Rant: Dropped $200 on a new load cell for my crane scale last month

The old one was flaking out on a job lifting HVAC units onto a roof, reading 500 lbs light and almost caused a mess. Anybody else had a cheap scale lie to them right when it mattered most?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_perry6d ago

Man, that's the kind of thing that'll make you lose sleep... I had a 2 ton scale drift on me once during a steel beam pick, showed everything fine then suddenly jumped 300 lbs right as we lifted. What got me was the temp swing was messing with the strain gauge, cheap ones don't compensate for it at all. That new load cell you got, make sure you're doing a deadweight test with something you know the exact weight of before it goes on a real job, just to be safe.

willow7325d ago

Yeah the temp swing thing is real, I had a cheap scale do the same thing on a hot day lifting AC units. The reading was steady until the sun hit the strain gauge just right and it started drifting like crazy. I actually started wrapping my load cells in a reflective cover if they're gonna sit in direct sun for a while, helps a ton. And yeah deadweight test is a must, I use a known 50 lb plate from the gym just to check before any real lift. Also check the cable connections too, I had one where a loose wire was giving intermittent readings.