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Rice Lake Weighing Systems Resources Articles Livestock Weighing Buyer's Guide

Livestock Weighing Buyer's Guide

Choose the best livestock scale for all your animal weighing needs.

With the proven reputation of turning investment into profit, Rice Lake Weighing Systems’ livestock scales can
make a measurable difference in your farm or ranch.

Publish Date: 12/10/2021

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Benefits of Owning a Rice Lake Livestock Scale

Combine the most durable weighbridge design with full NTEP and Measurement Canada, Legal for Trade approval, and Rice Lake livestock scales are ready to maximize your investment—all while keeping safety, quality and performance in the forefront.

There are many types of livestock scales to consider and they vary based on application requirements. Whether you are planning to sell cattle or simply monitor their health, this guide can help you choose the scale that best fits your needs.

What to Consider When Purchasing a Livestock Scale

Determine the best livestock scale for your application by exploring your livestock weighing goals. Before purchasing a livestock scale, you will need to consider shrink, animal welfare, scale size, mobility, and certifications and regulations. Learn more about each below.

Shrink Loss

Minimizing shrink is a major factor in stretching profit. When transporting livestock, consider the amount of weight the animal will lose on their way to the destination.

Animal Welfare

Having a scale on site is beneficial to keeping animals healthy. When an animal is sick, the vet can visit you onsite and capture an accurate weight, putting less stress on the animal from excess travel.

Scale Size

It is important to know if you need a scale that can weigh a single animal or multiple animals at a time.

Certifications and Regulations

To legally sell livestock, the scale needs to be Legal for Trade and have NTEP Certification or Measurement Canada Approval.

Mobility

A mobile and portable scale can be transported to the livestock's location, while a stationary scale requires the livestock to be transported to the permanent location.

Stationary Livestock Scale Models

A stationary livestock scale is permanently installed on a concrete foundation and is best for weighing animals at a central location. This can be beneficial to monitor the health of your livestock.

MAS-LC Stationary Animal Scale

The MAS-LC provides reliable, accurate weighing for ranchers and processors that prefer a load cell based weighing system.

MAS-LM Stationary Mechanical Animal Scale

The MAS-LM provides reliable, accurate weighing for ranchers and processors that prefer a mechanical pipe lever weighing system.

SAS Single Animal Scale

The SAS single animal scale is Rice Lake’s answer for livestock weighing environments that prefer single animal weighing.

Mobile and Portable Livestock Scales

A mobile livestock scale with wheels is an efficient way to transport the scale to your livestock by simply attaching it to the hitch of a vehicle. A portable livestock scale is similar to a mobile scale, but it must be loaded onto a trailer and then transported to the livestock.

MAS-M Mobile Animal Scale

Rice Lake’s patented mobile design incorporates a low-profile weighing platform to enable faster and easier multi-site livestock weighing.

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MAS-P Portable Animal Scale

The MAS-P’s patented design consists of a rubberized deck and pen sides, suspended on load cells at four points within a portable base frame.

Rice Lake Livestock Scale Design

A livestock scale's strength and reliability are about more than just design. A high-quality livestock scale must also be manufactured by specially trained welders and fabricators who use cutting-edge techniques. Each Rice Lake Livestock scale is manufactured by highly skilled individuals who complete a comprehensive 480-hour, 12-week fabrication training program before they begin working on scale construction. This training program is required for all Rice Lake fabricators regardless of previous experience. This ensures your livestock scale is manufactured by only the best fabricators.

Livestock Scale Calibration and Maintenance

Maintaining your scale is essential to ensure its accuracy. It is necessary to work with a state-licensed scale service company to ensure the scale is in proper operating condition for fair market pricing based on animal weight. Most Legal for Trade scales must be calibrated at least once every year, but different regions may require more frequent calibrations.

It is also important to maintain the scale’s condition while it is in use to help ensure accuracy. After each weigh-in is complete, and before the next animal is led onto the weighing platform, verify that the scale has returned to zero. A scale that does not return to zero will not provide accurate weight and may need to be re-calibrated.

By working with an extensive certified dealer network, Rice Lake can help ensure your livestock scale is professionally installed by licensed scale technicians. Rice Lake also has a nationwide dealer network that can help provide support at any time.

You can learn more about livestock scales at ricelake.com/livestock

Title	Email	Category	Type
5 Factors to Consider when Purchasing a Livestock Scale	Email	Agriculture\|Livestock Scales	Articles
What Is Livestock Shrinkage and Why Is It Important?	Email	Agriculture\|Livestock Scales	Articles
Weighing Livestock for Healthy Profits	Email	Agriculture\|Livestock Scales	Articles