Which type of liftgate is more popular-practical? The ones on vertical rails or the ones that tuck under the rear? What about lift capacity? I have no experience w/liftgates, therefore, I ask.
While there are many options to consider with liftgates, the most important is the size of the platform. The bigger the platform, the easier and safer the liftgate is to use. A large platform gives you room to work and move the freight around.
The next most important consideration is capacity. How much weight can the liftgate lift?
On our truck, we had a Lyman LHLP 4500 Hide-A-Way Tuckunder Lift. The platform was large enough to hold two 48x48 pallets. Capacity was 4500 lbs., always adequate (you don't move many 2,000+ lbs. pallets around by hand). The platform was also large enough to use a pallet jack to rotate a pallet 90 or 180 degrees, something we had occasion to do many times.
An especially-appreciated option was the built-in cart stops. These are foot-operated flaps at the end of the platform that pop up and keep the pallet jack or dolly from rolling off the end of the liftgate; especially appreciated when the truck is parked on a slopped surface.
We served carriers that made liftgates well worth the money. Obviously, if your carrier does little liftgate freight, don't buy one.
Some people make the mistake of comparing liftgate revenue to liftgate cost to determine the value of owning a liftgate. This piece of equipment is better viewed as part of the truck, not as a separate item.
It happened many times that we got dispatched on a load because we had a liftgate. While the liftgate accessorial fee was a modest part of the total run pay, the fact that we got dispatched is more important. Without the liftgate, we may very well have ended up sitting for another day or two. It also happened that liftgate loads got us sweet cross-country runs that we might not have otherwise had.
Did you run because you had a liftgate when you otherwise would have sat? Did you get a better run because of the liftgate or might you have gotten a great run without one? There is no way to factor what-if scenarios into the liftgate equation.
Finally, we often used the liftgate where one was not required and we were glad to have it. That happened when we had no confidence in the forklift driver and chose to load the freight ourselves, the extra maneuver space the liftgate provided made it easier to use a pallet jack to rearrange the freight in the truck once the forklift loaded it, we helped a neighbor move a refrigerator, we used the liftgate to unload our equipment to clean the box, we used the liftgate to transfer cargo from one truck to another in a freight rescue situation, and more.
