Hydraulic dock leveler vs a mechanical dock leveler

The widespread adoption of loading dock levelers has helped expedite loading and unloading and have made this essential part of the transport process much safer for warehouses of all sizes in all industries. A loading dock leveler is essentially a bridge that creates a level surface between trucks and the warehouse. This makes moving products or materials in and out of a warehouse safer and faster, and it minimizes the possibility of damaging those items in the process.

There are many different kinds of dock levelers on the market and choosing the correct one for your warehouse requires some planning. With new types of truck designs, a myriad of varieties of goods and products, and attention to both safety and speed of transport, many factors go into the decision-making process.

However, one of the things that can help streamline this selection process is to get a top-down view of the two most common kinds of dock levelers: hydraulic dock levelers and mechanical dock levelers.

MECHANICAL DOCK LEVELER

Pros

·        Economical loading dock leveler

·        Easy to operate

·        Consumes no power

·        Excellent for smaller warehouses without heavy loading dock traffic

Cons

·        Increases potential for repetitive-use injuries

·        Inefficient in facilities/warehouses where loading dock traffic is high

·        Maintenance costs in terms of parts and labor can be expensive over the long haul because it is a mechanical system composed of parts like hold-downs, lip latches and springs that will need periodical repairs.

Mechanical dock levelers have a spring system that requires manual activation by an employee who pulls a chain that allows the platform of the leveler to rise and its lip to extend onto the trailer bed of a truck. The worker then lowers the leveler, using body weight, by walking on the leveler until it is on the trailer bed. In cases where the trailer bed is lower than the dock, the employee will pull the second chain to pull back the cross traffic legs so that the leveler can go below the dock.

HYDRAULIC DOCK LEVELER



Pros

·        Easy to use

·        Will last a long time

·        Efficient for high traffic

·        Removes the risk of repetitive-use injuries

·        Great choice for warehouses where truck sizes vary

·        Maintenance cost lower over time

Cons

·        Consumes power

·        Higher cost to purchase and install

Hydraulic dock levelers are motorized and can be activated, positioned, and stored with a push-button control system, and they require no manual intervention by loading dock workers.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN PURCHASING A DOCK LEVELER:

Both levelers offer the fundamental solution of ensuring that the space between trucks and the loading dock are even. However, the needs of the facility will determine whether a mechanical dock leveler or a hydraulic dock leveler is the best solution.

One factor is how many active loading docks the warehouse has. For a warehouse with one or two active loading docks, a mechanical dock leveler may be the best solution, while for a warehouse with four or more active loading docks, a hydraulic dock leveler is a preferred solution.

A second factor to consider is the level of shipping and receiving activity at the warehouse. For warehouses that receive and ship products one or two times a day, a mechanical dock leveler may be a good option. However, a hydraulic dock leveler would be the best choices for warehouses with moderate to high loading dock traffic.

A third factor to take into consideration is the sizes of trucks being loaded and unloaded. Mechanical dock levelers require extra work and time to accommodate above-dock and below-dock trucks while hydraulic dock levelers can be quickly adjusted for both below-dock and above-dock truck beds.

However, the most significant factor is, of course, budget considerations. You can buy mechanical dock levelers for an upfront cost that can be lower than the upfront cost of a hydraulic dock leveler. However, when you consider the maintenance costs of both a mechanical dock leveler and a hydraulic dock leveler over time, the total cost of ownership of both levelers ends up being about the same.

For more information : https://mcf.ca/en/products/dock-equipment/pit-style