4 LIFTGATE OPTIONS FOR YOUR BOX TRUCK

A liftgate is a platform on the back of a box truck used for raising and lowering goods via a hydraulic system. They’re either constructed from steel or aluminum with a variety of sizes and weight capacities. They allow for safe and efficient loading and unloading of heavy cargo.

A crucial factor in a truck’s functionality, a liftgate is one of the most essential additional investments you could make for your truck. They increase productivity and reduce the manpower needed for loading and unloading. Generally, a good liftgate must be reliable, anti-slip, and quick to unfold and put away. Ultimately, their configuration must match the type of business you run. For that reason, you need to find a truck dealer in Oklahoma city that locals trust with their liftgate needs.

Below you’ll find an overview of four different types of liftgates along with the pros and cons of each to help you decide on the best one for your business.

Conventional
The conventional liftgate is the most common type of liftgate and rests in an upright position when not engaged, up against the door of the truck body. Some models even serve as the main door to the truck body. They are mostly designed for general freight loading and are available with large platforms and have high lifting capacities. They are also less expensive compared to other liftgate types, but they lack the additional features of the other liftgate types in this list.

Tuck-away/Tuck-Under
The tuck-away and tuck-under lifts required they be pulled out, lowered, or unfolded as deck space when you need to put them into service. When it’s not being used, you just tuck it under your truck, away from the cargo entrance, hence the name. This feature of the tuck-under liftgate is the reason why it is popular in the truck transportation industry.

Because they remain out of the way until needed, they are best for those who don’t always require a liftgate for loading and unloading in their day to day business operations. Many find that this type of rail gate offers the most versatility when loading from a dock, or by forklift or pallet jacks and dollies. Also, there are available options that tuck gate users can take advantage of, like cart stops for preventing cargo from rolling off the deck.

The drawback to this type of liftgate is that it’s not level during the approach to the raised position. They also have a smaller deck size. Moreover, when they’re needed, the user has to bend over and manually fold and unfold the deck, which poses risks of back injury over time.

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