Trucking companies should be wary of aluminium tailgates
Trucking companies and contractors should be wary of aluminium cantilever tailgates as they may not offer the same resistance to damage as steel tailgates, according to Ross Grassick, General Manager of Lencrow Group – one of Australia’s largest materials handling suppliers.

“Although an aluminium cantilever tailgate is generally lighter than a steel tailgate, this benefit may be countered by the fact that softer metal is more easily damaged and invariably more expensive to repair,” said Grassick.

“It is very important to compare these long term costs against any short term gains, particularly as operating conditions for trucks in Australia demand a high degree of durability and tailgates must be able to cope with these difficult conditions.

“Consumers should also be wary of tailgates manufactured overseas, as they may not conform to Australian manufacturing standards and operations. Lencrow distributes the Hi-Lift brand of tailgates, which are manufactured in this country and do conform to these standards.

“The other advantage of having tailgates manufactured in Australia, is that they can be tailored for specific purposes at the manufacturing stage, rather than modified afterwards, which can compromise the strength of the tailgate,” said Grassick.

John Drady, National Sales Manager of Hi-Lift, says trucking companies and contractors should also bear in mind the rollover capacity of a tailgate.

“The rollover capacity is the amount of weight a tailgate can cope with when a vehicle like a forklift drives over the tailgate when it is on the ground. We have doubts about the extent of the rollover capacity of softer aluminium cantilever tailgates, whereas steel tailgates can deal with up to five tons of weight.

“Of course there is also the higher cost of repairing an aluminium device in the event of overload or driver error,” said Drady.

Lencrow Group is one of Australia’s largest materials handling companies specialising in the supply of forklifts, tailgates and electric pallet trucks, as well as providing a wide range of support services including training and maintenance.
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Released for Lencrow Group by Dennis Rutzou Public Relations.
For further information please call David Lizzio
or Dennis Rutzou on (02) 9413 4244.