Weight sensors on truck bed?

[Mark Bolam]

I'm not exactly top of the class at this kind of thing, but how difficult would it be to have some weight sensors built into a truck bed to give a readout in the cab?

 

My D/C Transit has a legal payload of only about 1250kg depending on what gear we have on board, but on bigger jobs running multiple loads of chip and cord I'll admit it's only educated guessing to stay legal.

 

I appreciate that loads are not always spread evenly etc., and that some of us prefer not to know how far over we are - you lads with barn doors on your 3.5 tonners know who you are!

 

I'm after input from some of the more mechanically minded, but I'm having a few Stellas tonight, so any ridiculous comments and blatant lies are more than welcome.

[Steve Bullman]

they'd add too much weight

 

good idea though!

[Peter]

Not difficult, but not cheap. Google onboard weighing.

 

The system uses load cells to measure the weight and gives you a digital readout in the cab. Fairly common on newer hgv tippers.

[Peter]

I use the smiley face system, look at your leaf springs, if they are making a smiley face it's good, frowny face bad!

[Stephen Blair]

fill it with logs, go to your local weigh bridge, chuck the logs off until its at your weight, cut a stick the distance between the floor and the ground.

Make up a little hinged bit of metal like you get to hold the bonnet up, attach that and job done mate.

[Peter]

http://www.onboardweighing.co.uk/onboard-weighing.php

 

Get the remote option, take it up the tree with you and you'll know exactly when to stop cutting!

[Goaty]

A friend who operated a HGV skip truck 18.5 ton considered having this done to protect himself,as alot of people are unscruplous when filling skips and apart from not been able to physically lift the skip on the truck. I think he said cost was somewhere between £4000-6000. You would need 4 cells at the corners and cells alone are expensive to replace. However you could make discreet marks on the suspension area to indicate how far your springs are pushed and flexed on an evenly distributed maximum legal payload verified on a weighbridge.

[Ian C]

i have a weight system fitted on my truck Mark, when the rear mud guards rub on the tyres she's full!

[Mark Bolam]

Mmmmmm. £4-£6k. I'll go with Stevies stick option!

 

I've been on enough weighbridges to guess fairly accurately, i.e. legal = pathetically small amount of chip, sparks coming off the bottom of the tow hitch = probably overcooked it on the green Oak cord.

 

Why is everything so bloody expensive?

[Mark Bolam]

i have a weight system fitted on my truck Mark, when the rear mud guards rub on the tyres she's full!

 

 

Been there Ian, trying to stay legal now.

 

Wouldn't pay to get a tug when I've been banging back the ciders on the way home.