must have side guards that prevent the operator’s feet from being crushed when the platform returns to the horizontal position.
These should be designed so that the surfaces used by people or transporting equipment have non-slip properties, and so that liquids can be drained away.
Side panels should be incorporated to prevent the danger of crushing and shearing between the edges of the installed leveller and the adjacent traffic areas.
Bear in mind that the maximum slope in the working position should be 12.5% between the highest and lowest position.
The docks must have at least one exit, and if their length is greater than 20 metres, one at each end (ramp or stair type).
Incorporate an extendable safety leg in the maintenance position, which should allow work to be carried out with complete safety.
Have automatic or manual locking systems to prevent uncontrolled movements during loading and unloading operations.
Have a width, 0.70 metres greater than that required for the passage of the truck and a minimum total width of 1.25 metres, which can be reduced provided that the transport equipment is guided on the levelling ramp and the personnel can use an area in the middle of it.
Rest on the loading surface of a vehicle, automatically adjusting to height variations during the loading operation.
Ensure that the length of the guiding tubes have a width of 2.40 metresand a height of 0.3 metres. The guides must be fitted at 5.00 metres from the top of the dock, and the distance between one guide and another must be 2.60 metres and a maximum of 2.65 metres.
If the levelling platforms are installed outside the warehouse, in a tunnel with an external shelter, it must have side bumpers that prevent any possibility of the maintenance equipment falling.
A good preventive practice is to install control panels for the levellers protected against mechanical damage and in an open area, since they allow wide visibility and are away from vehicles during manoeuvres.
“Motorised levelling ramps must be automatically secured against any uncontrolled and dangerous descent when they support more than 25% of the payload, for example by means of a hydraulic valve installed directly on the lifting cylinder. The control panel must be located and designed so that the personnel who handle it can observe all the movements easily and be well away from any risk presented by the leveller and the vehicle. Control devices must be designed so that when they are disconnected, the leveller stops or descends by itself due to its own weight at a speed not exceeding 0.20 metres/s”. Standards UNE-EN 1398.