Dock Seal/Shelter Selection Criteria
The first and most important aspect of successful dock seal/shelter
installation is proper selection. Improper consideration of the
selection criteria not only results in a poor installation, but can lead
to damage and reduced efficiency.
Configuration of Trucks to be Sealed:
Dimensions to consider are:
- Normal width of trucks serviced
- Normal height of trucks serviced
- Truck bumper projection
- Normal truck bed heights.
Note: If there are trucks / trailers to be serviced with dimensions that
are greatly different from normal, they should also be considered.
Grade of Approach: (level, declined, or inclined)
If required, seals can be tapered to ensure parallel compression along
the entire face of the side pads, thereby creating an effective seal.
Size of Overhead Door to be Sealed:
The size of the door opening determines the most suitable models of
seals or shelters.
Dock Bumper Projection:
The difference in inches from the face of the wall to the front face of
the dock bumper. On declined approaches, the bumper projection must be
sufficient to eliminate the potential of trucks impacting the upper
wall.
Dock Height:
The difference in height from the finished grade to the top of the dock
floor.
Seal/Shelter Mounting Surface:
Wall construction, strength, and type may determine the style of
seal/shelter to be specified. Inflatable dock seals are best suited in
applications where the wall is not designed to accept higher compression
forces of conventional seals or shelters.
Size Selection:
When specifying dock seal/shelter sizes, keep in mind one goal:
effectively sealing the majority of vehicles that will be serviced at
the loading dock.
In most cases, it is not practical to install a variety of dock seal
configurations to accommodate the uncommon trailer sizes. For that
reason, it is important to ensure that what is specified will seal the
majority of vehicles.
The first step is to determine the size of trailer that frequents the
loading dock most.
Generally, the most common trailer will be approximately 13'-6" high
from ground level and have an outside trailer width of 96" to 102".
A standard goal is to maintain the inside seal opening at 90" to 96"
wide, the height at approximately 12' to 13', and the clear door height
at a minimum of 96".
Projection of the dock seal should be sized to allow 4" to 6" of seal
compression before the trailer contacts the bumper. Projection of dock
shelters typically ranges between 18" and 24" to allow sufficient
trailer penetration.
Dock seal for an 8' wide door. Side pads can be beveled to close the
door opening down or to accommodate wider doors.
Dock shelter for a 10' wide door. For dock shelters the opening should
be closed down to 90" wide x 90" high to allow sufficient vehicle
penetration.
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