Monthly Archives: August 2013

Legal For Trade Price Computing Scales State Testing Info You Can Use

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legal for trade price computing scaleEvery year dozens and dozens of our customers either purchase new retail scales or they have their current legal for trade scale calibrated or certified. These are typically scales they can use at places like the farmers market to sell their fruits and vegetables by the pound. Basically any device used where items are bought or sold by weight is typically required by most state’s laws to be inspected and certified. This would include a counter top scale at a farmer’s market (or mechanical hanging scale) that is used to weigh produce that customers want to buy. Of course, inspecting a retail scale is an advantage to both the farmer and the customer.

I’ve mentioned this in the past but if you are buying or selling your items based on weight, you want to make sure that you purchase a scale that has NTEP approval. The certificate of conformance or CoC# should be on the side of the scale. The article below is also a good resource.

Keep in mind that no device is perfect and must be adjusted periodically. It is also recommended that you do not buy cheap quality scales that will likely not last. There are regional inspectors located across the state that will coordinate with the marketer to complete the certification. The inspectors have a set of standard weights calibrated annually for correctness. They will use these weights to test the marketer’s scales. Once you scale has been inspected you need to recertify every two years.  If the scale is out of tolerance (deemed inaccurate) a scale repair service must fix the scale or a new unit must be purchased. Click here to read entire article. Continue reading →

Can I Buy An American Made Floor Scale?

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Over the past few months on this site we have taken a look at how realistic is it to purchase certain types of scales and related equipment that is actually made in the USA. We looked at Made In The USA scale indicators and Built in America Load Cells. Today I wanted to find out if you can still buy a Made In the USA floor scale?

Absolutely! Now I do want to write a small disclaimer before I get started. The information presented below is provided to the best of my knowledge and at the time of this writing is true. As all of you know, the pressures of a shaky economy and increased competition can always force scale manufacturers to change their process. But to my knowledge what I’m writing below is accurate regarding these decks being made in the United States. So with that being said, let’s answer the simple question. Can I still get a floor scale that was actually built in America? Yes you can.

Anytime you think of floor scales built in America the first choice has to be the Pennsylvania Scale 6600 series. The Pennsylvania floor scale is built in either Lancaster PA or at the corporate facility in Terre Haute, IN. These scales are well built and feature an outstanding warranty. As an added bonus, the indicators from Pennsylvania are also made in the USA. Continue reading →

Best Practices For Calibration Test Weights

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Rice Lake’s Metrology department has retained its world class reputation through its highly trained staff and adherence to stringent handling procedures–from receiving, to calibrating, to shipping. The information below from Rice Lake highlights the standard procedure that they use upon receipt of your test weights. Here you’ll also find the best practices that Rice Lake recommends for handling weights and standards to help you maintain the best quality and integrity of your weights.

Recommended shipping procedures for weights
Ship weights in cases and materials designed to withstand and repel the abuses of shipping.
Packaging peanuts should not be used with weights, as this type of packaging clings to the weights creating static electricity which can compromise the lab environment.
Alternative packing material is recommended as follows:
Styrofoam (not peanuts or smaller pieces)
Paper (not shredded as this also conducts static electricity)
Bubble wrap
Loose small weights should have crumpled paper (not shredded) packed soundly in between all weights and box.
Clean room cases should only be used for weight storage and are not recommended for the shipment of weights.
Shipping of heavy weights (10 lb or larger) in cardboard boxes is not recommended.
Larger weights should be individually wrapped or protected, supported with stiff packing material and double boxed for structural durability.
Small weight kits should be held shut with secure latches, rubber bands, or tape, and placed inside boxes or bags.

Rice Lake Weight Handling Procedure
All weights and cases are inspected for damage and scheduled for calibration upon arrival to the lab.
All stickers and marker are removed from the weights.
Precision weights receiving NVLAP Calibration are checked for magnetism.
A tolerance test is conducted.
Any follow up with the client is completed.

Required Standards Conditions
* All delivered standards to this laboratory are required to arrive with the following conditions:

All weights should be clean and in good repair.
Any cleaning, repair, or painting of standards in the metrology lab will incur an extra charge.

Mass Standards
Weights should be clean and in good repair.
Weights shall be identified with a permanent serial number or mark into the surface of the weight.
Stickers and marker are not allowed and will be removed. The added mass of the sticker may change the mass of the weight, possibly causing the weight to be out of tolerance which will invalidate the reported value on the certificate.
Individual weight kits shall also be identified with unique serial numbers.
Cast iron weights should have no evidence of rust, loose paint or adhering debris.
Analytical weights should be handled carefully. Tolerances are small, so dirt or abuse can throw them out of tolerance.

Cases
Interior of cases for weight kits should also be wiped out or vacuumed.
Cases should be sound with secure latches.

So You’re Looking For Cheap Veterinary Scales?

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Quite often we are asked for a set of “cheap vet scales to weigh my ______ (fill in the blank)”.  It could be dogs, cats, llama, alpaca, pigs, sheep, goats, etc… Unfortunately these days when you say the word cheap or affordable or low cost, you almost always have to supply scales that are made in China. And of course when you talk about electronics from overseas, you can get a wide range of quality.  As for made in the USA, we don’t really have many choices for American Made veterinary scales if anyone is interested, but they are more expensive.

So, assuming you still want to stick with the “affordable” vet scales, let’s take a look at a few of the imported vet scale models currently available that we like.

Cheap Veterinary Scales

The Weighsouth VS-2501 vet scale is a heavy duty vet scale that is a really good scale for many applications. This scale is well built and one of our favorites in this market. The price is good and the quality and durability have been impressive. As you can see from the pictures in the link above the scale has a nice digital indicator and adjustable feet.

The Brecknell line of animal and livestock scales is very impressive. They have several smaller scales for weighing small animals. They have three different sizes of the PS500 which are great for vet hospitals. If you need a larger platform and capacity, they offer the PS1000 which has a 1000 pound capacity and 55″ x 20″ platform, the PS2000 which is a larger 59″ x 30″ platform with 2000 pound capacity and the PS3000 with 3000 pound capacity and 39″ x 78″ platform.

The LVS 700 digital scale is an affordable choice especially for individuals looking to weigh their animals at home. The scale is easy to use and the display is easy to read. We have the standard size of this scale and we also have a “Extra Large” version of this scale which is slightly bigger. The platform has small wheels on one end and a handle so it can be carefully transported to another nearby location if needed.

So which vet scale should you purchase? Our suggestion is to contact us and we can walk you through the pros and the cons of each animal scale that we offer. We have sold all of these scales over the years and have experience with them, either directly or through our customers reviews. Give us a call and we can review each of the items with you and make sure that you get the correct vet scale for your particular application. Our main phone number is (919) 776-7737 and the website is www.centralcarolinascale.com if you prefer to email us.