Tail-lift manufacturers have seen some tough times over the past couple of years. When light commercial registrations fall there are fewer new vehicles around for their products to be attached to; and that means lower sales. Business looks as though it might be improving at long last however says Richard Short, sales director at Penny Hydraulics.

“Things certainly picked up in the first quarter,” he reports. “In fact we were back to the level of sales we were enjoying in 2006 and 2007.”

“Our tail-lift sales appear to have increased, albeit slightly,” says Tipmaster managing director, Matthew Terry. As well as building tipper bodies, Tipmaster sells the Tommy Lift.

“Trading so far this year is certainly better than it was last year but there’s still uncertainty in the market,” says Ratcliff Palfinger managing director, Paul Addis. Ratcliff Palfinger is well-known for producing column-type tail-lifts; still hugely popular in the UK. “I think there are a few twists and turns to come in the sector,” he continues. “We’re certainly not out of the woods yet.”

Alloy Platform

In the meantime Ratcliff Palfinger’s Flexi-Lift is winning friends says Addis — the RQ527 Flexi-Lift will hoist 500kg — while operators who run box vans and Lutons at 3.5 tonnes are showing increased interest in the RQR518.

One of its key advantages is that its alloy platform can be used as the body’s rear closure instead of a roller shutter door. “That way you can save around 80kg of weight,” Addis says. “The body’s top panel locks into the platform itself.” Able to lift 500kg, the RQR518’s own weight starts at 200kg depending on specifications.

“One lift we’ve recently introduced is the internally-mounted 500kg-capacity RTP50, which splits vertically,” says Addis. “It can be ordered with a platform 900mm wide and up to 1,500mm deep.

Safety Guards

Tail-lift specifications are increasingly likely to include safety guards. A tumble from a tail-lift platform — even one mounted on a 3.5-tonner rather than a heavy truck — could result in injury. In these litigious times employers are also acutely aware that an employee who is hurt at work is likely to take them to court; and the Health & Safety Executive takes a particularly tough line on falls from height in the workplace.

Ryder has specified safety guards on tail-lifts it has acquired from DEL Equipment says DEL marketing manager, Paul Kelly. “There’s certainly more interest among operators in the use of this type of safety measure,” he says.

These days DEL Equipment is owned by Cargotec, which also owns tail-lift maker Zepro. The Zepro connection means that DEL is now busy marketing the 500kg-capacity ZV50 cantilever lift for panel vans. Weighing 165kg it comes with an alloy platform 1,300mm wide and 1,300mm deep. Options available include flashing lights for the platform.

“Alloy platforms have become pretty much the norm over the past eight years,” Kelly says. “Less than one per cent of the lifts we supply are specified with steel platforms.”

Used properly, tail-lifts themselves can of course make a significant contribution to health and safety. Their use means that van drivers aren’t constantly trying to wrestle items that are way too heavy for them in and out of vehicles, risking back injuries, dislocated shoulders and broken fingers. They also make it less likely that product will be damaged as a consequence of being dropped during loading or unloading.

Specialisation

Tail-lifts are often used for quite specialised tasks. Penny Hydraulics, for example, has supplied a bespoke version of its 300kg-capacity Load Lift to Tomra Systems, which manufactures sophisticated automated waste sorting and processing equipment.

The equipment is fitted with cutting heads used to slice and dice alloy cans and plastic bottles. The heads need replacing from time to time; and they’re heavy.

To handle them safely the vans used by Tomra’s engineers have a Load Lift mounted just behind the back doors. It means that only one engineer needs to be dispatched to each job rather than the two or more that used to be required to lift items in and out of the vehicle. It also means that there’s less risk of injury.

Side Door Lifts

Despite their name, tail-lifts don’t necessarily have to be mounted at the rear of a vehicle. With a capacity of up to 350kg, Dhollandia’s new DH-VZS lift, for example, is suitable for loading and unloading goods through a van’s side door.

Weighing 145kg, it stows away in the cargo area and the 1,000mm x 820mm platform — other dimensions are available on request — can be flattened against the van’s bulkhead so that it doesn’t obstruct access.