Most ramps sold as “mobile yard ramps” are 7 to 9 metres long. That is enough for a dock lip at 1,100 mm (3’7″). It is not enough for a shipping container floor, which sits 1,200–1,500 mm (3’11″–4’11”) above grade depending on the chassis and load. Put a short ramp against a 40 ft box and you get a 17–20% grade — steep enough that a loaded counterbalance truck starts losing rear-wheel bite on the climb. Long-span ramps exist because that arithmetic does not bend.
Why Container Loading Punishes Short Ramps
Height, not gap. A dock leveler only bridges 300–450 mm of vertical difference. Ground-level container loading bridges 1,200 mm or more, and that height has to be climbed, not crossed.
Load on the climb. A 5 t forklift with a 2 t pallet is 7 t of moving weight with a high centre of gravity. Grade transfers that weight rearward: at 12% the truck is fine, at 18% you are writing a complaint before the first month is out.
Repetition. Container stuffing runs 20–40 cycles an hour, so a ramp that is borderline once a day is unworkable forty times a day.
What “Long-Span” Actually Means in Numbers
In our range, long-span starts at 10,300 mm (33’10”) of overall length with a 2,200 mm (7’3″) width and 200 mm (7.9 in) guard rails. Below that you are in the 7,500–9,000 mm (24’7″–29’6″) class, which is correct for low docks, van trailers and pallet-truck traffic. The decision is geometry, so run the sum yourself before you sign:
| Floor height to reach | Ramp length at 10% grade | At 12.5% (EN 1398 limit) | At 15% (steep) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,100 mm / 3’7″ | 11,000 mm / 36’1″ | 8,800 mm / 28’10” | 7,330 mm / 24’1″ |
| 1,200 mm / 3’11” | 12,000 mm / 39’4″ | 9,600 mm / 31’6″ | 8,000 mm / 26’3″ |
| 1,300 mm / 4’3″ | 13,000 mm / 42’8″ | 10,400 mm / 34’1″ | 8,670 mm / 28’5″ |
| 1,500 mm / 4’11” | 15,000 mm / 49’3″ | 12,000 mm / 39’4″ | 10,000 mm / 32’10” |
Read the middle column: a 10,300 mm ramp tops out at about 1,290 mm (4’3″) of rise at the ±12.5% (≈7°) working limit EN 1398 sets for dock levellers and that most fleets adopt for yard ramps. That covers a container on a skeletal chassis. It does not cover a 1,500 mm high flatbed — for those we quote 12–15 m, or we move the operation onto a modular platform and accept a shorter incline.
The Two Series Built on the 10,300 mm Deck
| Specification | HRHS 15 Ton | HRES 20 Ton |
|---|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 15 t / 33,000 lb | 20 t / 44,000 lb |
| Overall length | 10,300 mm / 33’10” | 10,300 mm / 33’10” |
| Overall width | 2,200 mm / 7’3″ | 2,200 mm / 7’3″ |
| Guard rail height | 200 mm / 7.9 in | 200 mm / 7.9 in |
| Main beams | Large high-tensile I-beams | Large high-tensile I-beams |
| Secondary frame | Rectangular tube network | Rectangular tube network |
| Lift system | Reinforced manual hydraulic | Electro-hydraulic, DC battery or AC mains |
| Deck (standard / option) | Heavy steel grating / diamond mesh | Heavy steel grating / diamond mesh |
| Typical application | Container yards, 3PL overflow, 2-shift loading | High-cycle cross-dock, 3-shift, 20 t loads |
The HRHS is the honest workhorse: a heavy manual pump raises the deck in roughly 60–90 strokes from transport height, with no battery, no charger and no electrics to fail in a yard. The HRES adds a power pack so the operator presses a button instead. On a site running 200 container moves a week that difference is worth the money; at 15 moves a week it usually is not, and I would rather say so than upsell you.
