Yardramps.co.uk

Careful consideration must be taken when selecting the correct yardramp for your application. The manufacturer should be able to provide information to help you select the right model, but important things to consider are:

• Capacity or Rated Load – The weight of the greatest moving load (including goods, persons and transport equipment) for which the product is designed must be accounted for. Also consider if there is any likelihood of any changes to operations within the company; it is always better to over specify than under specify. It is also vitally important that you are aware of whether quoted capacities are Total Load (Uniformly Distributed Load: UDL), or Single Axle (Dynamic Load) capacities; under heavy braking it is quite feasible to have the full weight of the fork truck acting through its front wheels only, therefore it is important to ensure the single axle rating of the ramp is sufficiently high.

• Frequency of use – This is just as important as capacity when specifying the right ramp for the job. High frequency usage, e.g. shift working can cause damage to a ramp which is only designed for relatively infrequent use.

• The load to be moved – Careful consideration must be taken to ensure the ramp allows you to move the load sizes required. Narrow, high side curbs are a hindrance if you are trying to load wide items, and long, tall items may foul on the top of the container if the level off top section is too short. Again, the supplier should check for these kinds of requirements before specifying their suggested product.

• Usable width – This is typically full vehicle width, i.e. around 2.25m (7’5”) to allow straight access into the vehicle without the need for repositioning at the top of the ramp, though specialist equipment may require more width.

• The type of fork truck – 3-wheeled fork trucks for example will put additional pressure on the flooring of the yardramp; hence it is important to ensure the manufacturer has accounted for this in the ramp they suggest. It is also important to check the trucks to be used are capable of running safely on the incline at which the yardramp will be working at, and have no under clearance problems.

• Height range – When designed to the correct standard, the maximum recommended incline of a yardramp is 7 degrees or 1 in 8, though many yardramps are capable of raising beyond this angle. When specifying a yardramp, it is important that you are aware of the maximum height range required, i.e. measure the highest and lowest vehicles used on your site, and ensure the ramp is capable of reaching these positions.

• Movement of the yardramp – Yardramps are typically moved around using a simple tow bar which is pinned into the tow hitch on the back of most standard fork trucks, though some manufacturers offer alternative methods of towing, such as the ability to push the ramp around using pockets which accept standard the forks of a fork truck.