|
Bob:
Wow! You have been getting very good input from our
colleagues and naturally there is much to consider when designing the optimal
dock.
I guess my first question - is it exterior or an interior
space you have allocated? I am assuming exterior. In short, the
decline seems too steep. It is likely that you will find yourself
compromising the ideal to reach a realistic solution to best fit your facility
usage. We had an interior depressed dock at our last facility which
declined 4' over a length of 75'. It DID present problems at times -
mostly of the 'gravity' nature mentioned by my colleagues - but with its dock
levelor was fine for many purposes. Given the fact that you are increasing this
angle considerably though, I would strongly urge you to consider other
alternatives. If you DO end up with a depressed type dock, any solution will
require some drainage consideration - lest you complicate even an average
shipment with flooding concerns - so that is a given. Then maybe the suggestion
to create a means of raising the rear tires of the trailer (via hydraulic
lifting) could help in 'leveling' out the load of whatever vehicle arrives
at whatever height. Such a hydraulic 'leveling' mechanism would be conceivable -
especially in the new construction design phase - but expensive and perhaps a
maintenance issue if exterior. The hydraulic scissor lift mentioned by Amie at
the Frist is also a valuable, viable option. The ones I looked
at cost at least $10,000 - $12,000. and again needs maintenance
if exterior. (I believe The Art Institute of Chg has one at their Jackson
dock - maybe someone there can shed light.) A dock levelor at floor level is
also a must for serious docks and would allow better access to truck beds not
exactly level with the dock (floor) level.
Another consideration for an exterior dock is overhead
protection for inclement weather. There are dock 'seals' which can be installed
to create a barrier between the weather and the truck body. In the end
analysis, if you cannot rotate the whole dock design or otherwise create a
longer slope, then I would give serious consideration to
the 'level approach' (no depressed dock) - using the savings to invest in
some form of hydraulic assistance and fork-lifts, etc. The hydraulic lift
described above allows the flexiblity of leveling all kinds of
different loads - while simplifying the whole dock notion - replacing it
with the 'platform' which in turn levels out to the building
floor.
Good luck!
Bruce MacGilpin
Icon Group, Inc.
----- Original Message -----
|