Truck weigh scales are a substantial investment for any business, so understanding how to keep it up and running for as long as possible is crucial since, for many operators, downtime = lost money.
While in a perfect world scales would never break, we know that no matter how much you invest in maintenance and repairs, the time to replace your truck scale will come one day. To help you with this, we’ve put together our top tips to help you assess whether it’s time to replace your truck scale – check it out!
- Visible Signs of Extreme Rust and Corrosion
It’s inevitable that your scale is going to experience some corrosion and rust as the metal oxidizes and it weathers the elements. The load cells may also come in contact with various chemicals or moisture that can cause the inner mechanisms to break down.
However, if this wear and tear starts to eat major holes through your equipment you should absolutely get it checked out as it might be the first sign that it’s time to replace your truck scale.
- Your Scale May Have Experienced Shock Loading
Industrial scales are built to endure and withstand a certain amount of abuse through the course of day-to-day use. However, if the scale isn’t operated properly and is suddenly overloaded with extremely heavy materials, then your weigh scale might experience what’s called shock loading.
Shock loading affects the entire scale system and even if you zero the scale or repower it off and on, there’s a chance your readings will still be skewed. Depending on the severity of the incident, this could be the time your truck scale needs to be replaced.
- Scale Foundation Issues
Sometimes, it’s not your scale that is causing the problem, it’s actually your scale’s foundation. Even the best foundation can and will deteriorate over time. Since the key to a quality scale system is a strong scale foundation, unstable foundations can quickly cause issues for your operation resulting in faulty readings and downtime.
As the foundation shifts, your scale will no longer be as accurate or as safe to use, and could even cause lasting damage to your system. Be sure to regularly inspect the foundation of your scale year-round to look for and repair any damage.
- Inconsistent Readings
Consistent scale readings are critical to your business. If your readings are ever inconsistent, it could be the first sign that something isn’t right with your scale. If a scale you use regularly begins giving you two different weights for the same item then you should do some investigative work to see if it needs replacing.
Take something with a standard weight like a 10-pound dumbbell and place it on the scale. The scale should read the weight and then return to the “000” display when the object is removed.
If the scale says anything other than 10 pounds a few times in a row then you can try calibrating the scale or consulting a professional. This issue could indicate problems with the load cells or a mechanical issue. If the inconsistent readings cannot be resolved, then it’s time to get a new weigh scale.
- Unstable Readings
Similar to if your scale is showing inconsistent readings, if your scale wavers on the numbers when weighing items on every load then you are experiencing unstable readings or drifting. This means that there is undoubtedly some damage to your equipment.
A common reason this occurs has to do with the humidity in the air. Low humidity causes buildup on your load cells and as the humidity changes, so does the static charge in the air.
Since your weigh controller is looking for small changes in input voltage, the static discharges can cause the readings to fluctuate. That said, this could also simply be a display issue which would only be a minor repair. If it’s an internal issue, it could be time to consider upgrading your scale.
- Obsolete Equipment
Your scales indicator is the real brain of the system, however, as with most equipment it will at some point become obsolete and need to be replaced with a newer model – this is an issue we see quite often with digital scale systems, especially older models.
Since most modern digital scale systems use digital signals to transmit data from the load cells to the indicator, you cannot simply connect to any old analog indicator. Instead, you must use an indicator that can support the signals and transmit them accordingly.
If you suspect your equipment is becoming too old to do the job, do not put off getting an upgrade. While it can be more expensive up front, the decrease in downtime and increase in productivity will be well worth it in the long run.
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While replacing your truck scale can be inconvenient and expensive, in an industry where precision is key it is important to make sure all of your equipment is functioning properly. It is especially important to adhere to relevant Measurement Canada standards.
If you have any questions about whether it’s time to replace your scale or you’re in the market for your next one, contact the experts at Active Scale today at 1-800-850-8770
