With summer days winding down and autumn just around the corner, many industries across Canada are making the most of their portable truck scales before the cool weather sets in. But with increased usage comes more risk of safety hazards, wear and tear, and inaccurate readings. Fortunately, proactive maintenance is relatively straightforward and your first line of defence against these challenges.
Read along with us below at Accurate Scale, as we share our top portable scale maintenance tips and tricks for long-lasting measurement precision. Let’s dive in and weigh the details!
#1: Maintain & Clean Around It
There’s no way around it: your portable truck scale likely sees plenty of dust and debris on a regular basis. But too much exposure to these contaminants can cause damage, especially in crevices and small gaps under or around the device. Not only that, but if dirt gets close to the load cells, it can cause incorrect readings. To prevent this, regularly clean off dirt and debris from your portable truck scale. If using a pressure washer, make sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid causing damage to any water-sensitive electrical components.
#2: Ensure Weather-Proof Protection
There are few greater enemies to the portable truck scale than moisture. Exposure to rain, sleet, and standing water can cause expedited corrosion and rusting of metal components. While a few spots of rust on your portable truck scale’s frame may seem minor, over time, they can lead to severe issues. A weak, rusted structure can cause significant damage, like cracks and structural imbalance. To combat this, cover your portable truck scale with a protective, waterproof cover when not in use.
#3: Don’t Overload the Scale
Frequently overloading your portable truck scale beyond its graded capacity is risky. Overloading puts additional stress on load cells, and can eventually damage them and result in incorrect readings. Ensuring proper usage is essential for truly accurate weighing.
#4: Schedule Regular Scale Calibrations
The more frequently your portable truck scale is used, the more often it should be calibrated. Over time, ‘drifting’ can occur, meaning slightly incorrect readings by a few percentage points. If left unchecked, this drifting can eventually worsen.
Fortunately, this can easily be prevented by having an industrial scale specialist, like Accurate Scale, calibrate it on a regular basis. If you’ll be using your portable truck scale for legal transactions, you’ll also need to maintain legal-for-trade certification. At Accurate Scale, our low-profile portable truck scales are fully equipped to perform legal-for-trade certifications.
#5: Perform Regular Inspections
One of the simplest yet most effective tips on this list is to ensure you’re performing regular inspections on your portable truck scale. Like any piece of industrial equipment, truck scales have a limited service life. But that’s only with consistent care and maintenance.
Here’s an at-a-glance checklist for portable truck scales:
- Inspect the metal frame and flooring for any corrosion, bending, or rust
- Ensure no frayed or broken wires
- Make sure the surrounding area is clear of obstructions
- Keep an eye out for loose or fraying cables
- Confirm there are no error codes when in operation
If you notice any issues with your portable truck scale, call in a professional scale technician without delay. When caught early, most scale issues are relatively simple to fix. But if left unattended for too long, these issues can snowball into much larger, harder-to-repair ones.
Accurate Readings, Extraordinary Support
Precise weighing is closer than you think with Accurate Scale. For nearly 50 years, Accurate Scale has helped businesses protect their bottom line with top-of-the-line scales, calibration services, custom software, and more. Reach out to our team today to learn more about how comprehensive, full-service scale services—right in the heart of Alberta.