Dock leveler with a translating lip and with a weather shield

摘要

A dock leveler with a vertically adjustable deck and horizontally translating lip (22) includes a weather shield that helps shelter a pit area underneath the lip and the deck (20). The dock leveler and shield system is particularly suited for serving trucks that include a rear liftgate. An upper edge of the weather shield seals against and moves with the lip of the dock leveler, and a lower edge of the shield can be attached to a lower dividing panel. The lower dividing panel (sometimes known as an ISO panel) isolates the deck of the dock leveler from a liftgate-receiving receptacle within the pit area. The weather shield accommodates the lip's horizontal movement and the decks vertical movement. The shield is such that it further accommodates a vertically moving door panel that can close in front of both the deck and the lip.