Required accuracy / resolution of truck scales?

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67Dart273

67Dart273

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Anyone know the required legal accuracy resolution of truck scales?

I'm speaking "generally" but more specifically, the two scales such as used in our local waste transfer. These have to weigh everything from very light vehicles with a couple of garbage cans to heavy trucks

I ran my Ranger through there today. I did not so much as throw out a candy wrapper. There was 60 pounds difference between the "in" and "out" scales.

I've Googled this, and found nothing "easy." And yes, LOL, I found NIST "handbook 44". This was written in Far Eastern Russian Hebrew, translated to Manderin Chinese, then to something I've never heard of and finally, "American."

In short, I don't understand any of it
 
67Dart273 said:
Anyone know the required legal accuracy resolution of truck scales?

I'm speaking "generally" but more specifically, the two scales such as used in our local waste transfer. These have to weigh everything from very light vehicles with a couple of garbage cans to heavy trucks

I ran my Ranger through there today. I did not so much as throw out a candy wrapper. There was 60 pounds difference between the "in" and "out" scales.

I've Googled this, and found nothing "easy." And yes, LOL, I found NIST "handbook 44". This was written in Far Eastern Russian Hebrew, translated to Manderin Chinese, then to something I've never heard of and finally, "American."

In short, I don't understand any of it
Click to expand...

So what did you take out that was 60lbs. J/k
 
Check your state's website for the Division of Weights and Measures, info should be posted there.
 
Rick is correct. Contact your state/county division of weights and measures.
As far as I know every juristiction, has a regulation That "any scale used for commercial (for money) transactions", must be certified. The certification must be done at certain (varies by juristiction) intervals. If you feel a scale is not compliant, you can file a complaint to have it checked.
 
The info is not on the website, but I did get them to have the "district guy" call me back. Turns out it varies with the scale capacity. The thing is, the two scales could be off in opposite directions, so if I understood him right, for these particular scales, a total "on the order of" 80 lbs difference.

Of course you could cut that down to "within 40" by weighing the same load on both scales

One reason I'm interested is that a guy back east is interested in a little lathe I've got, "SIP"



This thing weighs somewhere between 150--250 lbs. The plan is to get the bed of the lathe onto a pallet in my pickup, and assemble the rest of it onto the bed. Then construct a surround box out of 2x2 and 1/4" plywood. I need some sort of weight to ship it.

I actually have some friends at a local plumbing supply that will ship it, but I need a way to weigh it
 
There is no way that a scale that can weigh a truck will be able to sense 1 lb difference, it's not "sensitive" enough. If it was, it would get damaged too easily.


If you want to know for sure, go back there and take your truck over it 10 times in a row and collect each reading. Then look at how much variance there is. I wouldn't bet that it is 60 lb or more for a scale that measures things that heavy.


Also one of our professors taught us, that a gauge is only accurate in the "center"of it's range. That is from 1/4 of the reading to 3/4 of the reading, and you want to pick a gauge that reads your "application" as close to the center as possible. In the "outer ranges"; from 0 - 1/4 reading and 3/4 to max are more inaccurate.


So the scale that your speaking of, if it's made to measure much heavier vehicles than yours, most likely is not accurate in the range of your truck and not capable to measure the difference accurately.
 
krazykuda said:
There is no way that a scale that can weigh a truck will be able to sense 1 lb difference, it's not "sensitive" enough.
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I fully understand that, and did not expect it to be. But let's think in the context of "what" and "where" these particular scales are...........

These are in the county waste transfer station, where you are liable to get some old guy in a mini-pickup with one or two garbage cans. Hell I can visualize an entire load of not much more than the two of these scales generate for error.

The "other" thing that comes to mind is "when it matters." That is, when you are either selling or buying something by weight, or just as bad / worse, might have been stopped by a cop or forced into a scale and the ticket "you are about to get" depends on what you weigh.

I would think these accuracies would be "easy" to find out, published, perhaps even posted prominently.

As I eluded to earlier, the plan for now is to weigh the truck empty -- on both scales-- and weigh it loaded -- on both scales. The way it was explained to me, there should be a difference between the two of less than 40 lbs error. That is,

(Scale A loaded - unloaded) ---difference-- (Scale B loaded - unloaded) = less than 40 lbs
 
I actually just weighed my car the other day at a scrap metal place that has a drive on scale.

I did wonder how accurate their scale was but you gotta think that it would behoove them to keep it as accurate as possible since they are paying out for weight. Can't image they would want to pay a penny more, right? It could also work the other way where if guys knew they had a stingy scale they would take their business elsewhere.

I'm sticking by that logic. :D
 
A typical bathroom scale comes in handy for weighing stuff like that, they usually goes up to 300 lbs, as for accuracy that's anybody's guess but it will get you closer than your local truck scale.
 
Try and find someone with a 500 lbs scale. Or if you are going to ship it call the terminal and see if they can weigh it. I would not take it across a drive over scale for something that small.

My 2 cents
 
All I got to add is that lathe is super cool!

There is such a thing as "Full Scale Error" and some gauges are rated that way. So the gauge may be rated "5% FSE" which means, obviously, that it won't deviate from true more than 5% anywhere on the gauge. Those gauges cost a bit more than a std. gauge. Presumably scales can be had the same way. Whether or not these particular scales are rated that way is unknown.
I'd expect that balance beam scales are long gone. These scales are likely electronic, so the error is more in how the calcs are done than the strain gauge itself.
 
ntsqd said:
All I got to add is that lathe is super cool!.
Click to expand...

If I had more room, more money, and was younger, I'd keep it. However, it's "specialized." The drive is essentially always back-geared, the pulley doesn't drive the spindle directly.

The thing comes with two spindles, neither of which has any sort of standard thread. One of the spindles is morse taper

The darn thing IS built like a brick $h#t house, though, LOL
 
Anyplace that ships large stuff (probably including a UPS store) should be able to weigh it. Many places (including where I work) have scales that can take (indeed: they're designed to take) a loaded pallet.
 
Jarlaxle said:
Anyplace that ships large stuff (probably including a UPS store) should be able to weigh it. Many places (including where I work) have scales that can take (indeed: they're designed to take) a loaded pallet.
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Thanks. I actually got to talk to the district state weights and measures guy. He suggested a couple of places. It's become clear than a "drive on" scale is not going to be accurate enough..........which brings us full circle

If you have 'someoldguy' in his 'little old pickup' with a garbage can or two, how is it that the effin waste transfer station WEIGHS him/ us with any degree of accuracy????
 
Jarlaxle said:
Anyplace that ships large stuff (probably including a UPS store) should be able to weigh it.Many places (including where I work) have scales that can take (indeed: they're designed to take) a loaded pallet.
Click to expand...
same here- or if there's a trucking company depot handy they'll be able to do it.
 
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