Wireless grapple scale allows scrap operations to add in-motion weigh capacity

According to Quebec-based RMT Equipment Inc. scrap handling operations can now add in-motion weighing capabilities to their equipment with greater accuracy, reliability and simplicity than with previous scales.   

The company’s new RMT-XW in-motion grapple scale system combines wireless data communication and control with a new load-sensing technology, and is designed to provide scrap handling equipment with accurate, reliable and simple to use in-motion weighing capability. 

Marc Lefebvre, North American Sales Manager for RMT Equipment reports that the RMT-XW system improves the accuracy of load measurements to within 0 ± 3 percent of true weight, while reducing installation and set-up time to as little as two hours.  

“The fact is, this scale requires no configuration time at all,” Lefebvre says. “Installation is as simple as replacing the grapple’s attachment link with our weigh link, extending current hydraulic lines, then mounting the remote display in the cab. That’s it.”  

Along with simplifying the scale’s installation, the wireless design also ensures higher reliability in severe-duty applications by eliminating extra electrical connections from the weighing link to the in-cab monitor.  

RMT says their RMT-XW grapple scale achieves its accuracy by using technology derived from strain gauges or load cells that engineers use in structural testing devices. The new scale is self-contained within a weigh link which replaces the yoke or link of the grapple attachment. A weigh chamber in the link integrates the high resolution load cell and motion controller, and includes a wireless antenna and battery pack.   

Ideal for scrap
Lefebvre says the RMT-XW scale can help scrap metal processors and hauling operations load more efficiently, at less cost, and with greater safety.

 “In the recycling yard, scrap handlers equipped with the new scales will allow operators to continuously monitor grapple loads as they unload and sort incoming material,” he says. “Accurate weighing allows them to consistently load optimum weights when they pick and feed material for shredding and baling processes.”  

Plus, he says that by ensuring accurate, maximum weights as trucks are loaded, drivers will have no need to re-weigh at the gate and return to the loading area to adjust their loads. And data accumulated and transferred from the RMT-XW units gives operations managers an easy tool to compare productivity levels for varied types, sizes and makes of equipment, or to identify potential training needs for their operators.   

“The accuracy and simplicity of this scale allows recyclers to deliver a better, more uniform product to their customers,” says Lefebvre.    For scrap haulers, Lefebre says an accurate real-time weigh system means every truck can be loaded to its maximum legal limit, without fear of incurring fines for excess weight. According to RMT, median weights using the RMT-XW grapple scale have shown to average more tonnage per truckload than unweighed trucks, with less variance between loads.   

“This grapple scale removes all the ‘guesstimating’ from truck loads,” says Lefebvre. “In the long run, it lets truckers move more material with fewer hauls, so they save fuel and vehicle costs on every contract. Better accuracy gives them more control too, so they can plan their fleet more efficiently. They also save time and worry, since they no longer have any reason to change their routes around to avoid DOT scales.”  

The RMT-XW system is supplied complete with its own Windows-compatible data logger, USB data connection, optional reporting software and printer. The system gauges each load automatically without requiring operator intervention and accumulates data continuously to allow flexible reporting and analysis.   

Its data can be exported directly into standard spreadsheet formats, so load information can be shared readily with other corporate systems and business applications. Maintenance of the scale is very simple, requiring only monthly greasing of the weigh link, and the data logger’s battery can be changed quickly with no recalibration required. The system is offered in a range of models to suit different equipment and applications.