During building construction the Contractor pre forms and pours individual 3 sided dock leveler pits that are recessed flush into the buildings floor at the loading dock area. The pits are formed and poured by the Contractor to suit the pit dimensions provided by the selected dock leveler manufacturer.
The dock leveler pit has steel angle iron imbedded into the concrete flush with the buildings floor on the top 3 sides of the pit. After the concrete has been poured the pit forms are stripped and the dock leveler is delivered to the site and installed. Â Under normal usage dock levelers have a life span in the 20 year range; eventually the dock leveler will have to be removed from the original pit and replaced.
Depending on the manufacturer and the date of manufacture the pit sizes can change. At the time of replacement the supplier of the new dock leveler will measure the existing pit dimensions. The majority of dock leveler manufacturers offer a replacement model of dock leveler that can be custom sized in length, width and depth to suit the existing pit dimensions.
For example the original dock leveler pit may have been poured to a pit depth of 22” – 24”. Current models of replacement dock levelers may only require a pit depth of 20”.
As opposed to “re-pouring” the pit depth to accommodate a new replacement 20” deep dock leveler it is much more cost effective to order a standard depth dock leveler with a frame shim kit to make up for the difference in pit depth.  For example a replacement 20” deep dock leveler that will be installed into an existing 24” deep pit can be ordered with an optional 4” shim kit.
Although it is most common for the frame shim kit to be installed on the dock leveler at time of manufacture the frame shim kit can be shipped loose and custom fitted at the time of install.
It is very important that all existing site conditions be taken into consideration when supplying a replacement dock leveler. The application may have changed, for example the replacement dock leveler may have to be structurally rated at a higher capacity than the originally supplied dock leveler to meet the current application requirements.
To obtain a copy of Pentalift’s Site Application and Pit Dimension form please contact the Pentalift Sales Department.