Guide to Lift Gates

Let a hydraulic lift gate make loading your company's vehicles easy and safe

By Denise Brown

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Industrial lift gates come in all sizes and configurations. If you do any hauling of heavy materials with your company, it only makes sense to install lift gates on your trucks. Whether you purchase new hydraulic lift gates or choose used lift gates, the workers who routinely load heavy materials into your vehicles will appreciate how much easier and safer lift gates make their jobs.

While lift gates almost always need tailoring to your vehicle, in general there are three main types. Each has several modified versions that lift gate suppliers provide for their customers, and each of the version can be customized for your vehicle and your specific lifting load. A typical lifting gate fits on a truck, but you can purchase a car lift gate if that best suits your transportation needs.

The three main types of lift gates are:

1. Rear-mounted truck lift gates.

2. Side-mounted truck lift gates.

3. Custom-made lift gates work for pickup trucks and cars, as well as larger trucks.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Decide which vehicle would work best with a hydraulic lift gate

Study all the types of lift gates available for your particular vehicle. Then, you need to decide what the lifting capacity of a particular lift should be. Next, decide if your lift gate should retract under the bed of the truck or extend the end of the truck bed when it's not in use.

I recommend: Waltco Truck Equipment offers a wide range of industrial lift gates. The Maxon Lift Corporation is another quality distributor.

Install the lift gate on the truck

Hire your own mechanics to install the lift gate, or let a factory trained lift gate installer perform the service. If you do it yourself, be sure to read and follow all directions carefully.

I recommend: Eagle Lift Gates provide exact specs on their website for each of their lift gate models. Anthony Liftgates not only provides specs, they also provide installation and owner's manuals on their website so you can see just how difficult a gate is to install before you make your decision.

Find custom designed lift gates

Choose a reputable company that can provide the custom lift gate you want.

I recommend: Tommy Gate is an industry leader in providing lift gates for all purposes, from big trucks to personal vehicles. Ezy-Lift provides a different type lift gate product for loading heavy items into pickup trucks.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

When you install lift gates on your trucks, be sure you also install the appropriate bumpers to protect your investment. No matter how good the driver is, there will be times when he backs into a spot just a little bit crooked or a bit too hard. In these situations, the proper bumper protects your lift gate.

The official source of Lift Gates is the Lift Gates page at Business.com

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