A proper foundation is one of the most important parts of your truck scale. If the foundation is not constructed properly, built flat and level, or according to the certified foundation drawing, your truck scale foundation could shift and bring the scale out of accepted calibration tolerance. If the movement continues, your scale will become inoperable and require costly foundation repairs. Many factors must be considered in the process, such as the slope of the site and soil conditions. Below are a few other factors that must be taken into consideration. The SURVIVOR® truck scale line’s quality design and engineering is further complemented by Rice Lake’s ability to read more »
It is probably a good idea to have your heavy capacity truck scales checked at least every six months at a minimum. Also, a convenient time to conduct a preventative maintenance scale inspection is during the regularly scheduled calibration check. It’s a good idea to inspect your truck scale just prior to peak usage times, such as harvest season in agricultural operations. Click here for more detailed scale service info available from Central Carolina Scale.
Cardinal Scale’s truck scale manufacturing processes was featured in a Fall 2008 episode of cable TV’s popular program “How It’s Made” airing on the Science Channel. The segment details the production of a 70-foot-long electronic Cardinal truck scale. Beginning on a microscopic level with the creation of the strain gauges that reside in the scale’s load cells, the educational program charts the manufacturing course of a Cardinal model EPR truck scale. It proceeds to show the welding processes involved in the steel tubing and load cell stands, the powder paint process, and final assembly where the finished truck scale is shown with test weights being applied to measure its superb accuracy.
The episode first aired in November 2008 and will be translated into over 3 dozen different languages to be shown internationally. One of the reasons Cardinal was asked to participate on the show was worldwide brand name read more »
HMI Digital Weight Indicators from Rice Lake Weighing Systems, offer a complete line of weight indicators to fit any application. The revolutionary Rice Lake 920i® programmable HMI Indicator/Controller takes charge of process applications and provides open connectivity to the most popular networking interfaces. When used in batching / mixing applications, one 920i indicator is capable of handling multiple scales, flow, temperature and pulse. It can control hundreds of I/O set points, queue gates and conveyors, perform yield management functions and store, read more »
Concentrated Load Capacity, or CLC, is an industry recognized rating of a vehicle or axle load scale. The rating defines the maximum load for which the weighbridge is designed as applied by a group of two axles with a center line spaced 4 feet apart and an axle width 8 feet apart. When a CLC load is applied to the weighbridge during a National Type Evaluation Program test, the NTEP tester records the displayed weight. If the scale falls within accepted testing tolerances, the scale has that CLC weight value recorded as the CLC on the Certificate of Conformance.
The CLC rating is not a measure of weighbridge strength or rigidity, because weighbridge deflection is not measured in the NTEP test. It is irrelevant if the load weighbridge sags 1/10th of an inch, or 10 inches, as long as the scale weighs within the accepted tolerance. The scale’s CLC weight rating passes in either case. A high CLC rating could be given to an extremely flexible deck sitting on load cell mounts which are capable of accurately handling the side loading resulting from a severely sagging weighbridge.
The Rice Lake SURVIVOR® truck scale line boasts a 45 ton (90,000 pounds) CLC rating. With most legal highway weight limits being a fraction of Rice Lake’s rating, owners of a SURVIVOR scale can expect a long lifespan through read more »
Cardinal’s 225 Navigator features transflective technology which allows the 225’s display to be viewed under any lighting conditions from direct sunlight to total darkness. One-inch-high (25 mm) weight characters make viewing easy. View up to 3 scales with total weight simultaneously with the optional dual scale input board; no special software is needed with Cardinal 225 Navigator digital weight indicator.
Entering, viewing, and storing truck names is easy with the 225 Navigator’s convenient Truck ID menu. Complete alphanumeric descriptions for truck and material prompts make storing and recalling tare weight values quick and simple.
The heavy capacity series of compression load cells are ideal for multiple load cell compression applications such as motor truck scales, railroad track scales and heavy duty tank weighing systems. These compression load cells are available in 50K-SCA 22680kg, 100K-SCA 45360 kg and 120K-SCA 54430 kg.
Cardinal SCA Truck Scale Load cells are fabricated from stainless steel to provide the ultimate in protection when caustic, corrosive or wet environments are encountered. Load cells are hermetically sealed for absolute water protection (IP68). Each load cell is furnished with stainless steel load buttons on each end, and a 9m integral multiconductor cable secured by a strain relief seal.
The structural integrity of the truck scale weighbridge is the single most important consideration in the purchase of any truck scale. A failing weighbridge results in continuous problems that can only be solved with replacement. Rice Lake Weighing Systems standard model truck scales are comprised of beams spaced no further than 12 inches from center line or 8 inches from the edge of one flange to the next. This design ensures that a truck tire is on an I-beam at all times and never between.
Concrete Deck While a concrete deck needs approximately 21 to 28 days to cure, it offers greater resistance to rust and corrosion from road salt and generally requires less maintenance than steel decks, helping to extend the life of the scale. A concrete surface also yields better traction with rain and snow. Because of their design, concrete decks distribute the load over a wider area than steel decks. Rice Lake SURVIVOR® Series concrete deck truck scales are poured at the job site and typically have cure strength of 4,000 PSI at 28 days. The concrete is reinforced with steel rods and a minimum of two wide-flange main beams and seven wide-flange beams below. The Rice read more »
Until the early 1970s, all truck scales were mechanical and installed in expensive concrete pits. Today, most heavy vehicle scales are installed above ground or in concrete pits with slab type foundations. With the benefit of new modular construction, scales can also be installed in a shallow pit, as opposed to the deep pit required by older mechanical scales.
One of the biggest reasons for choosing a pit type installation is space – or lack of it. A pit installation requires less space than a pitless installation due to the approaches, as sloped approaches to grade are generally required for pitless foundations. However, pit type scales require sump pumps and drains, and are more vulnerable to accelerated rust and corrosion due to the potential of standing water in the pit.
