Low Profile Dock Bumper 470 x 270 x 66mm with Free Fixings | Replaceable Yellow UHMWPE Face, Galvanised Steel Back Plate | HGV Loading Bay

Every millimetre between the back of a trailer and the dock edge is a gap your forklift and pallet truck have to cross. Plenty of dock bumpers stand 110mm or more off the wall. This one stands just 66mm, so the HGV backs in closer, while a solid yellow UHMWPE plate in a galvanised steel channel takes the contact and keeps the trailer off your concrete. Fix one either side of the dock leveller on a new bay, or use a pair to replace worn buffers at a goods-in door where the trailer is sitting further out than you would like.

Why a 66mm low profile dock bumper works

The trailer sits closer to the dock. The whole unit, back plate and front plate together, measures 66mm from the wall to the face. That keeps the stand-off short, which matters most where the dock leveller has little spare reach. The comparison image in the gallery shows the difference against 110mm and 165mm bumpers, drawn to the same scale.

Damage goes to the part you can replace. The galvanised back plate has returns along both long edges that hold the yellow front plate, which is not bolted through its face. It is the sacrificial part. When it wears or takes a hit, it can be easily removed and replaced while the back plate stays undamaged on the wall, so a damaged face does not have to mean a new fixing job.

The trailer slides instead of grabbing. UHMWPE is durable and has a very low coefficient of friction, so the back of the trailer can slide along the face as its height changes during loading.

Nothing on the face to catch. The four fixing holes are in the steel back plate, behind the front plate. The trailer meets one flat surface, 225mm wide, with no bolt heads or recesses to snag on.

Built for an open yard, and easy to see. Galvanised steel suits a loading bay exposed to rain, and the highly visible yellow face helps a driver line up in the mirrors.

Where it is used

Distribution centres, parcel depots, food and drink goods-in, factory despatch bays and merchant yards: anywhere HGVs reverse onto a raised concrete dock and the trailer needs to finish as close to the building as possible.

Specifications

Choosing the right dock bumper

Before you order, measure your existing stand-off and check it against your dock leveller. Going shallower brings the trailer closer, so check that the trailers you handle still clear the leveller and the building. If your bay takes hard, repeated impacts, or trailers that rise and sink a long way during loading, look at the deeper sliding bumpers, because this one has less depth to work with.

Fitting and care

The fixing holes sit behind the yellow plate, so fix the back plate first and fit the front plate afterwards. Mark out from the drawing above, then offer the back plate up and check the holes against it before you drill, and use a 16mm drill bit for the anchor bolts. Fix through all four holes into sound concrete, at the height your trailers actually make contact, and have a competent installer confirm that the wall and anchors suit the loads at your dock.

Check the plate and fixings during routine dock inspections, and replace the plate before it wears back to the steel. A bumper protects the building and the vehicle from routine docking contact. It is not a vehicle restraint and does not replace wheel chocks or a banksman.

Frequently asked questions

Ordering and delivery

Add the quantity you need above, normally two per door. Orders placed before 2pm, Monday to Friday, are dispatched the same day by Express UK Delivery. For a whole site or several doors, call 01744 520 110 or email sales@industrialsuppliesco.co.uk and we will go through it with you.