Keeping your Truck Scale well maintained and clean is an important part of truck scale ownership. Not only is it good practice to keep your weighbridge clean, it also contributes to a pro active scale maintenance plan and can significantly reduce the risk of equipment downtime and inaccurate weighing.

Before we get very far with this entry, lets clarify one thing… When we say to clean your truck scale, we are typically referring to the areas where mud and dirt can build up and cause weighing errors. Having a pristine scale diamond tread platform is great but that is not what we are referring to when we ask, is your scale clean?

You can see in the picture below an example. The photo on the left shows the scale before cleaning. Notice all the dirt on top of the concrete, especially between the approach ramp and the scale? Now look at the photo on the right after cleaning. You can see the concrete and very little dirt is left at all.

Over time, the build-up of mud and debris can have a negative impact on a weighbridge performance. Compacted mud can set hard and reduce the movement of the weighbridge. This in turn causes reduced accuracy in weighing. Certain types of site environment will suffer more with mud and related issues and weather conditions can also play a part.

Keep in mind, weighbridge cleaning can be a balancing act. You need to remove the mud and buildup so the scale platform can perform correctly. However, the water jet force required to remove dirt and debris from around a weighbridge’s critical weighing points can, if not performed correctly, damage load cells, cables, junction boxes, and summing boards.

When cleaning the scale, the lightest amount of water pressure you can use and still get adequate cleaning, the better.

Weighbridge maintenance should take place as part of a daily or weekly routine depending on the type of site. The build-up of debris and water should be monitored and obstructions should be removed from beneath the scale to provide clearance between the weighbridge and the ground. Otherwise, your scale accuracy will suffer.

Pit weighbridges should be checked to make sure clearances are clean and the correct gap between the deck and pit wall are in place. ‘T’ section rubber can be used to help maintain gaps and should be replaced if worn or damaged. Regular end-middle-end tests with a loaded truck should be carried out to review the accuracy of the scale to see if there are any buildup issues. This basic cleaning and maintenance can be carried out by a site foreman or truck scale weighbridge operator.

If you are a current customer and you are curious about cleaning your truck scale, contact us and we can discuss this further or we can show you the key areas during our next scheduled maintenance visit. If you’re interested in our services, please contact us at (919) 776-7737.