Several factors come into play when it comes to answering the questions about how to choose the right dock leveler. If you’re picking a loading dock leveler for your facilities, you should consider your specific uses for it and what purpose you use a loading dock to fulfill.
Which Loading Dock Leveler Is Right for You?
The question of which loading dock leveler is right for you is an individualized one. For a facility that has very little variation in the heights of the beds of vehicles that they are using, an edge of dock leveler might be the best choice. This type of leveler is essentially stuck on the building’s face without a poured pit of concrete. It tends to have two different options for operating the lever. One type of leveler on this style of loading dock can be run through a handle that manually brings the lever upwards and then lowers it down. Additionally, this kind of dock leveler can use hydraulic power through easy double-button controls.
Another type of dock leveler that may be right for your business is a mechanical dock leveler. Instead of mounting directly onto the building, this leveler needs a concrete pit to be installed. It also uses an operator to tug a chain, making the leveler active. After the chain has been pulled, the chain can go into a trailer bed’s rear. For both mechanical levelers and edge-of-dock levelers, the pricing is relatively affordable for most business owners. As long as you don’t have any specific advanced shipping or receiving requirements, these dock levelers should be able to handle relatively lightweight material jobs.
If you want to use air pressure to power your dock leveler instead of hydraulic cylinders, air-powered dock levelers might be your best choice. With a simple frame and wash-down air tower, you’ll be able to get rid of grime, dust, and other debris while transitioning from one load to the next. Air-powered dock levelers can be the best choice when your facility has to follow stringent sanitation guidelines and restrictions. They allow you to maintain a high level of sanitation and cleanliness without sacrificing speed and efficiency in your loading.
Push button dock levelers are best for those with strict sanitation regulations in their industry. When you must have temperature control in your facilities, getting a dock leveler that incorporates temperature control in its design can also be helpful.
To choose the right dock leveler for you and your business, you must consider what kind of loading happens at your dock. Does the height of trailer beds change throughout the loading schedule, or do freights tend to come from the same height of trailer beds? Ultimately, if you look at the types of dock levelers and compare their features, that’s the best way to choose.