Anyone have a scale on their loader?

[Hay Dude]

I am thinking about a loader scale. Tired of guessing bale weights.
Found this one. $1,000.

Hydraulic Front End Loader Scales for sale

Hydraulic front end loader scale that's user friendly, easy to install, and made in the USA! With a water-resistant corrosion proof enclosure and stainless steel adjustable stand/mount, it is suitable for use in harsh weather conditions.

www.scaledynasty.com

Anyone with knowledge on these or scales in general?

 

[oosik]

Hay Dude - I do not know why you chose this particular scales. But there are certainly many brands that are MUCH less expensive.

The choice becomes somewhat more limited if you want to go over 2000 pounds.

 

[oldnslo]

I have no experience with this type of scale but the question comes to mind of how does the shape or size of load effect accuracy?

Example: lifting a 24” diameter log Vs 4’ x 4’ ft bale. With the mass farther from pivot point does pressure required to lift the same weight also change? I suspect yes but if used for similar sized load like the 4’ x 4’ bales it should provide reasonably accurate weight reference.

Other variable potentially would be lift height at which you measure the weight.

Simple test would be to install a reasonably accurate pressure gauge in the lift circuit of your loader and try lifting a known load several times to similar varying heights. If pressure readings repeat at those heights then once calibrated the scale should react the same.

 

[JCoastie]

You seem to have a lot of tractors, so you might me a commercial user, and in that case have at it!
If you're a just a homestead guy, something like this might be useful to get into the ballpark. I might try this myself. @rScotty mentioned something similar in one of my posts a while back and I didn't fully comprehend it until I saw this video.

And the reading changes the further out the load is, here is a test he did with forks

 

[Hay Dude]

Hay Dude - I do not know why you chose this particular scales. But there are certainly many brands that are MUCH less expensive.

The choice becomes somewhat more limited if you want to go over 2000 pounds.

I would be at ~2,000lbs/bale. Usually I carry 2 at a time. So about 4,000lbs.

 

[WranglerX]

Why... Loader will either lift bale or it won't....

 

[CliffordK]

Why... Loader will either lift bail or it won't....

Each person would have their own reason. A lot of products are sold by the ton. So, knowing the actual weight may be of benefit,
Also loading a truck or trailer would benefit from knowing the weight going on to the vehicle.

As @oldnslo mentioned, a forklift more or less has a direct vertical weight and may be largely independent of the load configuration.

I think on the tractor, the more leverage out front, the more pressure on the lift cylinders.

However, if the bale size is uniform, and the bale density is uniform, then one could calibrate the system for the center of mass.

So, if the bale is 4' long (from the tractor bucket), then calibrate at the mid point, 2' from the bucket.

Hmmmm

You have a lift cylinder and a curl cylinder.

One should be able to make a computer program that could calculate where the center of mass was based on the two pressures, and then use that to calculate the actual weight.

 

[Williy]

This is a list of websites selling scales:

FRONT END LOADER SCALE - - Google Search

Hydraulic Front End Loader Scales for sale sale $945

willy

 

[Hay Dude]

Why... Loader will either lift bail or it won't....

Yeah, well I transport and sell hay by the ton.
I’d like to know how much I am loading to see if I am overloading my truck.

 

[mrmikey]

I'm far from an expert on loader scales but when I was purchasing equipment, the CAT salesman, whom I trusted (he was a rare breed and I don't usually trust salesmen) suggested I stay away from scales that were not factory supplied and installed as their accuracy and life was questionable. As was stated, where the load is on the forks/bucket/spear, angles of the linkage, angle of the machine etc all play a part in the accuracy.
The factory installed unit apparently took all variables other than the position on the fork into account and even that was a user selectable parameter. So if you had a rectangular bale, you could say the center of mass was 2' ahead and 2' up from the forks.