Where the Steel Matters More Than the Tonnage
A 10,300 mm deck carrying a 7 t moving load sees its worst bending moment in the centre, so two details decide whether it lasts ten years or three:
- I-beam main girders, not tube. I-sections put material where bending stress is highest. On long spans the difference in deflection is measurable, and the difference in fatigue life is not subtle.
- Cross-member pitch under the deck plate. Wide spacing saves factory cost and shows up as deck ripple after two seasons of heavy forklifts. Ask for the pitch in writing before you compare quotes on price alone.
Options Worth Paying For, and One to Skip
Worth it: hot-dip galvanizing for coastal or fertilizer-yard sites, a tow bar with pneumatic wheels where the ramp moves between doors weekly, and puncture-proof tyres on rough concrete. Rarely worth it: custom RAL painting for a ramp that lives outdoors at a container terminal, and extra deck plating where grating already drains and grips better in the rain.
Who Should Not Buy a Long-Span Ramp
If every truck backs into a fixed door with a leveler already in the pit, you do not need this product. If your tallest vehicle is a 1,100 mm van trailer and volume is under 10 trucks a day, a 7,500 mm ramp at roughly 40% less money does the job. Long-span ramps are bought by container yards, 3PL overflow sites and factories that get a 40 ft box on a Tuesday and have no dock at all.
Lead Time, Shipping and Indicative Price
Standard 10,300 mm units run 20–30 days EXW Foshan after drawing approval; galvanizing or custom widths add 5–10 days. The ramp does not fit a 20 ft container (interior length 5,900 mm / 19’4″) — it ships in a 40 ft HC, crated with lifting lugs exposed and hydraulics packed separately. Whether one unit or two nested units load into that container depends on nesting height and the rest of your order, so ask for a packing plan before you book freight. Prices below are EXW planning ranges, not quotations.
| Model | Capacity | Indicative EXW range |
|---|---|---|
| HRHS 15 t, 10,300 mm, manual hydraulic | 15 t / 33,000 lb | USD 7,800 – 11,200 |
| HRES 20 t, 10,300 mm, electro-hydraulic | 20 t / 44,000 lb | USD 11,500 – 16,500 |
| Galvanized upgrade | — | +12% to 18% of ramp price |
Capacity, lift type and length move the number most, in that order. If a quote for a 20 t electro-hydraulic long-span ramp lands far below this band, ask what wall thickness and cross-member pitch were used — something paid for that discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a mobile yard ramp be for a 40 ft container?
For a container floor 1,200–1,300 mm (3’11″–4’3″) above grade, plan 9,600–10,400 mm of ramp to stay at or under 12.5% grade. A 10,300 mm (33’10”) ramp is the standard answer; anything under 9,000 mm puts your forklift on a 14% climb.
Can one long-span ramp load both containers and flatbed trailers?
It reaches both, but not at the same grade. A 1,200 mm container floor works at 11.7% on a 10,300 mm deck; a 1,500 mm flatbed deck works out at 14.6%, which is steep for a loaded truck in the rain. For regular flatbed traffic, order 12–15 m.
Is a manual hydraulic ramp practical at 15 t?
Yes, with one caveat: it takes roughly 60–90 pump strokes per height change. If the ramp changes height more than a few times a day, pay for the electro-hydraulic HRES instead.
What grade is too steep for a loaded forklift?
EN 1398 sets ±12.5% (≈7°) as the working limit for dock levellers. Our rule for yard ramps: design at 10–12.5%, treat 15% as the absolute ceiling on dry clean decks, and keep pallet trucks at or below 7%.
Get the Drawing Before You Get the Price
Tell us the container or trailer floor height, the heaviest forklift plus load, and the width of your widest pallet. We will send the drawing of the correct long-span model with the grade calculation shown on it — and if a shorter ramp does the job, we will quote that instead. Send your vehicle details to our engineering team, or compare the current range on the mobile yard ramps category page, including the Heavy-Duty Hydraulic HRHS 15 Ton, the Heavy-Duty Electro-Hydraulic HRES 20 Ton and the wider ground-to-dock ramp range.
