Right Weigh Load Scales introduced the E-Z Weigh system, its first digital load scale, Friday, Aug. 27, at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.
Company vice president Andy Mount said its goal was to develop a unit that would be “simple, accurate and affordable,” in keeping with the company’s primary philosophy.
The unit is simple to install, requiring an air connection to the suspension system, a connection to the truck’s electrical system and a ground. The user goes to a certified truck scale and gets axle weights loaded and unloaded, with the loaded weight close to the legal maximum. The operator inputs the reading from the load ticket into the unit for the weights.
The unit has two advantages when compared with the company’s mechanical designs. The first is legibility—the company claims its digital readout is the largest and easiest to read in the industry. Also, because the user inputs both loaded and unloaded weights, it provides accurate weights even when lightly loaded or empty.
Normal practice would be to install one unit on each set of tandem axles on a standard 5-axle tractor trailer. Setting the fifth wheel to be centered above the drive tandems would allow legal weight on all axles to be determined from the weight on the two sets of tandems. To have front axle weight as well, a third unit can easily be installed.
The digital unit is normally installed on the frame near the air suspension. It can be installed in an optional protective box to protect it during rugged use.
The unit costs $295, $100 more than the Right Weigh mechanical scale.
Mount said the unit has been tested in Australian summer conditions, and in winter driving from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska.
