Saturday 25 April 2015

Maintenance of Truck Scales

Truck scales act like the muscles of any weighing system. They offer a versatile range of weighing solutions. These scales are used to weigh a large variety of different materials which includes rock and concrete among other aggregates.
Bearing in mind the importance of a truck scale, it is highly necessary that a proper maintenance program is implemented and conducted regularly to prevent it from incurring damage. Weighing equipment which is serviced on a regular basis tends to produce more accurate readings as servicing reduces all sorts of inaccuracies which might result in an under or an over charge.
Also, preventive maintenance reduces chances of damage to the scale. This might result in prevention of downtime, loss of profits, and expensive repairs of equipment.
One important aspect of maintenance of truck scales is having the right service and maintenance contract to perform truck scales services. However, there are a number of steps that can be taken by the operator in order to ensure that the equipment can be relied upon in terms of the reading generated.
It is often beneficial to maintain routine checks in order to perform any kind of truck scale repairs that might be required. These checks could be broken up into different tasks which need to be performed on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, along with tasks that need to be completed twice a year.
These tasks are very simple, but are of significant importance. Mainly because they help prevent the accumulation of dirt, water, slurry, and/or debris. This will in turn maintain the credibility of the truck pertaining to its readings. If, however, debris and dirt are allowed to accumulate then the weighing results will be highly inaccurate and will eventually lead to the failure of weighbars and load cells. If this happens, the truck scale might even be rendered useless.
Let’s go through daily inspection tasks that should be performed.
Daily Inspection
You need to inspect your scale on a daily basis and this inspection should be performed visually. This will require you to ensure that the platform is clear from dirt and debris. You should also check the side frames and the end frames in order to ensure that they are not spoiled.
While you are at it, you will be well advised to check the digital display and to make sure that it reads zero, before you start using it. You must ensure that vehicles approach the platform in a smooth manner and that they should avoid braking suddenly. These measures are essential in order to get accurate readings. When the weighing process starts, you need to make sure that all the wheels of the vehicle are on the truck scale.
In case of a pit mounted installation, operators should make use of T-section rubber. Ensure that it placed correctly. Furthermore, operators need to make sure that any pit drainage systems or automatic  pumps are in working condition. One the other hand, truck scales that are surface mounted should have adequate room between the ground and the superstructure.

No comments:

Post a Comment