IN THE BAY
20 Fleet Maintenance | JULY 2017
ll fl eets are concerned with vehicle productivity and
safety because this helps improve their bottom line.
Th at is one reason why, depending on the vocation,
fl eets add lift gates to their trucks and trailers.
Th ere are many diff erent styles of lift gates, including
conventional; raillift /railgate; column lift ; stowaway/
tuckunder/fl ipaway; side loader; top lift ; cantilever
and gas bottle.
Nevertheless, all lift gates are designed to enhance
productivity in loading and unloading operations,
especially when the shipping or receiving location
doesn’t have a loading dock and manual loading and
unloading is required.
Th e lift gate “has become an essential enabler and
driver of effi ciencies,” say offi cials at Maxion Lift Corp.
(www.maxonlift .com), a leading North American lift -
gate manufacturer.
In addition, lift gates help fl eets be more effi cient,
note offi cials at Th ieman Tailgates (thiemantailgates.
com), which markets a full-line of hydraulic lift gates
for light, medium and heavy duty trucks and trailers.
If specifi ed properly for a given application, lift gates
add fl exibility to a truck or trailer, allowing them to
load and unload at a dock, as well as at ground level
for onsite deliveries at locations that don’t have docks.
Proper Liftgate
Maintenance Makes
A Big Diff erence In
Effi ciency and Safety
By David A. Kolman, Editor
Recommendations for
maximizing liftgate uptime
A
» Liftgates have become an enabler and driver
of efficiencies for fleets. Routine inspection
and maintenance is essential to maximizing the
reliability, life and safety of these devices.
Photo courtesy of Maxion
MAINTENANCE & SERVICE