Loading dock bumpers can help you protect your dock area, your dock equipment and trailers. Every product that moves in and out of your warehouse or manufacturing facility goes through the dock, so it’s important to preserve it and keep all bays in good working order.
Types of Dock Bumpers
Typically, dock bumpers are installed so that a trailer or truck strikes them first rather than your structure. This protects your facility, your dock equipment and the truck or trailer that makes use of your dock.
There are many categories of bumpers, and selecting a suitable bumper can be consequential, depending on the throughput of your dock operation. Using dock bumpers that are too light can lead to an early demise, while using dock bumpers that are too heavy may be ineffective and might in fact cause difficulties when securing trailers.
All docks are different, so the style of dock bumpers you pick will be dependent upon the average vehicle or trailer height, the approach, overall volume and many additional variables. For docks where trucks or trailers are expected to tilt slightly or swing during loading or unloading movements, bumpers may be attached vertically or horizontally.
Molded Bumpers (Light Duty): Bumpers formed from molded rubber can offer defense for light traffic loading docks. What’s more, these bumpers may be applied within a warehouse to safeguard walls, doorways and other structural elements from lift trucks and other equipment.
Molded rubber is prone to chipping and gouging with heavy use and is not as wear resistant as other types of bumpers. If your dock doesn’t receive a lot of truck traffic, they may be a reasonable option for your business.
Laminated Bumpers (Medium Duty): Laminated bumpers have better shock absorption capabilities because they have more substantial pads. They are constructed from strips of used truck tires that have been cut to size and sandwiched between steel brackets.
These bumpers have a medium capacity for wear resistance and are versatile in terms of height, length and overall thickness. They are frequently applied in operations set up with pit-style dock levelers or edge-of-dock levelers, since they allow enduring defense for high traffic loading docks.
