Two easy ways to stay compliant and keep repair costs down are staying on schedule with your truck scale preventative maintenance services and keeping your scale clean and debris free. Routine preventative maintenance and good housekeeping can prevent costly downtimes and delays. While it may seem unnecessary and expensive to pay for preventative maintenance services by a certified scale service provider, in the end, it can save you money, time and additional work for your staff. Quality Scales Unlimited can evaluate your scale and tailor a preventative maintenance program to your truck scale, budget and business needs. You can do your part by routinely checking for debris and moisture under and around your truck scale, both of which can lead to problems with your scale.
Following are four examples in which debris and moisture can cost you money along with practical solutions to prevent the problems caused by dirt and debris in your truck scale:
1. Accumulation of Dirt
Dirty scales tend to accumulate moisture which can lead to rusting and corrosion. The moisture can also cause premature aging of the hardware and adversely affect the functioning of the moving parts of your mechanical truck scale
What can be done about it?
Schedule a periodic inspection for your in-ground truck scale to ensure that the pumps and pit draining systems are working at peak efficiency. If you have an above ground truck scale, make sure there is adequate clearance between the structure and the ground. Pit mounted truck scales should be checked every month for pooling water and rust build-up.
2. Seasonal Weather Changes related to Moisture and Debris
Keep your truck scales clean, most importantly, during late fall and early spring. During these times of the year there are sudden drops in temperature at night, so if any debris and water are present, they can freeze inside the truck scale. Frozen components can render moving parts dysfunctional and although the damage can be non-critical initially, it may lead to damage to critical and expensive parts, such as load cells, if left unchecked.
What can be done about it?
Conduct a weekly inspection of your scale to ensure that it is free from dirt, debris and moisture. Invest in equipment, such as a pump, to avoid the problems arising due to pooled water. Inspect assemblies and load cells for any accumulation of dirt, moisture or debris. If you have an in-ground scale, inspect the side frames of the platform and the leading edge of the foundations for movement in position. If you notice any change in position, it should be immediately reported to your service provider. A change in position of your truck scale will most likely result in inaccurate weights.
3. Increased Abrasion
The more dirt and build-up on a scale and its components, the more friction and/or binding it generates which builds resistance. This resistance could potentially require repairs and shorten the service life of your truck scale. Truck scale maintenance and housekeeping is very important. As few as fifteen minutes a day spent cleaning your truck scale could eventually save you thousands of dollars in repair costs. If you have a mechanical truck scale, greasing the moving parts is also critical to the scale’s functionality. The QSU service department can provide an estimate to perform a grease service on your mechanical truck scale.
What can be done about it?
Keep your truck scale clean and debris free and if you have a mechanical truck scale, have your service provider grease the moving parts. Check your truck scale for friction and binding. You should be able to tell if the friction is due to dirt or due to parts that are working against each other. It is best to contact your scale service provider with any issues you can’t solve with cleaning.
4. Inaccurate Results
If your scale is not functioning correctly or you are finding discrepancies in the weight measurements, it could be due to dirt and debris. Erroneous readings can invite legal issues and jeopardize your credibility. Inaccurate scales can also reduce your profitability.
What can be done about it?
It is recommended you have your truck scale serviced periodically by a certified scale service provider. A good idea would be to schedule your service early spring and fall to coincide with seasonal weather changes which can affect your scale performance. It is best to have your truck scales tested at least twice a year for performance. More or less frequency of testing and calibrating will depend on how often your scale is being used. A truck scale being used numerous times per day may require up to 3-4 preventative services per year while a scale used only a few times a week, may require only one preventative service per year.
A wise plan would be to create a truck scale maintenance checklist that keeps you on track and helps you stay compliant. If you want information on how to prolong the life and serviceability of your truck scale, call Quality Scales Unlimited at 800. 722. 5301. QSU can provide a quotation for maintenance service specifically tailored to your scale. Quality Scales Unlimited specializes in installing, repairing and servicing truck scales and other heavy capacity scales.