U-Type Platform Scale

The logic of the U shape: weighing without taking the pallet off the truck

On a conventional floor scale, the pallet is either set down by forklift or pushed up a ramp on a pallet truck. With a U-type scale, both of those steps disappear. The operator pushes the loaded truck in through the open side of the U, and the forks end up between the two weighing arms. When the truck handle is lowered, the pallet comes off the forks and settles on the arms. From that moment the forks no longer carry the pallet, and the scale measures the pallet alone.

The only condition for a correct reading is that, once lowered, the forks do not touch the underside of the pallet or the arms of the scale. If the forks have not fully dropped, part of the load stays on the truck and the indicator reads short. So the first habit to teach operators is to make sure the truck is fully lowered before reading the value. When weighing is done, the handle is raised again, the pallet is picked up on the forks and the truck is drawn back out of the U.

The same scale can be used with a forklift too. The forklift sets the pallet on the two arms and withdraws its forks through the opening of the U. What matters here is lowering the pallet onto the arms gently rather than dropping it; a light, portable scale is designed for convenience, not for a work pattern of constant impact.

Portability: the weighing point goes where it is needed

The most obvious difference of the U-type scale is that it is not permanently installed. The frame has two wheels on its front side and a carrying handle on the opposite side. Lifted by the handle, the scale rolls on its wheels like a wheelbarrow from one area to another. If goods-in happens at one door in the morning and another in the afternoon, or the end of a production line moves from time to time, the weighing point travels to where the work is.

The one thing to watch at the new spot is the floor. The surface under the four cells must be level and solid; never weigh at the foot of a sloping ramp or on a broken piece of concrete. A quick test with a known weight after each move confirms that the scale reads correctly in its new position.

Choosing capacity and size

The U-type scale is built in a single frame size of 1250 × 920 mm, with three capacity options. All are dual-range:

• 300/600 kg: a 0.1 kg interval for the first 300 kg, 0.2 kg beyond. For light product pallets and stacks of cartons or crates.
• 600/1500 kg: a 0.2 kg interval for the first 600 kg, 0.5 kg beyond. Most general warehouse pallets fall into this range.
• 1500/3000 kg: a 0.5 kg interval for the first 1,500 kg, 1 kg beyond. For dense products, drums of liquid and pallets of metal parts.

When setting capacity, count the weight of the empty pallet as well as the goods on it, because once the truck is lowered the scale carries the whole pallet. For example, a 1,380 kg load on a 30 kg wooden pallet puts 1,410 kg on the scale; that is close to the limit of the 600/1500 kg model, and for pallets that may be set down hard the 1500/3000 kg model leaves a more comfortable margin.

When checking the frame size, make sure the pallet truck forks enter the inner opening of the U easily and that the pallet does not touch the floor once lowered. Telling us the outer fork width of your pallet truck and your pallet dimensions lets us confirm the fit from the outset.

Painted and stainless versions

The standard U-type scale is finished with electrostatic oven-baked paint. In dry warehouses, courier operations and production areas this finish gives adequate protection. For food plants, cold stores or areas where the floor is washed often, there is also a version with the whole frame made of stainless steel. A stainless frame removes paint flaking and corrosion problems from the start on surfaces that meet wash water and cleaning chemicals.