Frequently Asked Questions

Our office is open Monday to Friday 8.30 – 17.00.

Our factory is open Monday to Thursday 7.00 – 16.00, Friday 7.00 – 13.30. Deliveries/collections to be made within these times – please allow for (un)loading times at the end of the day.

We are closed for bank holidays, and a Christmas shutdown.

We don’t offer an online purchasing system, but if you contact our sales team with your request, we will happily guide you through the process.

We don’t publish our prices online so that we can provide the most cost effective prices. Please contact our sales team with your request, we will get back to you ASAP with a quotation.

We can supply products for sale Worldwide.

Our rental products, and servicing/repair/maintenance team is available in mainland UK only.

We are based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. Our factory design, test and manufacture the majority of our products from here. Our on-site engineering team are also based at  this factory.

Some products are held in stock, some made to order. For accurate lead-times, please contact us for details.

Potentially, yes. Please contact our team and we’ll do our best to assist. Our in-house design team can often accommodate special/bespoke variations of our products, to suit your needs.

We pride ourselves on our ability to not just sell a product, but to understand your application and recommend the right products to you. Our sales team can discuss this over the phone, or visit your site if preferred.

Yes, absolutely! We recognise that business needs vary from customer to customer. We have a large rental fleet, available on short lead-time, for short, medium and long term rental commitments. Please see more about the RentaRamp side to Thorworld here.

Yes, absolutely. Please contact us, and we will make the necessary arrangements to visit your site.

Yes – we generally carry a variety of stock, but even if we don’t have the exact item you want, we will likely have something similar, to give you an indication of sizes, specifications, finish, and build quality. Please get in touch and we will support you the best we can.

Payment can be made via bank transfer, or card payments (debit, credit or AMEX) can be made either over the phone or using a secure online payment link.

Yes, our experienced in-house team of engineers can install equipment we supply.

This depends on the products ordered.

Smaller, man handleable items are sent boxed via courier.

Some larger items are sent on pallets, so will require a fork truck to off load – this is typically for items over 20kg in weight.

Larger equipment such as our container ramps and platforms will be sent on a dedicated low-loader or flat-bed trailer, requiring fork truck off-loading.

Container ramps delivered within the UK are typically delivered on a low-loader trailer for easy and safe off-loading on site – the ramp is simply wheeled off the trailer using the fork truck to control it.

For export sales, alternative transport methods will typically be used – our sales contact will clarify this during the quotation stage.

In all cases, please don’t hesitate to contact us for details and/or clarification if required.

Yes of course, collections can be made form our factory in Chesterfield, S41 9QX – please discuss this with our sales contact to confirm arrangements.

Boxed items – Orders received up to 10am Mon-Thurs are generally despatched the same day if it’s a stocked item (subject to payment/account status). They are generally sent on a next-day service as standard. Delivery will be made between 8.00 & 17.00.

Palletised items – Orders received up to 10am Mon-Thurs are generally despatched the same day if it’s a stocked item (subject to payment/account status). They are generally sent on a 3-day service unless requested otherwise. Delivery will be made between 8.00 & 17.00.

Equipment sent via specialist haulier will be specifically arranged with you in-advance.

Yes – we offer a wide range of replacement parts to suit Thorworld manufactured products. Due to the wide range (and sometimes bespoke nature), we can’t list them all on our website, so please contact us with your requirements.

The majority of our steel fabricated products are painted either red (BS381C-538), or yellow (RAL1033), however we can paint in alternative colours to suit your branding if required. Contact our sales team for more information

No, not necessarily.

UKCA Marking applies to products placed on the market in GB. CE Marking applies to products placed on the market in the EU (and within GB at the time of writing, October 2024).

CE and/or UKCA Marking only applies to products that come under one of the relevant product supply Directives or Regulations, for example; Machinery, or Low-voltage electrical equipment.

Products that do not fall under the requirements of a Directive or Regulation must not be CE or UKCA marked.

Our container ramps are CE and UKCA Marked.

Inspection is the legal requirement to check over the equipment, and determine it is safe to use. This is a requirement of PUWER in the UK. We recommend this is performed at least annually.

Servicing is not a legal requirement, but is good practice to keep things running the way they are meant to – preventative actions to keep your equipment most efficiently, and to maximise its lifespan.

Our Service/Inspection visit combines both.

Container ramps don’t perform a lifting operation, so don’t come under the requirements of LOLER, however as piece of work equipment, they do require inspection in accordance with PUWER. We recommend this is performed at least annually.

We can inspect them, but we have limited ability to repair or supply parts if required.

Loading ramp, platform and dock leveller capacity should general refer to the maximum allowable weight it can safety carry. This is referred to as capacity, rated load, or uniformly distributed load, and refers to the total amount of weight it can carry.

Where counterbalanced forklift trucks are using the equipment, the weight can be transferred through the front axle; particularly when loaded close to the truck’s capacity, and when under braking. This leads to higher concentration of forces than when the load is spread out, which can lead to localised damage.

Therefore, capacity is not necessarily the maximum load the equipment can safely carry without damage, and it is important that this is understood.

Companies who indicate that the capacity of equipment for counterbalanced forklift truck use is equivalent to its Uniform Distributed Load (UDL), are potentially misleading. All product supplied by Thorworld is rated as a total load, and single axle, for maximum peace of mind.

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