Axle Weigher Basics
Cardinal SWIM Series
Axle scales are a great alternative to larger truck scales. They offer some benefits like cost, size and portability. Since purchasing an axle scale is a pricier investment, it is good to have a decent knowledge base when it comes to purchasing an axle scale. Before you buy an axle scale, here are a few things you should know. In this article we will discuss the factors that can impact your scale purchase.
An axle scale is a valuable piece of equipment for commercial vehicles. There is no better way to determine the weight of your vehicle than investing in an axle scale. In this post, we explain a few things you want to know before purchasing an axle scale. If you're considering an axle scale, here are a few things to keep in mind.
How an Axle Scale Can Help Your Business
Depending on the kind of operation you have, axle scales may provide several benefits. One of the biggest ways axle scales can benefit your business is simply by the cost of owning an axle scale. Since they are considerably smaller that a standard truck scale, they will also have a way lower price point. By knowing how much weight a truck is carrying and potentially avoiding accidents, axle scales help truckers stay safe. They also reduce unnecessary expenses by ensuring you don't get penalized for an overweight truck. If you want to safeguard yourself against these issues, you may want to invest in an axle scale.
Learning the process
An axle scale is a weighing system designed to weigh the individual axle groups. The weighments are completed one axle set at a time and then all the axle weights are summed to provide the total gross weight of the truck. This is much different than a full size truck scale where the entire truck is weighed at one time. The first step is for the vehicle to go over the scale while the wheel load exceeds the sensor pads. The vehicle does not need to be completely halted for the scale to function. When a vehicle goes through the scale, the metal plates underneath bend and calculate the pressure generated by the wheels above. The sum of all the weights on the wheels is then calculated.
A unique benefit of an axle scale is their ability to offer weigh-in-motion. This means the truck does not have to stop on the scale, instead they drive over it at a slow speed and the scale does the rest. Although the accuracy is slightly less, weigh-in-motion provides operational benefits since more trucks can be weighed faster since each truck does not have to stop. Most weigh-in-motion axle scales boast 1-2% accuracy. Keep in mind that not all axle scales offer this feature. Many axle scales are simply static scales that sum of the total axle weights at the completion of all axle groups being weighed.
benefits
Although axle scales cannot be used legal for trade they work well in many situations. They are great for gathering weight data to ensure trucks don’t leave a facility overloaded per DOT standards. They also take up significantly less space than a full size truck scale. This is a huge advantage for facilities with limited real estate to locate a scale. The footprint for an axle scale is only 33% of a full size truck scale. Axle scales are also more economical. This is because the scale itself is much smaller and requires less materials to construct. Similarly, any concrete foundation work is much less with an axle scale vs a full size truck scale. Finally, not all axle scales require installation requiring concrete foundations. Many can be installed on existing flat pavement and are therefore easier to install and move in the future if needed.
Closing Words
At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale related. Be sure to check out our legal for trade truck scale system articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. We also have articles on scale accessories, common problems to prolong your scales lifespan, weighing applications as well as what scale indicator works best with your junction box. To learn more about bench scales, it would be good to check out our other articles such as “Bench Scale Basics'' and “How Much Does A Bench Scale Cost?”. These articles will help with the basics of bench scale ownership.