3 CONSIDERATIONS WHEN FITTING A TRUCK FOR A LIFTGATE
Liftgates use electric hydraulic systems to raise and lower cargo from your truck bed to the ground. This makes loading heavy cargo many times easier — and safer. As a result, equipping the trucks in your fleet with liftgates will provide an incredible boost to the efficiency of loading and unloading freight.
Yet those who fail to do their research regarding liftgates often end up experiencing a wide range of problems. At worst, your liftgate may end up providing no benefit to you at all. For that reason, you must be sure to consider the right factors when selecting liftgates for your fleet. This article will improve your liftgate knowledge by discussing three key liftgate considerations.
- TRUCK BED HEIGHT
By far, the most popular liftgates currently on the market are those that feature a so-called tuckaway style. This simply means that the liftgate hides neatly under the bed of your truck when not in use. The other style of liftgate, known as the rail lift, involves a gate that folds upward against the back of the truck.
Rail lifts make it virtually impossible to access the cargo compartment of a truck without first lowering the gate. Many truck owners find this a real hassle, which explains why tuckaway gates are quickly taking over the market. Yet a tuckaway liftgate must be carefully applied to the dimensions of your truck, otherwise, it may cause unanticipated problems.
The key consideration here involves the bed height of your truck. There must be enough clearance for the liftgate assembly to fit beneath the bed. Be sure to use the so-called laden bed height when making this determination. The laden bed height simply refers to the height of the bed when the truck is fully loaded, as this will cause it to sit lower on its chassis.
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