Buying a new truck scale is a significant investment. Many consider purchasing a used scale or imported scale off the internet. The savings by purchasing a used truck scale may be right for your company, if the right scale is purchased at the right price.
Defining your business needs should be your initial priority.
- What type of equipment is going to be weighed
- Equipment dimensions
- Overall length
- Width
- Distance between axles
- Gross weights of vehicles being weighed
- Will the scale be used for commercial purposes?
- Equipment dimensions
- Daily volume of vehicles to be weighed
- What commodity is being weighed?
- How will owning a truck scale benefit your company?
- Will interfacing the scale with your current computer system save time and labor costs?
- Is it for inter-company use only or will items be bought and/or sold over the scale.
Evaluate the scales.
Now that you have found a used scale how do you assess it? Truck scales are used hard and abused by both drivers and Mother Nature. If it has already been removed from the foundation – does it work properly?
- Is the weigh-bridge structurally sound?
- Can the weighing modules and stands be removed without damage?
- What support structure will be needed at the new location, and what will it cost?
- Does it allow for easy cleaning and routine maintenance?
- Is there adequate room for vehicles to access and exit the scale easily and not create traffic problems? Did you allow sufficient room for state regulated approaches and ramps.
- Are all the critical components available, and functioning properly?
- If intended for commercial use ensure it is NTEP approved and has a COC.
- To verify if a scale is approved; the following website lists if the scale has a certificate of conformance – http://www.ncwm.net/certificates
- What additional local, state and federal requirements apply to commercial use?
We can help with your planning and evaluation, contact our sales department for more information.