Dock Leveler Guide
Everything for the dock leveler itself: match a weather seal kit to your pit size, check an edge-of-dock leveler against your equipment, or scope a full pit-style leveler project with our specialists.
1. Weather seal kit finder
Pit leveler weather seals stop energy loss and pests at the deck perimeter. Kits are sized to the pit length — measure along the side of the pit, front to rear.
2. Edge-of-dock leveler capacity check
Edge-of-dock levelers bolt to the dock face and serve trailers within ±5" of dock height — no pit required. Docks must be at least 48" high. We apply the same equipment capacity factors as dock boards (hand truck 1.5× up to forklift 3×).
3. Full pit-style levelers — project scoping
- When you need one: trailer heights varying more than ±5" from dock height, or forklift traffic over 25,000 lbs gross — beyond edge-of-dock territory.
- Common sizes: 6'×6', 6'×8' and 7'×8' decks; capacity classes 25,000–50,000 lbs based on gross rolling load and traffic frequency.
- Hydraulic vs. mechanical: mechanical (spring) levelers cost less up front; hydraulic push-button units cut maintenance and injury risk in high-cycle docks.
- Pit levelers are a configured purchase — pit dimensions, capacity, projection and options (lip length, weather seal, safety legs) are specified per dock. Request a quote or call (855) 719-1415 and our specialists will spec it with you.
Related: Dock Board & Plate Selector for portable dock bridging, or browse all dock leveler products.