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What Type of Truck Scale Do I Need?
There’s a lot to consider when purchasing a truck scale—site planning, foundations, deck types, accessories—the list goes on, but what if you have unique application needs? Replacing an existing scale, working at a seasonal site or weighing heavy-duty equipment may require a specially designed scale. These specialty truck scales can impact site planning, so it’s important to talk with a truck scale distributor or service provider early in the decision-making process.
Portable Legal for Trade Truck Scales
Temporary or seasonal worksites may not need a permanent truck scale installation, but if Legal for Trade weights are required, axle scales or wheel weighers are not an option. The solution is a portable, Legal for Trade truck scale.
Manufacturers often use their established weighbridge design and make minimal adaptations to create a portable weighing system. This helps ensure durability in the portable truck scale. Many truck scale distributors also rent out portable truck scales for temporary or seasonal applications, so you should talk to your distributor about this option.
Low-profile Truck Scales
Some truck scale manufacturers can produce lighter-duty weighbridges with low profiles to fit existing foundations. Legacy truck scale models were manufactured with lower profiles, meaning most contemporary standard truck scale models won’t fit existing foundations. Other manufacturers are able to produce low-profile truck scales that maintain the integrity and strength of their standard models. They may even be able to manufacture truck scales with higher profiles to fit existing pit foundations.
Having a truck scale with a custom profile height saves time and money because it eliminates the costly construction process of reworking a foundation.
Extreme-duty Truck Scales
Industries such as mining, coal, oil, forestry and construction may not be able to use standard-capacity truck scales because the vehicles are too large. These industries will require extreme-duty truck scales with higher capacities and wider decks to ensure repeatability, proper functioning and longevity. These scales are constructed similarly to standard truck scales but will have higher capacity load cells and, depending on scale design, could have large I-beams to ensure vehicles are supported.
Agriculture Truck Scales
Farmers and ranchers may need dual-purpose scales to weigh vehicles and livestock. Agriculture truck scales are designed with widths to accommodate larger equipment with the capacity and weighing increments necessary to capture Legal for Trade livestock weights. Some manufacturers can create a truck scale that can weigh in increments of 5 pounds, lowering the capacity to 50,000 pounds and making it appropriate for only weighing livestock. Agriculture truck scales are most commonly designed with concrete decks for added traction at demanding worksites, but they can be constructed with steel decks when needed.
Rice Lake Truck Scales
Rice Lake Weighing Systems’ SURVIVOR® truck scales are available in a range of models and configurations, including portable, mechanical, extreme duty and low-profile. Additionally, Rice Lake offers portable and permanent mechanical scales as well as replacement parts for a range of mechanical scales, with the ability to custom-machine parts for mechanical scales when necessary. Rice Lake’s truck scale team will work with you and your scale provider to ensure you find the best system for your facility.
Related Products
Related Products
SURVIVOR® OTR-XV Extreme Duty Truck Scale
Ideal for ultra-high capacity vehicle weighing applications up to 400,000 pounds, Rice Lake’s OTR-XV extreme duty vehicle scales are the toughest in the industry.
SURVIVOR® OTR-LP Low-Profile Steel Deck Truck Scale
The SURVIVOR® OTR-LP Low-Profile Steel Deck Truck Scale is a steel deck replacement truck scale solution with a low profile and easy installation. The OTR-LP is ideal for pre-existing foundations, including foundations used for non-Rice Lake truck scales.
SURVIVOR® ATV Portable Truck Scale
The SURVIVOR ATV truck scale contains all of the benefits of the SURVIVOR line: durability, longevity and consistency, all with the added feature of portability.
SURVIVOR® AG Truck Scale
The AG livestock scale packs the performance of a SURVIVOR into a mid-size, mid-duty frame. The AG comes complete with a fabricated weighbridge for a concrete platform, load cells and mounts, as well as top access to load cells.
