Dock bumpers can help you safeguard your warehouse, your dock equipment and trailers. Every product that passes through your warehouse or production facility crosses through the dock, so it is critical to preserve it and keep all doors available and in good working order.

Types of Dock Bumpers

Generally, dock bumpers are positioned so that a trailer or truck runs into the bumper before hitting your structure. This protects your building, your dock levelers and the truck or trailer that makes use of your dock.

There are many types of dock bumpers, and picking an appropriate bumper can be an important decision, depending upon the workload of your dock operation. Adding dock bumpers that are too light can result in an early demise, while adding dock bumpers that are thicker than necessary may be ineffective and could actually create problems when securing trucks and trailers.

Not all facilities are the same, and the style of dock bumpers you select will be dependent upon the average vehicle or trailer height, the approach, overall volume and many other factors. For docks where trucks or trailers are likely to sway during loading operations, bumpers can be mounted vertically or horizontally.

Molded Bumpers (Light Duty): Dock bumpers made from molded rubber can offer protection for light traffic loading docks. What’s more, molded bumpers are sometimes installed within a warehouse to defend walls, doorways and other structural components from pallet trucks, forklifts and other warehouse and dock equipment.

Molded rubber is can’t take as much abuse as other styles of dock bumpers and may chip or gouge over time. They may be a viable choice for your business if your dock doesn’t get a lot of truck traffic.

Laminated Bumpers (Medium Duty): Laminated bumpers have improved shock absorption capabilities because they have more substantial pads. They are constructed from strips of recycled truck tires that have been cut to size and mounted between steel plates.

They have a reasonably good capacity for wear resistance and are versatile in terms of height, length and overall thickness. They are often applied in operations configured with pit-style dock levelers or edge-of-dock levelers, as they offer long-lasting protection for high volume loading docks.

Steel Faced Bumpers (Heavy Duty): Steel faced bumpers are designed with a sliding piece of steel that covers a common laminate bumper, inhibiting undue abrasion of the layered padding. The steel allows trailers to press against the bumpers without degrading the rubber. These bumpers offer superior wear resistance, and usually are in service more than four times as long as exposed laminate bumpers.

When Should Dock Bumpers Be Replaced?

Despite the fact that dock bumpers are intended to tolerate impact, they do deteriorate after steady use and need to be replaced periodically. There are some things to watch for that indicate that your dock bumpers need to be refreshed.

If you see wear of more than 50%, it's time for replacement. The impact absorption capacity of worn down pads is insufficient protect your building. Pads that are excessively worn will sooner or later erode down to the metal brackets that hold them in place, and this will likely cause needless damage to both trailers and brackets.

In addition to normal wear and tear, you should look for additional damage like separating laminates, fractures, warped or corroding metal and other clear defects. It's a good idea to schedule bumper inspections, just as you would routinely inspect your levelers and other loading dock equipment.

Truck Dock Bumpers Near Me

If you need to have your dock bumpers inspected or replaced, talk to a dock equipment professional at Raymond West today.

Raymond's Portland service operation includes all of Western Oregon and Southwest Washington, including Portland, Beaverton, Tigard, Hillsboro, Forest Grove, Sherwood, Tualatin, Wilsonville, Oregon City, Gladstone, Clackamas, Milwaukie, Happy Valley, Gresham, Troutdale, Woodburn, Salem, Vancouver, Ridgefield, Longview, Kelso and surrounding areas.

Raymond West | Portland Material Handling Equipment Supplier

3148 NE 181st Ave
Portland, OR 97230
(800) 675-2500