- Tail lift
A tail lift is a mechanical device permanently fitted to the back of
van or lorry, which is designed to facilitate the materials handling of goods from ground level or a loading dock to the level of the load bed of the vehicle, 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.
The use of a tail lift can obviate the need to use machinery such as a
forklift truck in order to load heavy items on to a vehicle, or can be used to bridge the difference in height between a loading dock and the vehicle load bed.The first tail lift system was developed in 1970 by ZEPRO Z-Lyften Produktion AB (now part of HIAB Group),in Sweden.cite web|url=http://www.hiab.com/taillifts|title=Zepro Tail lifts product history|accessdate=2007-06-05]
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