Solutions When Your Warehouse Dock Leveler Isn't Working in New York

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For most loading dock businesses, one of the most dangerous parts of a warehouse and considered most neglected is the loading dock equipment. Loading dock equipment is not meant to last a lifetime of use, they can reach their limits too.    

Probably for most New York facility managers, when it comes to loading dock safety issues, they focus much on the bigger facility concerns rather than on small issues like loading dock equipment such as loading dock levelers and other loading dock accessories.  

We at Overhead Door Company of Eastern New Jersey, a division of DuraServ, get a lot of questions from our clients about loading dock equipment problems, specifically about dock levelers, which has long been haunting them of costly repairs and maintenance issues. Here, we prepared an informative solution when your dock leveler shows signs of failure or damage that could affect the operation of your loading dock business in New York.  

What is the main role of the loading dock in warehouses?

As warehouses are designed to have different sections to function as one whole working process, loading docks is one of the most vital and the busiest section.    

Loading docks allow safe and efficient unloading and loading of transport vehicles, trailers, or trucks. Products, goods, or items are being moved out and in of a facility to ensure fast and efficient delivery of shipment.   

Safety and accessibility in the movement of goods or products are highly prioritized. Loading dock equipment like dock levelers and its accessories helps ensure the safety of the workers and shipment of property.   

What is a dock leveler?

A dock leveler is a piece of equipment that creates a link or a bridge between transport vehicle, trailer, or truck and the building establishment. It allows for a forklift, pallet jack, or a person to load and unload any product, goods, or items.

Our New York Dock Inspection Team offers several types of dock levelers products that would suit perfectly for your loading dock needs.

What are the types of dock levelers?

There are several types of dock levelers in the market, however, here are some common types used by most businesses:  

1. Mechanical Dock Leveler – The most common and most budget-friendly dock leveler, uses a mechanical spring system to raise the leveler usually in an upward position. Though no electrical power supply is required, they tend to be costly in terms of maintenance.  

If you’re a business owner, architect, contractor, or facility manager and needing a commercial door or operator, our New York dock replacement’s team of experts can help you find the best fit for your application needs and requirements.

Check out some of our Mechanical Dock Leveler models.

2. Air-Powered Dock Leveler – a dock leveler that uses a pneumatic bag system of some type to move up and down the leveler deck. This leveler uses electrical power sources and can be moderately expensive in terms of maintenance budgeting.

At New York Broken Dock Leveler, has the technical expertise and products to make your warehouse and docks safe and efficient. Whether you need a retrofit or for us to work with your architect for a new design, our experts have all the right products.

Have a glimpse of our Air-powered Dock Leveler models.

3. Hydraulic Dock Leveler – uses a hydraulic cylinder to raise and lower its deck, at the same time used to operate the lip. They are more versatile compared to mechanical and air dock levelers, and typically has lower maintenance costs.   

Our New York Dock Maintenance can provide the perfect loading dock solution and we work with the best names in the business like Wayne Dalton, TKO, Rytec, or Albany to combine the right product for your loading dock needs.

4. Specialty Dock Leveler – a type of dock leveler that can be available for specialty applications like truck levelers or barrier lip pit levelers. As an Overhead Door company, we have access to the full line of other Overhead commercial door products from rolling grilles to high-speed doors to beautiful glass aluminum doors. 

Learn more about Specialty-Dock-Levelers click here.

What to do when your dock leveler breaks down?

Most dock levelers are designed and engineered to last for years, but every product is not meant to last for a lifetime and will eventually break down and will need repair if it is used long enough. 

Here are some questions we encounter from our customers with some recommendations:

1. How come our dock leveler lip won’t stay out too long to get in the back of the trailer?

Commonly this happens when the dock leveler is misadjusted or it needs spring replacement. Contact your nearest loading dock leveler repair technician with dock parts for replacement and other services.

2. How come the lip won’t come out on our dock leveler?

Possibly, the lip assist is at fault or there is less tension on the springs. Better call in the professionals to do a loading dock inspection and repair.  

3. Whenever I push the button, my dock leveler makes a strange noise, where is this coming from?

For air-powered dock levelers, the issue is the motor, while for hydraulic levelers, commonly it is the hydraulic pump or low in hydraulic oil.

4. How come when I pull the chain, the dock leveler won’t come up?

This is a mechanical issue, where working springs are needed with the proper tension to operate. Either the springs are damaged or broken, or there isn’t enough tension in the springs.

We recommend call-in a trained technician who specialized in broken dock levelers and can safely manage to keep the equipment functional without an accident.

5. Why does our dock leveler won’t stay down or sometimes it just pops up?

Usually, it is a mechanical issue with the hold-down. As mechanical leveler is powered by coiled springs, the spring tensions push the dock leveler upwards. The hold-down is part that controls the proper height of the leveler when not in use. 

Possibly, either the ratchet, paw springs, or paws are damaged or failure that needs to be replaced. We suggest call-in the professionals with loading dock specialties and with dock leveler replacement parts ensure a one-day service transaction.

What company to trust when you need an emergency dock leveler repair in New York?

If you happen to be in New York, the best option we can recommend is to choose the One-Stop-Shop for Commercial Door and Loading Dock Equipment provider - Overhead Door Company of Eastern New Jersey, a division of DuraServ Corp, since 2001, the largest distributor in the world for the leading manufacturers of dock equipment and hi-speed doors, and who has been serving all of New Jersey, New York, and surrounding areas.

Our dock repair team in New York can assess your dock leveler repair problems and in many cases have your dock equipment functional within a few short hours. Our service department stands ready 24/7 available, all year round.

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Learn more about us at 609-642-4864, or through our website, for any questions about our dock levelers or any loading dock equipment needs such as commercial doors, safety equipment, and truck restraints, dock leveler and lifts, aftermarket products, dock seals and shelters, and industrial fans in New York.

You can make a service request or we can visit businesses in our service areas: New Jersey, Jamesburg, Edison, Union, Cranbury, Lakewood, South Plainfield, NJ, and New York.