Why Is It Called a Heavy-Duty Scale?

Heavy-duty scales are used for a variety of purposes in Montana—but do you know what makes them “heavy duty”? When you use a scale to weigh extremely heavy loads, like in the livestock, mining and trucking industries and more, it needs to be built to withstand that weight. Otherwise, over time, your scale will become damaged and the calibration will be off. This could cause you to lose money, accidentally cheat your customers or rack up exorbitant tickets.

Read on to learn what makes a scale heavy duty.

Who needs to weigh heavy loads?

A number of industries use heavy-duty scales in their business. They can weigh up to 10,000 pounds (five tons) at one time, which means they’re suitable for weighing trucks and trailers as well as the load itself. Getting a heavy-duty scale is particularly important if your business involves transporting heavy objects—you need a scale that can stand up to the weight of big rigs and heavy machinery in addition to the load. In some cases, weighing the vehicles and machinery themselves is the goal.

Specialized load cells

Heavy-duty scales are often made from stainless steel, which is a superior scale choice. Stainless steel is incredibly strong, dense and resistant to corrosion. This is key—your scale will likely be exposed to the elements as well as wear and tear from the vehicles and/or loads.

Using stainless steel is a smart choice for load cells in industrial environments. Lesser materials can suffer too much damage from everyday occurrences, like falling pallets or something crashing into the scale. This renders them useless until they can be repaired.

Sturdy platforms

You’ll also need a platform that can stand up to heavy loads and whatever you’re using to move them. A heavy-duty platform is usually made from heavy gauge steel, which is embedded with an anti-slip pattern and galvanized to prevent rust or corrosion. Some scale platforms have an additional garnet-embedded epoxy layer for extra traction.

Your heavy-duty scale platform size can be customized for your specific needs. For some industries, opting for floor scales is the right choice. These are also coated and galvanized to ensure corrosion doesn’t affect the calibration or construction.

Digital indicators

Finally, most heavy-duty scales come with professional-quality, durable digital indicators. The scales are designed to connect to Ethernet or wi-fi, so you can manage your scales and databases remotely. Scales can also be configured to communicate with specific printers and other devices as necessary.

All of these features ensure that your heavy-duty scale can stand up to the heaviest loads. When shopping for a heavy-duty scale in Montana, make sure to tell your scale company about the purpose and what kind of usage you expect. This will help them recommend the right scale for the job.

Rockwell Scales has been providing heavy-duty scales and more to clients in Montana and throughout the Mountain West since 1980. If you need to find the right tools for your industry, reach out to us today.

Categorised in: Heavy Duty Scales

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