1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160 
Weighting zotieili
Page 52
Page 53
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Overburdening a truck can result in serious penalties, so its essential to know how heavy your intended load is. CM looks at a range of weighing solutions available.
Words: Steve Banner Weigh each palletised load as you trundle it aboard a truck and you will know roughly how much weight the vehicle is carrying when it departs without having to send it over a weighbridge. That should minimise the risk of a gross overloading charge and make it easier to avoid over-burdening individual axles.
It should also ensure that you make full use of the truck's capacity. It is not unknown for cautious operators to send wagons out under-laden because they fear they might be exceeding the permitted weight limits.
Forklift trucks are often equipped with a basic onboard pallet-weighing device that taps into the hydraulic system. It is designed to ensure that the driver does not try to lift something that is too heavy for the forklift to cope with, says Avery Weigh-Tronics product manager Chris McAllister.
He says these devices are available for less than £1,000. "Such systems tend to be accurate to within 50kg to 70kg on a 2.5-tonne pallet, but they aren't consistent; they'll show you something weighs 1.2 tonnes one minute and 1.3 tonnes the next and will not give you the cumulative weight of everything you've put on your vehicle," he says. -The reading will also be affected if the forklift is tilted backwards or forwards."
Performance rating
Hydraulic weighing systems are available that perform significantly better than that, insists Timotex general manager Ken Grant.
"We offer one with an accuracy of up to plus or minus 10kg when dealing with loads weighing up to 5 tonnes. And that will give you a cumulative as well as an individual total," he says. "Once it's fitted and calibrated then it shouldn't need recalibrating unless the lift truck concerned undergoes modifications," Grant continues.
-It costs about £2,000 and is also available for electric pallet trucks."
RDS offers an onboard weighing system that uses a hydraulic load sensor under the Liftlog 100 banner. Based on Liftalert, which warns the driver if a forklift is becoming dangerously overloaded, it is said to be accurate to within plus or minus 2% of the truck's capacity. Liftlog 100 retains Liftalert's overload warning system. •
Contacts
• Avery Weigh-Tronix 0121 568 1638 vvww.a veryweig htronix.corn • Lorrimar Weighing 01482 228173 www.lorrimar.co.uk • RDS Technology 01453 733300 www.rdstec.com
• Timotex 01299 823850