Loading docks - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

propmakerconst · 10-04-2009, 06:37 PM

Having an issue with concrete thickness for a loading dock, dock will be 35' by 15' on W18's (cause I have a lot of them) B deck on three beams on 7'6" center on 15 posts. The primary use will be a 6k forklift lifting 2k pallets. My gut says 6 inches but the owner wants 8 to 10 which is a waste of concrete and makes it heavier than it needs to be on soil I do not trust.

I know this is vague and there are many factors but I am looking for the average.....

Willie T · 10-04-2009, 07:10 PM

And the soil numbers crunched out to say what? A hunch isn't a lot to stand on, one way or the other.

woodchuck2 · 10-06-2009, 08:37 PM

Well, i dont know if this will help you or not but i have some experience in loading trucks. The mine i worked at used lift trucks capable of picking 3ton so they weighed at least 7-8k lbs at minimum. Now when we were in a hurry it wasnt uncommon for me to be loading the truck and another lift truck bringing in 4 pallets "way overloaded" with 2k a peice on them. So you figure the weight of 2 lift trucks and anywhere from 6-8ton of pallets sitting next to the dock really adds up. This is in a 20'X20' area so i think you would want the extra support.

The warehouse i worked in was rather large and held at least 1000-1200 pallets, the pallets weighed anywhere from 2k-4k so there was millions of pounds on these floors. The floors were rippled from the lift truck traffic through the years of use/abuse.