A Forklift Ramp Offers Labor-Saving Solutions for Any Company Warehouse

Steel yard ramps offer significant labor-savings solutions for loading and unloading cargo, goods and merchandise at a fixed location or when transported to other sites. They work well for unloading cargo off of docks, rail cars, trailers, storage containers and trucks.

With its heavy duty steel construction, a forklift ramp has the ability to carry weight capacities ranging from 15,000 pounds to 60,000 pounds, based on its specifications. Manufactured in a variety of capacities and sizes they have varying widths of up to 84 inches, and are fabricated in links of up to 36 feet.

Pumps to Adjust the Height

Many steel yard ramps are crafted with a dual action pneumatic pump that allows the operator to adjust the height to meet the level of the carrier vehicle. When not in use, the handle to the pneumatic pump conveniently stores away providing protection and safety to the operator. Most pneumatic pumps are built with dual action hydraulic cylinders to generate a smooth, fast raising or lowering of the steel yard ramps.

Solid Rubber Tires

Most are fabricated with solid rubber tires that never require inflation. This minimizes any damage to the tires when running over sharp debris, and eliminates a blowout tire when cargo is being loaded or unloaded.

Reinforced Durability

The built attached undercarriage of forklift ramp is usually made out of a tubular steel box for added capacity and durability. The surface materials are usually reinforced diamond plate, serrated grating, or open-faced steel to provide a nonskid surface (a grated surface on a steel yard ramp makes forklift turning maneuvers challenging).

Fabricated with heavy-duty form steel side girders, steel yard ramps offer massive weight capacities to load and unload heavy cargo, even with the heaviest possible forklift.

Flat Level Platform

Most steel yard ramps are manufactured with a flat level platform top at the high end of the ramp. This allows for easy maneuverability when entering the carrier vehicle. It also allows for an easy approach to remove pallets located directly inside the semi-truck trailer or delivery truck.

Steel Yard Ramps Features

The quality features of steel yard ramps include:

• Strong, durable steel construction
• Total weight capacities between 16,000 pounds and 60,000 pounds
• Long-lasting solid rubber tires that cannot blowout
• Self-cleaning ramp surface (serrated grating or open-face)
• Optional ramp clamps and tow bars to easily maneuver the ramp
• 30 foot lengths for straight design
• 36 foot lengths for straight ramp with a level off desig

Selecting the best steel yard ramps for your application will be determined on your need. You can calculate the minimum requirements of any potential forklift ramp by the weight of your heaviest forklift combined with the heaviest weight of any potential load it will ever carry.

Once you have determined its total weight load, you should add at least half of that weight again. As an example, if you are forklift weighs 10,000 pounds, and the heaviest load it will ever carry is 10,000 pounds (10,000+10,000 = 20,000), you add half of that weight again (20,000+10,000 = 30,000). The minimal weight capacity of this forklift ramp under these conditions would be a minimum of 30,000 pounds.