Dock leveller finance
The bridge between trailer and warehouse floor, and the difference between loading a lorry in twenty minutes or an hour.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a dock leveller?
Yes, but a dock leveller is firmly a building fixture and should be approached on that basis. It sits in a pit built into the dock face, is wired into the building and cannot be removed without a contractor and making good afterwards. Funders will finance loading bay installations, and do so regularly, but they underwrite the business rather than the steel and will often want landlord consent in a leased unit. Mobile yard ramps are the exception — they are wheeled, movable assets and fund very differently.
Used kit: Rarely for installed levellers, since the value dies with the installation; yes for mobile yard ramps, which are funded second-hand without much difficulty.
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What would a dock leveller cost per month?
Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
How lenders treat it
Semi-fixed and priced accordingly, which is the part suppliers rarely mention. A hydraulic leveller installed in a concrete pit is worth very little once removed, because most of the value was in the installation and each pit is dimensioned to its own bay. So funders look at your accounts, your lease term and, frequently, a landlord waiver. Dock shelters, buffers, wheel restraints and traffic lights are in the same category. What lifts a loading bay project is context: presented alongside the forklifts, conveyors and wrappers that go into the same despatch upgrade, the package has genuine asset backing and prices far better than the bay equipment alone. Mobile yard ramps and container ramps, by contrast, are wheeled plant with a good used market and fund like machinery.
Makes and models we fund
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Stertil Dock Leveller | Hydraulic swing lip dock leveller |
| Stertil Dock Shelter | Inflatable loading bay dock shelter |
| Hormann HLS 2 | Hydraulic telescopic lip dock leveller |
| Hormann DSS Dock Shelter | Curtain style loading bay shelter |
| Thorworld Yard Ramp | Mobile container loading ramp |
| Thorworld Dock Leveller | Static hydraulic loading dock leveller |
| Assa Abloy Crawford DL6010 | Hydraulic dock leveller for loading bays |
| Loading Systems Dock Shelter | Loading bay sealing shelter |
| Rite-Hite Dok-Lok | Vehicle restraint for loading bays |
| Joloda Loading System | Trailer load and unload skate system |
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Who buys one
Distribution centres upgrading an old bay, food operators adding refrigerated dock shelters, and businesses taking on a unit whose existing levellers are worn out or failing inspection. The trigger is usually a leveller breakdown that has closed a bay during a peak, a driver injury or near miss, or a move to curtainsider or double-deck trailers that the existing dock cannot serve safely.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
How it is treated for tax
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Dock leveller finance questions
Why is a dock leveller harder to fund than a forklift?
Because once it is installed there is nothing to take back. The pit, the concrete, the wiring and the making good are where the money went, and a second-hand leveller lifted out of a bay is worth a small fraction of the project cost. Funders therefore rely on your business rather than on the equipment.
Would a mobile yard ramp be a better option for us?
Operationally it depends on your trailer types and yard space, but financially it is a much easier asset. A yard ramp is wheeled, movable, serialised and sells readily second-hand, so it funds like plant rather than like building works. Many businesses use one as an interim step before committing to a fixed bay.
Do we need landlord consent for a loading bay installation?
Very likely, because you are altering the building fabric. Most commercial leases require consent for works of that kind, and funders will ask whether it has been obtained. It is worth starting that conversation with the landlord early, since it can take longer than the finance approval itself.
Can dock shelters and safety equipment go on the same agreement?
Yes, where they form part of one supplier project. Shelters, buffers, wheel restraints and bay lighting are all soft in isolation but perfectly fundable within a wider facility. Keeping the scope to the loading bay package rather than general building repairs helps the application through.
Is refurbishment of an existing leveller fundable?
Sometimes, though it is closer to maintenance than to buying an asset and several funders will decline it on that basis. Where the refurbishment is substantial and forms part of a larger bay upgrade, it can ride within the project. A pure repair is generally better paid from working capital.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
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Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.