You will find more used commercial vehicles with column tail lifts for sale in the UK than any other type of tail lift. This is not usually the case throughout Europe where the cantilever and tuck away varieties are more common. So, what is a column tail lift? It is the platform that can be raised and lowered at the rear of a truck, trailer or van to assist in the manual loading of the vehicle. The operator lowers the tail lift, loads it then raises it using electrically powered motors. Why column? Because there are two columns that run vertically up the body of the truck which contain chains or cables to operate the lift. The advantages of a column lift are the cost and the relative ease of use. The disadvantages are clear when loading on a dock – the tail lift has to be lowered before the truck can be loaded. Ratcliff have been the main manufacturer of these types of lifts in the UK – they were recently acquired by Austrian company, Palfinger.
Check out this typical column tail lift on a box body. Usually a column lift will be found on a box or curtainside body as they already have a structure to attach the lift to. However, there are column tail lifts for dropside and flatbed trucks and vans, but these are rarer as the columns have to be self supporting.
As with all lifting equipment, the column lft should be regularly inspected by a competent person and issued with a Lohler test certificate. Ask the seller for a certificate when buying your next used truck.
AccessXL, who design design and manufacture tail lifts for commercial vehicles in the UK has announced a new partnership with PALFINGER. AccessXL has acquired the Intellectual Property rights for manufacture and distribution of the PALFINGER ‘V-Lift’ product range. Furthermore, AccessXL, at the same time became the exclusive UK distributor for all PALFINGER chassis-mounted tail lifts including cantilever, retractable and foldable. Already well established provider of column, retractable, multi-deck, refuse and passenger tail lifts, the AccessXL range coupled with over 40 market-proven models from PALFINGER now provides, says the company, the widest selection of tail lift solutions for all key industry…
If you are looking for a 12 tonner, then The MAN TGL12.180 on sale in Swindon at J&B Limited could be right up your street. It's a 2016 Euro 6 with a 1.5 tonne Dhollandia column tail lift and, what's best, there is a choice of them. You can have one with brand new curtains and custom signwriting, simply as a chassis cab with 13 ft wheelbase. These trucks have a fantastic payload when compared to their 7.5 tonne siblings. Check out all the details of the seller on Page 11. Click Image to Read Click to Read Page Turn…
