Side-lifters are the only vehicles we operate which have the capacity to lift and move loaded containers. So, if you have a loaded container or intend on filling a container then move it, this is the type of vehicle for you! These are very popular for export customers that need a few days to fill their container. Typically we will deliver your container to site when empty on a side-lifter and then collect it using a side-lifter once loaded. That way we know we can access it with a side-lifter on collection because we dropped it off on one.
Side-lifters operate in a very particular way and can only load and offload containers to the right hand side of the vehicle (as the vehicle faces forwards i.e. off-side.) They have a crane at each end and lift by attaching chains to the bottom container corner castings.
Although not essential, as described above, we typically deliver the empty containers using a side-lifter too. This ensures the container is in the correct position for when we re-attend to collect the loaded container. Hiabs operate very differently to side-lifters and if you position an empty container with a very fee-swinging hiab arm it could, if not carefully planned and placed, put the container in a position where a side-lifter cannot gain access to it. Please take care if doing this and of course contact us if there are any questions or queries.
Please ensure the weights advised on you order are accurate. Majority of our vehicles are not fitted with weighing systems and therefore considerable charges may be incurred if the weights declared are in accurate. Anything from a few hours demurrage, failed delivery or collection fees, even a damaged crane/lorry due to overloaded.
Although maximum lifting capacity will vary from wagon to wagon generally we say max lifting capacity of 36 tonnes. However, the maximum gross road-carrying capacity is 23 tonnes – so although we can lift 36 tonnes of goods we can only move 23 tonnes on the lorry’s back. Please also note that these weights include the weight of the container (a 20ft container weighs approximately 2.5 tonnes and a 40ft approximately 4 tonnes). When near capacity,m care should be taken to ensure the load is evenly distributed around the container.
At Premier Shipping Containers we can arrange heavier weights than 23 tonnes to be carried on the road but it would be a side-lifter lifting the loaded container onto a parallel standard vehicle capable of carrying said weight. Although not out of the ordinary this can a tricky job to coordinate so please discuss details with us prior to making any arrangements.
Also please remember to specify which end of the vehicle you want the shipping container doors. There’s nothing worse than the vehicle turning up on site and finding out the container doors you need to open are at the wrong end of the vehicle! A simple thing but can make a huge difference to loading times and accessibly. Our container depots will load the container on the back of a side-lifter whichever way you like. Doors towards the cab or doors towards the rear.
Finally it’s worth a mention we need good hardstanding ground to work on with obviously no fouling overhead obstructions. If the site is in a very rural area we please need you to flag if there are any low bridges, narrow lanes with low branches, or any other obstructions that might cause problems for our truck (e.g. a hump backed bridge) that out truck will need to run under, over or around on their way into your site. Containers cannot be lifted on a steep slope or camber and our vehicles are not all terrain.
AM/PM specific deliveries
We can upgrade to an AM or PM specific service if you wish. We obviously need to know this in advance because our standard delivery service is anytime daytime between our usual working hours of 07:00am -18:30pm within our working week of Monday – Friday.
Timed deliveries
We can also upgrade side-lifters to a timed delivery service. Slots are typically in a 1 hour window (between 8am and 9am for example) but will vary nationally depending on the location of the job, availability, the haulier we’re using and of course the times you want.
Needs to move a loaded shipping container ?
when we supply a CSC plated shipping container for an export job we can always offer haulage to any UK port of your choosing, either with a sidelifter like this or with a standard container trailer. Our container hauliers are all RHA members, fully insured and experienced with regular port deliveries (ie set up with the appropriate registrations and booking systems to allow them to deliver to the container ports around the UK). We can help with containers we have not supplied however we will need to check if the sidelifter can access the container that will already be on your site at this point.
If you have any questions about this article, our products or service please call our friendly team for free on 0800 999 8988 any time 08:30-17:00 weekdays or send us a message via the contact form on this website and we will get back to you.