Welcome to the next article in our Frequently Asked Questions series, this time covering our extensive range of Land Loading & Unloading Arms.

What can you use your Loading Arms for?

You’ll typically use our Loading Arms to load and unload road and rail tankers, as well as IBCs and other containers. Since 1965, we’ve manufactured over arms for a wide range of applications, including Storage Terminals, Airports, Food Manufacturing, Distilleries, and Chemical Industry sites across the globe. We’ve supported a wide range of media, including:

• Jet AI
• Olive Oil
• Hydrochloric and Phosphoric Acid
• And Bitumen, to name a few

What size Loading Arms do you offer?

We can offer our Top and Bottom Loading and Unloading Arms in sizes from 1″ – 6″.

How do I know what size Loading Arm I need?

Base your choice on required flow rate, not the size of the tanker or pipeline you’re connecting to. An undersized arm restricts flow and increases pressure drop; an oversized arm adds unnecessary cost and becomes harder to manoeuvre. Give us your product, required throughput, and existing pipework size, and we’ll recommend the correct bore for your application.

What Materials do we offer?

As standard, we build our Loading Arms in Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, and Aluminium. We can also supply Hastelloy for the most aggressive media. Don’t hesitate to challenge us with whatever media you’re handling.

What’s the difference between a top loading arm and a bottom loading arm?

Top loading arms connects through a manhole on top of a road tanker, railcar, or container with a top opening. Choose this configuration where your site already has top access procedures in place, or where you need vapour recovery alongside the product line.

Bottom loading arms connects via a connection point on the side or rear of a tanker. This configuration reduces vapour emissions and operator exposure during connection and disconnection, which is why many fuel, chemical, and hazardous product operators choose bottom loading for road and rail tankers.

You can also specify either type with a fixed reach (for tankers of a consistent size) or a variable reach (for sites handling tankers of different heights and positions), and with a supported or unsupported boom design depending on your site layout. Tell us about your fleet and site, and we’ll recommend the right configuration.

What products/media can your Loading Arms handle?

Beyond our broad Hydrocarbon, Chemical, LPG, Hot Products, and Food Service ranges, we regularly design and supply arms for specific media, including:

• LPG and LNG — with the low-temperature seals and vapour handling these products require
• Ammonia — a common application within our Chemical range, requiring careful material selection
• Hydrogen — a growing request as hydrogen infrastructure expands; talk to us about your specification
• Bitumen and asphalt — via our heated and jacketed Hot Products arms
• Biodiesel and gasoline — standard fuel-handling configurations
• Crude oil and petroleum products

Don’t see your product listed? Challenge us with whatever media you’re handling, and we’ll advise on the right materials and configuration.

What configurations do you offer?

We design our arms to suit your requirements. Send us a plan of your site, and we’ll work with you to create your ideal solution. We offer Fixed and Variable reach as standard, and we always supply full drawings for your approval before manufacture, so you get complete accuracy.

Can Loading Arms be used in hazardous or ATEX-classified areas?

Yes. For any site classified as ATEX or hazardous, we specify arms with appropriate earthing and bonding provisions, ATEX-rated accessories such as proximity switches, and materials suited to your zone classification. Tell us your site’s area classification and the product you’re handling, and we’ll build this into the design.

What accessories / options are available?

We supply a wide range of accessories and options with your Loading or Unloading Arm to build the exact solution you need. These include:

• Safety Breakaway & Dry Disconnect Couplings
• API & Vapour Couplers
• Overfill Protection
• Gas Vapour return
• Electrically heated and Jacketed arms
• Proximity Switches
• Locking devices
• Stand posts

How do you specify and design a Loading Arm for a new site?

We start with your site details, tanker or railcar dimensions, connection point location, product, required flow rate, and any space constraints. From there, we design the arm and its swivel joint arrangement to match your working envelope, then supply full drawings for your approval before manufacture, so nothing goes into production until you’re happy with the specification.

Get in touch

We always work together with you to ensure your satisfaction throughout the process, so get in touch with us today and start to build your long-term relationship with us, so we can help your business grow and operate safely.