A hydraulic dock lift is an example of material handling equipment in use at the loading dock area that receives a static load.
In a truck loading application the dock lift is in the lowered position and a load is slowly driven/pushed onto the dock lift platform and stopped. The dock lift then raises the static nonmoving load to the truck bed height and the product then slowly transitions off the platform onto the truck bed.
A dock leveler is an example of materials handling equipment at a... Read More
There are 3 primary categories of Lifting Equipment used in Material Handling, Lift Trucks, Overhead Cranes and Lift and Positioning Equipment.
For 35+ years Pentalift has earned the reputation as a trusted manufacturer of Lift and Positioning Equipment within the Material Handling Industry including an extensive line of Pre-Engineered Lift Tables.
Pentalift also has proven engineering experience in the design and manufacture of Custom Lift Tables that are specific to the application requi... Read More
On an electro-hydraulic lift table the lift motor is mechanically coupled to the hydraulic pump. When the lift motor is activated the hydraulic system pumps the hydraulic oil to the lift cylinders and the lift table rises. When the lift motor is shut off by there is a slight overrun “freewheel” effect, the pump continues to pump oil for a split second and the lift table rises slightly. If precise positioning is required a Sure Stop Valve is added to the hydraulic circuit. At rest the Sure St... Read More
As standard dock lifts are supplied with removable guard rails. At the time of manufacture the guard rails are bolted to a threaded plate that is welded to the dock lift platform. These guard rails are now removable however they require hand tools to first remove the locking bolts, 4 locking bolts per guard rail. Based on the amount of work required and the time involved removing this style of guard rail is not a common practice to do repetitively. Another option is permanent guard rails, as th... Read More
Yes you can. With the dock lift in the lowered position there is no issue. However if the dock lift is to be loaded or unloaded from the side in the raised position the dock lift capacity rating must be carefully selected to avoid platform deflection and premature wear. Dock lifts are generally loaded and unloaded from the ends. The weight moves on and off the dock lift platform travelling with the length of the scissor legs. When dock lifts are loaded and unloaded from the side the weight trave... Read More
Most lift table manufacturers recommend a maximum hydraulic hose length for remote/external power units that should not be exceeded for satisfactory performance. The issue is not raising the lift table; a pressurized hydraulic hose of almost any practical length will raise the lift table, the issue is lowering the lift table. If the lift table is lowered with weight on the platform the weight will assist in pushing the hydraulic oil back through the hydraulic hose to the reservoir. If the lift... Read More
Although the majority of lift table applications have a single control station it is not uncommon to have multiple control stations. A typical example would be a lift table installation that services 2 different floor levels. One set of controls is located at the lower level and the secondary set of controls is located at the upper level. The lift table can now easily be called from one location to the other without the use of stairs. If the lift table can be operated from 2 locations both of th... Read More
The most significant benefit of converting a mechanical dock leveler to hydraulic is the safety and ease of single push button operation at the loading dock area. Converting to hydraulic eliminates the need to repetitively bend and pull the release chain and then walk the dock leveler downward into position on the truck. When successfully converted to hydraulic operation it’s now as easy as pushing a button. Any brand of mechanical dock leveler will require an ongoing maintenance program that ... Read More
The overall lifting capacity is the most common and most referred to rating on a lift table. The overall rating is based on an evenly distributed load and these ratings typically range from 500 lbs to 20,000 lbs. Lift tables that are used to accommodate a rolling load such as a pallet truck or rolls of paper, coils of steel etc. have 2 additional capacity ratings; single axle end load and single axle side load ratings. The end and side load capacity ratings only apply when the lift table is in a... Read More
The short answer is yes and here’s the reason why. Typically dock levelers are installed in a 3 sided pit at the loading dock area. To allow for operating clearances there is usually a 1” gap between the dock leveler platform and the side walls of the pit. When the dock leveler is in the closed stored closed position and the overhead door is closed these 1” side gaps allow cold exterior air to blow up from the dock leveler pit into the building.  Traditional efforts to conserve energy at ... Read More