Different Types of Tail Lifts

A tail lift is a mechanical device permanently installed on the rear of a work truck, van, or lorry, and is designed to facilitate the materials handling of goods from ground level or a loading dock to the level of the vehicle bed, or vice versa.

The majority of tail lifts are hydraulic or pneumatic in operation, although they can be mechanical, and are controlled by an operator using an electric relay switch.
Using a tail lift can make it unnecessary to use machinery such as a forklift truck to load heavy items on to a vehicle. A tail lift can also bridge the difference in height between a loading dock and the vehicle load bed.

Different Types of Tail Lifts

Parallel Arm
Parallel Arm lifts support lower lifting capacities and are commonly installed on pickup trucks and service truck bodies. The parallel "arms" attach to both sides of the lifting platform and guide the platform out and away from the liftgate mainframe. Parallel Arm designs can either feature two hydraulic cylinders applying force directly to the lifting platform or a single hydraulic cylinder using some version of a cable-pulley system.

Railgate
Railgate lifts are very similar in design to Column Lifts but (generally) support lower lifting capacities. Railgate lifts get their name from the "outrails" which install directly to the vehicle body and serve as the guides for the liftgate platform. Platforms on railgates are larger than those of parallel arm lifts and, like column lifts, fix at a 90° angle from the outrails and lift vertically.

Column
Column lifts are "beefier" versions of railgates, supporting some of the highest lifting capacities of any type of hydraulic lift. Like Railgate lifts, Column Lifts feature "tracks" that install directly onto the vehicle body. From the tracks a folding platform extends and lifts completely vertically.
Column lifts have the advantage of being able to lift to a higher level than the load bed, also known as "above bed travel," and are therefore preferable for vehicles with bed heights lower than standard dock height.

Cantilever
Cantilever lifts work by a set of rams attached to the chassis of the vehicle. These rams are on hinges, allowing them to change angle as they expand or contract. By using the rams in sequence, the working platform can either be tilted, or raised and lowered.
Cantilever lifts have the advantage of being able to tilt, which means they can often form a ramp arrangement, which may be more appropriate for some applications. It also means that it can be easier to load or unload on uneven ground.

Tuckunder
On Tuckunder lifts, the lifting platform may be folded and stored underneath the load bed of the vehicle, leaving the option of it not being used when at a loading dock, and giving access and egress for operators without the need to operate the lift. Common tuckunder designs are either single- or dual-cylinder, with dual-cylinder designs supporting higher lifting capacities.

Slider
Slider Lift designs, like tuckunders, are characterized by folding and storing directly underneath the vehicle bed. However, slider designs feature lifting platforms that "slide" out from underneath the vehicle bed (instead of lowering and unfolding). Slider lift designs support some of the highest lifting capacities of any type of hydraulic lift.

Tailifts offers the widest range of tail lifts in Southern Africa. We pride ourselves on the manufacture and maintenance of tail lifts that can be fitted to anything with wheels including column, cantilever, foldaway and retractable lifts suitable for any industry. In addition, Tailifts is the sole distributor in Southern Africa for Zepro, Waltco and Del lifts that are the market leading brands in Europe, the USA and the UK respectively. As the chosen tail lift partner for the Hiab group in Southern Africa, we can offer the right solution for the application instead of just selling the customer what is in stock. Whatever your vehicular materials handling requirements are, Tailifts has a solution for you.