Need Advice on Truck Tail Lifts

[tomops]

I’m looking into getting a tail lift for my truck to make loading and unloading heavy stuff easier. I’m a bit new to this, so I’d love to hear from anyone with experience.

A few things I’m curious about:

• How do you pick a good brand or model? Should I focus more on load capacity, durability, or after-sales support?
• Any tips for daily use or maintenance to make it last longer?
• Are there safety things or common mistakes I should watch out for?
• If buying a used one, what’s the most important stuff to check?

Any advice or personal experiences would be super helpful. Thanks!

 

[Goober]

The best lifts we have installed have been Interlift by Palfinger. Minimal cost custom variations, including fold-over extensions to the gate platform. A remote control, wired or rf is a plus. Always go for / add, a manual pump action for that once in a lifetime issue. Only use what is recommended by the mfg for lubing the various bits. We always mount a pair of dedicated deep cycle batteries dedicated to the lift pump for engine off operation. Maxon , Tommygate & others offer similar at a lesser cost. The biggest thing is lift gate vs rail gate. Much of our loads are on wheels and a rail gate platform remains flat level from ground to truck bed. A lift gate is usually thicker and it "angles" while lifting from the ground. So you need to hold rolling cargo onto the platform when using a lift gate. Good work lighting aimed at the place where the gate meets the truck floor will save you an issue someday.