Factors Impacting Truck Scale Investment

Truck scales go through a lot. These scales are often in unforgiving environments and are exposed to the elements in a way that other scales simply are not.

You need to be sure and know that your scale will last before you invest thousands of dollars in this equipment.

So what should you consider when buying a truck scale so you can be sure it will last? The three most popular issues that customers like you have when deciding how to buy a truck scale are the life of the scale, the warranty, and your return on investment.

Scale life

Buying a scale that is designed and tested in real-life conditions is the best way to ensure that your scale is always up and running. Look for a manufacturer that performs weighbridge tests, i.e. on a fully installed scale, that reflect real-world scenarios such as life-cycle testing. These tests should include real-world scenarios where the scale is installed as it will be at the customer’s site and is tested with real vehicles under real-world conditions.

It also finds out how many trucks the scale can handle per year and that the axle load safety factors exceed the maximum allowed on national roads.

Load cells are also an integral component of the truck scale. Make sure your load cells are protected against lightning strikes by having them tested by an external laboratory independent of the manufacturer. Also, you can invest in Radiolink Plus load cells for wireless weight measurements. Lightning strikes can affect various components of your truck scale such as cables, load cells, and junction boxes which can result in component replacement and temporary interruption of your truck scale’s operation.

Warranty

A truck scale warranty is a commitment between the manufacturer and you to take care of any manufacturing problems with the scale. When comparing warranties, you should always look for hidden fees and exceptions to coverage.

Many companies will cover the scale, but will still charge you for the parts needed to repair it, the labor to replace the parts, the time to get to your location, and the mileage. With those costs added to a manufacturing error, does the warranty really save you money?

Find a manufacturer with a transparent and simple warranty that covers 100% of the cost of parts, labor, travel time, and travel cost.

Return on investment

Many manufacturers give you a great deal on the day-of-purchase price, but will that scale last as long as a well-designed scale? What kind of load cells do they use? Will that scale is accurate or environmentally protected? Scale accuracy and reliability are the cornerstones to ensure you get positive performance from your truck scale.

Traditional analog load cells are inexpensive for the manufacturer but are very costly to maintain over the life of the scale. These load cells are also not as accurate as digital load cells. Digital load cell technology has evolved a lot. Today these load cells not only transmit weight information into the load cell but also output self-diagnostic data that allows you to anticipate failures before they happen to correct possible errors.

What are the hidden maintenance costs of a truck scale?

Most truck scale maintenance costs fall into two categories: planned preventive maintenance and unplanned repairs. Choosing a scale with analog load cells can mean spending 21% or more compared to digital scales.

Analog scale owners will also replace 5 times as many load cells over the lifetime of the scale, which could be 20 years or more. That’s a lot of parts over time and a lot of costs. So, while you may get small savings on the initial purchase, you will end up paying more over the life of the scale.

Unplanned service requests will drive up the cost of a scale over time. Analog scales use junction boxes to collect the signal from the load cell and route it to a terminal. Time and again, junction boxes fill up with water and debris that hinder the overall performance of the scale.

Lightning, flooding, and other environmental conditions also create opportunities for scale-downs that result not only in the cost of repair but also in production downtime.