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What goes wrong with dock levelers and seals
Short answer
Dock levelers usually fail at the hydraulics, the lip, the hold-down or the springs: a leaking cylinder, a lip that will not extend, a deck that will not stay down, or broken mechanical springs. Dock seals and shelters tear, compress and lose their seal from daily trailer contact, letting heat and weather into the building.
The job
The dock is one system
A dock position is a door, a leveler, bumpers and a seal or shelter working together. The leveler bridges the gap between the dock and the trailer bed; the bumpers keep the trailer off the building; the seal closes the gap around the trailer so heat and weather stay out. When one part fails, the others take abuse.
We look at the whole position on every visit. A torn seal is often the result of worn bumpers letting trailers push in too far. A leveler that will not stay down can be a hold-down, or it can be a cracked weld. Fixing the cause keeps the repair from coming back next month.
Warning signs
Signs a dock position needs service
The deck will not raise or rises slowly
Low hydraulic fluid, a failing pump or a leaking cylinder.
The lip will not extend or fold
A bent lip, worn hinge or a hydraulic lip cylinder fault.
The deck drifts up after it is walked down
A worn hold-down on a mechanical leveler.
Daylight around a trailer at the seal
Torn or compressed seal pads that no longer close the gap.
Bumpers cracked or missing
Trailers are hitting the wall and the leveler directly.
Cost
What moves the price of dock repairs
Dock repairs vary by leveler type, part and position. We inspect each position and price the work before ordering parts.
- Hydraulic or mechanical leveler
- Which part failed
- Seal or shelter size and material
- Bumper replacement
- Number of positions serviced
What is included
What a dock service visit covers
- Leveler deck, lip, hinges and welds
- Hydraulic fluid, hoses, cylinders and pump
- Springs and hold-downs on mechanical levelers
- Bumpers, mounting and wear
- Seal pads, shelter curtains and head pads
- The dock door, springs and operator at the same position
Hydraulic leveler service
Servicing hydraulic levelers
Hydraulic levelers raise the deck and extend the lip with a pump, cylinders and valves. Common repairs are fluid leaks, worn hoses, a failing pump motor or relay, and lip cylinder faults. We check fluid condition and the velocity fuse, repair the leak, and run the leveler through full cycles before returning the position to service.
Mechanical leveler springs
Mechanical leveler springs and hold-downs
Mechanical levelers use a spring assembly to raise the deck and a hold-down to keep it level with the dock. Springs fatigue and break, and hold-downs wear until the deck drifts up. Spring work is done with the deck supported on its maintenance strut, never without it.
Dock seals and shelters
Dock seals and shelters
Seals are compressible foam pads that the trailer backs into; shelters are frames with curtains that the trailer pulls inside. Both wear from contact. We replace torn pads, head curtains and side curtains, and set the seal to the trailers you actually receive so the gap closes without crushing the pads.
Around Naperville
Dock-heavy buildings around Naperville
Distribution buildings near Naperville run many dock positions side by side; Prologis lists 15 dock-high doors on one Bolingbrook building at 470 Crossroads Parkway, and in Romeoville a single tenant filled a 767,161-square-foot warehouse. With that many positions, one bad leveler or torn seal is easy to live with for a week, which is how small repairs become big ones. We service positions in batches so the dock keeps moving.
How the visit runs
How a dock service visit runs
- 1
Make the position safe
Block the deck on its strut and lock out power.
- 2
Inspect the position
Leveler, bumpers, seal and door together.
- 3
Find the cause
A torn seal often starts with a worn bumper.
- 4
Repair and adjust
Parts replaced, hydraulics bled, hold-downs set.
- 5
Cycle and return
Full leveler cycles before the position goes back in use.
Answers
Questions about dock leveler & seal repair
Yes. We service hydraulic pumps, cylinders and hoses and mechanical springs, hold-downs and lips.
On mechanical levelers, usually a worn hold-down. On hydraulic levelers, a valve or cylinder issue.
When pads are torn or compressed enough that daylight shows around a parked trailer. Busy docks wear them faster.
Yes. We check the dock door, springs and operator on the same visit.
Only with the deck supported on its maintenance strut. We never work under a deck held only by hydraulics or springs.
Same group
Related door work we handle
Commercial Garage Door Repair
Dock and overhead doors put back in service for warehouses and shops.
Commercial Overhead Door Installation
New sectional doors for docks, shops, service bays and storefronts.
Rolling Steel Door Repair
Rolling steel curtains, slats, guides and hoists repaired.
Commercial Door Operator Repair
Trolley and jackshaft operators, controls and safety edges repaired.