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Snow on the CAT scales

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by DocWatson, Feb 9, 2015.

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  1. Feb 9, 2015 #1
    DocWatson

    DocWatson Road Train Member

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    Reading a related thread about blowing past open scale houses made me think of something I encountered the other day in the Northeast.

    I went to scale a load, looked up the closest CAT scale to the shipper, went to the truckstop and saw that the CAT scale was completely covered with snow. Looks like no one had used it in a while since the snowfall. Same thing at the next closest truckstop. At the time I was thinking, even if I plow through the deep virgin snow covering the CAT scale, would the weight be off anyway? I was lucky in that I didn't see any open scale houses and I eventually scaled it some distance away where the CAT scale was open. It was legal but still...

    So a question to you experienced drivers: Considering the snow this time of year, what happens if we go to scale a load legal and all of the closest CAT scales are covered with snow and we cross a state scale before we have a chance to ensure the load is legal? Do they take this into account? Is it most likely that the state scales will be closed if there is that much snow locally?

    Just something I was thinking about when I encountered these "closed" CAT scales. Sorry if this is a stupid question but it's not something I've encountered that often.
     
    DocWatson, Feb 9, 2015
    DocWatson, Feb 9, 2015
    #1
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  3. Feb 9, 2015 #2
    blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

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    No - it's a good question.
    If they had a way of tare weighting the scale with the snow on it, then it wouldn't matter. Not sure if they do.
    Guaranteed the state coops wouldn't give you a break.
     
    blairandgretchen, Feb 9, 2015
    blairandgretchen, Feb 9, 2015
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  4. Feb 9, 2015 #3
    Cranky Yankee

    Cranky Yankee Cranky old ######

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    i asked at the TS once they said they tare it for the snow

    but do you believe some Love's employee

    in my Clint Eastwood voice ....... "Do you feel lucky punk"
     
    Cranky Yankee, Feb 9, 2015
    Cranky Yankee, Feb 9, 2015
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  5. Feb 9, 2015 #4
    icsheeple

    icsheeple Trailing the Herd

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    Just like any other digital scale. Hit tare and it starts at zero. If your really worried about it. Run up to the speaker before you pull up and ask them to tare it.
     
    icsheeple, Feb 9, 2015
    icsheeple, Feb 9, 2015
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  7. Feb 10, 2015 #5
    Mark Kling

    Mark Kling Technology Contributor

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    You can always call the CAT company. They can dial into the scales also. I had one freeze up between the plates and got weighted. It did not feel right and I went to another one and scaled again. This was different. I called the CAT company, they refunded my first one and got someone to fix it.
     
    Mark Kling, Feb 10, 2015
    Mark Kling, Feb 10, 2015
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  8. Feb 10, 2015 #6
    double yellow

    double yellow Road Train Member

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    Well lets see, fresh fallen snow weighs 50kg/m^3 which is ~3lb per cubic foot.

    A cat scale is ~85' x 14' so 1" of snow would mean there is ~100 cubic feet on the scale. x 3 means the gross weight would be 300lbs higher if it wasn't tared...
     
    double yellow, Feb 10, 2015
    double yellow, Feb 10, 2015
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  9. Feb 10, 2015 #7
    CJndaTruck

    CJndaTruck Road Train Member

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    LOL. Show off 😜
     
    CJndaTruck, Feb 10, 2015
    CJndaTruck, Feb 10, 2015
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  10. Feb 10, 2015 #8
    25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    CAT zeroes itself between trucks, if it is working correctly. If you have weighed the same rig much and are not setting your brakes while being weighed, your steer axle weight should give you an idea if it is being affected, or like we did, scaling empty trailer and again when loaded to get the weight of cargo, the empty weight will be off if the scale is malfunctioning.


    If the freezing water is holding up part of the platforms, it isn't working properly. Usually only a problem with slushy snow and falling temps on certain scales.

    As to the Loves comment, the people operating the scales are the ones signing the ticket as a certified weighmaster. The computer( The C in CAT) is supposed to take out the guesswork.

    Mostly, they work pretty well, snow covered, or not, in my experience.
     
    25(2)+2, Feb 10, 2015
    25(2)+2, Feb 10, 2015
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  11. Feb 10, 2015 #9
    Lepton1

    Lepton1 Road Train Member

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    Not a bad go at it, but the weight of fresh fallen snow will vary considerably depending on the percentage of moisture content. I guarantee the fluffy powder snow in Utah is MUCH lighter than the "Cascade Concrete" I skied in Washington State.

    Just sayin'...
     
    Lepton1, Feb 10, 2015
    Lepton1, Feb 10, 2015
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  12. Feb 10, 2015 #10
    DocWatson

    DocWatson Road Train Member

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    This is the dry snow versus wet snow thing. Had I not lived in the PAC NW for this many years I would have never known there could be such a difference. That snow in the NW is wet and thick.
     
    DocWatson, Feb 10, 2015
    DocWatson, Feb 10, 2015
    #10
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