How accurate are truck scales for weighing smaller trailers?

[Mark42]

I'm going to take the boat over to the local truck stop to weigh the boat/trailer. This is my Bayliner, and the trailer is 2000 lbs gvw. How accurate a weight will the truck scales give? Will it be within 10 lbs, 50 lbs, 100 lbs? I would think that truck scales would not give a very accurate reading on a loaded trailer weighing less than about 1800 lbs.

Maybe some of the members who drove trucks can give me an idea of the scale accuracy?

Thanks!

 

[rbh]

Re: How accurate are truck scales for weighing smaller trailers?

Most scales have to be calibrated every year if they are a "legal scale" that being said, I bet the only scales that are calibrated are the D.O.T scales.

 

[roscoe]

Re: How accurate are truck scales for weighing smaller trailers?

If used for commerce, like at a feed mill, it should be accurate, and is tested by the state, at least in Wisconsin.

If you are worried about that, weigh the entire rig including the tow vehicle, then weigh the tow vehicle separately and subtract its weight.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: How accurate are truck scales for weighing smaller trailers?

Most truck scales have a minimum required weight from 6000 to 8000 pounds or so. Below that, they will still function, but their output isn't going to be linear. (doesn't matter if they are certified scales or not, they are certified for specific loads, not across the board for any weight) The closer you are to the minimum weight, the more accurate it will be. (so weighing the trailer &/or vehicle by itself is a bad idea, you are a long ways from the official minimum, so the scale could be off)


Given the quality of the load cells used though, I wouldn't be too concerned. It might be off a couple percent points.

 

[Dkrager]

Re: How accurate are truck scales for weighing smaller trailers?

Anything over 300# it should be within 20#...... They are state certified.

 

[109jb]

Re: How accurate are truck scales for weighing smaller trailers?

My 14 year old handicapped son is going to high school next year and the school needed a weight for his wheelchair. I told them the wheelchair vendor said it was 419 lbs as fitted with his seating system, etc. but they wanted a scale weight with a slip. You see the lift at the school is only good for 450 pounds and they didn't want to upgrade it and didn't believe a wheelchair could weigh 400+ pounds and then add his 100 pounds weight and books etc. I took it to the truck scale and weighed it all by itself on the scale and the slip said 424 pounds. I even took a picture of it on the scale. Close enough for me. I'll see if I can find the picture and post it. Bottom line is I think they are pretty close. Certainly close enough for what I believe your reason for weighing is.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: How accurate are truck scales for weighing smaller trailers?

Over the years I have stepped on several truck scales and warehouse scales... The weight has always been within a few lbs of what my bathroom scale said....

 

[dave11]

Re: How accurate are truck scales for weighing smaller trailers?

Over the years I have stepped on several truck scales and warehouse scales... The weight has alwas been within a few lbs of what my bathroom scale said....

That is what I have discovered also. They are quite accurate.

 

[starcraftkid]

Re: How accurate are truck scales for weighing smaller trailers?

It's been 11 years since I worked for the place that serviced the Office of Weights and Measures trucks in NJ, but at that time I believe each location was checked every 30 days. More often if they were a repeat offender or a complaint was made. I worked on the trucks that serviced and tested those scales.
They were no joke, a scale had to be exact, not just within 10lbs, but I would assume there were tolerances for high capacity scales. In other words a scale capable of 80,000 lb trucks wasn't expected to weight a 1 pound item but it was tested.

I'd expect it to be within 15 lbs, if not dead on.
Here's the link to the people that do the testing:
http://www.state.nj.us/oag/ca/owm.htm
You may be able to call them and ask where is the best place to weigh your rig in your area. They may know of a particular scale that was just tested or one that's rated in that range.
From what I was told back then, they concentrated on consumer sales, so they tested gas stations, grocery scales, and other sell by weight type dispensers quite regularly. I'm not sure about truck scales but I do know they kept on the local sand plant and their loading scales as well as the junk yards and their scales.
I've found that most junk yards will weigh your boat or rig for nothing, often it's just a matter of showing up with a few cold sodas or a box of donuts.
It don't cost them a thing to weigh your boat or whole rig, and their probably the most tested scales around. I have a few here that are dead on, down to the pound when I tested a known weight item, a fixed lead bar of 25lbs.
They can weigh up to 150,000 lbs max and the scale will still read that 25lb bar of lead dead on to the 4th decimal point.

 

[joewesley.ts@gmail.com]

for me they are accurate make sure that ask for an assistance with technician in scale so you'll know its accurate done it with terriniel scale and its in exact weight