WB-X200 Compact Pickup Scale

Its place in the range: why a separate compact model?

The WB-X range has four segments. At the top are the I-beam WB-X800F and WB-X800P, in the upper-mid segment the V-beam WB-X600, and in the mid segment the concrete WB-X400F and WB-X400P. All of these are configured with articulated lorries and heavy trucks in mind. WB-X200 answers a different question: if no articulated lorry ever arrives, why take on the length, civil works and cost of a heavy vehicle scale?

For a business with light vehicle traffic, a large scale is inefficient in three ways. The long platform and ramps occupy a large part of the yard. High capacity enlarges the scale interval and so makes loads of a few tonnes read coarsely. And the groundwork and investment are spent on capacity that is never used. WB-X200 addresses all three by scaling the platform and capacity down to what light vehicles actually need.

Who is it for?

• Farms and agricultural businesses: harvested produce arriving by trailer, feed and straw purchases
• Cooperatives and collection points: recording produce from growers member by member
• Scrap and recycling collectors: net weight of material bought and sold by van
• Small haulage and courier firms: the load status of a light commercial vehicle before it sets off
• Warehouses and small production sites: documenting incoming raw material and outgoing shipments

What these have in common is that the weighed load mostly stays at a few tonnes and the scale has to fit a limited space. If trucks or articulated lorries reach the site even occasionally, the choice should turn from the start to the WB-X400, WB-X600 or WB-X800 series.

Overload checks and load control

One of the most basic jobs of a vehicle scale is to show whether a vehicle has exceeded the load it is allowed to carry. With light commercial vehicles this is often overlooked: even when a van’s body only looks full, the permitted weight may already have been exceeded, depending on the density of the load. With heavy materials such as scrap, sand, feed or wet produce, even half a load bed can push the limit.

An overloaded vehicle endangers both the driver and other people on the road, through longer braking distances, strain on tyres and suspension and a higher risk of tipping over, and it faces penalties at roadside checks. With WB-X200 the vehicle is weighed before it leaves, and any excess is unloaded. Both the safety risk and a possible fine are avoided from the outset. A business that carries out load control on its own premises can also plan its shipments more predictably along the logistics chain.

A simple example shows the value of this check: if a van with an unladen weight of 2,100 kg has a permitted maximum laden weight of 3,500 kg in its registration, it can carry 1,400 kg. If the scale shows 3,780 kg, there is roughly 280 kg of excess load and the vehicle should not go on the road like that.

Structure, installation and measuring chain

WB-X200 is installed above ground. No pit has to be dug; it is enough for the spot where the scale stands to be flat, compacted and preferably concrete. Vehicles drive onto the platform over short ramps. The area to set aside is found by adding the ramps at both ends and a straight approach distance to the platform length.

Beneath the platform sit compression load cells made of stainless steel, sealed to IP68 and built to OIML R60 C4 accuracy. For a farm scale working outdoors in mud and rain, this protection is important. Mounting kits supplied with the cells limit sideways movement of the platform, so the side load created when a tractor arrives askew or stops sharply on the platform does not enter the measurement.

At the heart of the indicator is a 24-bit sigma-delta converter offering 1/30000 resolution. Its vibration filter steadies the reading despite the shaking of a tractor idling on the deck. Dual-range weighing allows readings in smaller steps in the lower load range, which is especially useful when buying produce where differences of a few hundred kilograms are followed. The backlit LCD with 26 mm digits is clear enough for the driver to read from the cab.

For records, weighbridge software can be connected to the indicator. It is designed to be simple enough for anyone who can use a computer to learn quickly. Each weighing is saved with the plate, the grower or customer and the product; at the end of the season, lists can be pulled out in spreadsheet, XML, PDF, HTML or TXT form. For cooperatives with several collection points, an optional web database lets every scale be followed from one centre. Traffic lights and plate recognition can also be added if needed.