It's a Team's Life
Liftgate for the Job
Our first experience with a lift gate was not pleasant and in reality, it was downright frightening.
It was an older gate and had not been maintained properly. The platform was small and it was awkward to use unfold and use. We knew we did not want or need the problems associated with this type of liftgate. We started researching and asking a lot of questions as we had no prior experience using a gate.
We settled on a Palfinger Slider liftgate as it did not increase the length of the truck and when not in use it is stored under the truck on rails. The gate has several ways to control the movement of the gate; from a control panel to slide the gate out, a remote control, as well as feet controls to lift and lower the gate. The foot controls allow us to keep our hands on the freight to steady the cargo.
As we are building our fifth truck the given after the spec’s of the truck are confirmed will be the addition of the Palfinger. We will stay with the aluminum platform that helps with the weight of the gate as well as the ease to easily unfold the gate once extended. The weight of the gate we have is 1180lbs.
The platform size of the ILUK model that we have is 74” by 94” and can handle 3300 lbs which is about all that we want to handle. The pallet jack that we use can pick up 5500lbs but that is not something we want to manhandle on a lift gate up in the air. The larger platform allows us to turn a pallet on the platform with room for us to maneuver without fear of falling of the gate.
A couple more safety features of the gate are the cart stop panels that keep a skid from rolling off the end of gate. They are especially beneficial when the gate is lowered to the ground and then the gate will slant to roll the cargo off. . We can get control of the freight before lowering the stops. The other feature we like especially at night is the safety blinking lights at the edge of the gate. When the gate is turned on these safety lights blink. The lights are covered with metal and can be rolled over with a skid and not break. They have a slow profile and are not a trip hazard.
The movement of the gate is smooth and fits snuggly up against the back of the cargo box with a level surface. We have used the gate when we get into a dock that is low and yet the truck is at a slant. The gate easily handles the slant by staying level and lowering to the dock area making our job easy.
In the past sixteen years, we have never doubted our decision to have a lift gate on our truck as it has made us a lot of money. The gate while not used on every load opens us up for more opportunities and at times allows us to get unloaded or loaded faster. When a customer tells us they are waiting on a forklift our first words are “we can use our lift gate” and we are often unloaded and leaving as the forklift enters the unloading area.
Our Lift Gate for more information
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.