Yard Ramps and Container Loading Equipment

The traditional way to unload an ISO shipping container, or a truck which has been loaded with palletised cargo from the rear, is to reverse the vehicle against an elevated concrete docking bay. The docking bay is designed to approx. match the height of the vehicle and an levelling device built into the dock accommodates and slight variations.

Where it is not practical to use a building with built in loading docks, or where the unloading requirement is only temporary, then the answer is use a mobile yard ramp. These are also sometimes known as container ramps or forklift ramps.

Even larger companies that have multiple banks of fixed docking bays in their buildings will also often ensure that they have a mobile yard ramp available, as this gives them extra flexibility to their logistic operations. It also provides an insurance in the case of breakdowns of their fixed docks. This means that they can opt for a cheaper  9 to 5 breakdown cover over 5 days a week, rather than the much more costly full 24 / 7 cover otherwise required.

For those businesses that only have an infrequent unloading requirement, then the significant expense of integrating docking bays into a building cannot be justified. Once again the answer lies in the mobile yard ramp which is inexpensive and does not require any special modifications to buildings.

For smaller businesses without docking bay facilities the alternative option is to manually manoeuvre the cargo to the rear doors of the container, or truck, so that it can be removed from there by forklift. The use of pallet trucks to move cargo within the confined spaces of a container can present safety problems, but mainly it is very inefficient. It is not only costly in terms of the manpower required, but even more so in the amount of time it takes to unload the container or vehicle. Making use of a yard ramp for container unloading means that the whole task can be accomplished by a single forklift operator and in a fraction of the time. The savings are such that even those businesses handling only 1 or 2 loads per month normally find that a yard ramp is very extremely effective with a quick return in investment.

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With any device involving elevated working, mobile vehicles, heavy loads, lifting etc. safety considerations must always be paramount. Unloading a vehicle mounted ISO container, or truck directly through the rear doors, raises many safety issues. Utilising mobile yard ramps to permit the loading or unloading operation by forklift truck largely eliminates the risks associated with using pallet trucks and having people on the ground in the very restricted working area. However the use of yard ramps can add some additional safety concerns of their own. 

In particular :

• The front lip of the yard ramp must be correctly located on the floor of the container or truck body and the safety chains must be correctly attached to the vehicle before the ramp is used.
• Yard ramps can be used in frost and ice although there may be some reduction in grip. The main problem encountered is compressed paper contamination. Common sense should always prevail on the safe efficient condition of the ramp. If there is noticeable slippage then the ramp should not be operated.
• Yard ramps should only be used on solid ground and never on a significant slope or tilt.
• Personnel should not use the yard ramp to enter the unloading area when it is being used by forklifts, or unless handrails are fitted to the sides.
• Yard ramps should not be overloaded beyond their rated capacity.
  When being towed to new locations sensible care should be observed. Although yard ramps are very rugged and designed to be mobile, if they are towed at excessive speeds serious damage can occur to the legs if the wheels encounter either potholes or solid obstructions.
• Yard ramps should always be checked for obvious damage by the operator before each use. Damaged wheels or legs, or loose decking etc. must always be repaired before further use.
• For ramps using hydraulic height adjustment, the integrity of the hydraulic system MUST be regularly checked for leakage as well as the level of the hydraulic fluid etc.

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The working height of mobile yard ramps needs to be adjustable to suit varying vehicle bed heights. The working height will also alter slightly as the vehicle is unloaded and rises on its suspension and as the forklift enters and exits. Normally a working range of  1m. to 1.7 m. is considered suitable.

Initially the yard ramp must be in its raised position and then once the vehicle is reversed into position, the ramp is lowered so that the leading lip rests on the floor of the container or truck body. The yard ramp supports are then raised further to ensure sufficient clearance that the weight of both the ramp and the load are taken by the truck under all circumstances.

There are a variety of mechanisms used to provide height adjustment and different manufacturers have varying opinions about the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The simplest and probably most reliable system uses manually adjusted landing legs. The operator quite simply winds a handle which raises or lowers the legs. As it works through a gearbox, the mechanical advantage makes this an easy task to do without much effort. This solution is normally regarded as tough, quick and simple to do and very reliable.

Other makers prefer a hydraulically operated system of height adjustment. Here the user has to operate a small lever activated hand pump which provides high pressure hydraulic fluid to the operating cylinders when required. The main drawback of hydraulically operated yard ramps is often the poor reliability of the components and the additional requirement for regular maintenance. Given the environment in which yard ramps are used, regular maintenance can often be overlooked and eventually unexpected breakdowns as a result if hydraulic system failures can occur. Whilst this may be good for the sales of spare parts by the maker, the consequences can be disastrous for users if a yard ramp suddenly becomes unavailable for use at an inconvenient time. With any hydraulic ramp it is always a wise precaution to keep a full set of system spares in stock on site, so that a competent maintenance crew can quickly get the ramp back into action.

Regulations are getting increasingly more stringent and users of hydraulically adjusted ramps will have to guard against spillage of hydraulic fluids. If it is necessary to build an anti-spillage bund wall, then this will seriously hinder manoeuvrability.

A few yard ramps have been built with motorised height adjustment, but these require the connection of either an electrical or air supply to power the driving motor. In most applications this is highly inconvenient and limits the ability to use the yard ramp as a mobile device. Normally electrical or compressed air powered height adjustment is provide only as a special option and where the user intends to use the yard ramp in a fixed location, rather than as a mobile device.

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Although most mobile yard ramps (often called container loading ramps or forklift ramps), are generally of about the same physical size, they come in a variety of rated capacities. The industry standard capacity yard ramp is rated at 10 Tonne, but many manufacturers produce alternative light duty 7 Tonne models, and some produce heavy duty ramps rated at 15 Tonne, and even extra heavy duty 20 Tonne capacity ramps.   Mobile yard ramps are designed to permit the safe unloading of standard ISO containers, or rear entry trucks, by forklift truck without the need for a permanent docking bay. All yard ramps therefore incorporate an inclined section from ground level, up to a flat approach section leading into the container or truck. The flat approach section needs to be approx. 2.6m. long in order to accommodate the forklift so that the rear section of the container can be unloaded with the forklift working on the level. The inclined ramp section up from ground level needs to have a slope of no more than that required for safe forklift operation. Given the working range of truck bed heights, this sets the overall length of normal yard ramps at between 11 and 12m.  The working width of the ramp bed is normally about 2.25m which gives sufficient clearance to manoeuvre the forklift up the ramp safely and is compatible with the width of ISO containers and most trucks. The overall width of the yard ramp is then about 2.5m.

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