Cat Scales

[Jumbo]

I loaded a load of lumber going back towards home and I scaled at a Cat scale. Steer and drive weights were fine but I was 500 pounds over on trailer (34,500). I slid my axels three holes and reweighed. Everything was fine, Steer 11,500, tandem 32,500 and trailer at 33,800. When i got to the first scale in Idaho I watched the digital display that they have. their scale said: Steer 11,000, Tandem 31,900 and trailer at 33,200. Was I even over on my trailer to begin with? Has anybody else run into this?

[Larry Heyns]

No two scales weigh the same. Some truck stops have two scales. I weighed on one and pulled off to shift some weight. Then, I re-weighed on the adjacent scale. There was 1,000 lbs. difference in gross between the two scales. Percentage wise, that is not much of an error. Having a legal weigh print-out from a certified scale may prove handy at the state scale or in court. It is frustrating when a more accurate scale would have prevented weight shifting. I had to shift weight by dragging cases of beer over the top of the load because the tandems would not slide.

[tweety bird]

Idaho weigh station readouts are notoriously incorrect- they weren't showing your accurate weight. I don't know why they even keep those weight readouts up- they're always wrong (the guy inside the scale gets the correct weight- it's just that sign outside that's wrong).

[tweety bird]

No two scales weigh the same. Some truck stops have two scales. I weighed on one and pulled off to shift some weight. Then, I re-weighed on the adjacent scale. There was 1,000 lbs. difference in gross between the two scales. Percentage wise, that is not much of an error. Having a legal weigh print-out from a certified scale may prove handy at the state scale or in court. It is frustrating when a more accurate scale would have prevented weight shifting. I had to shift weight by dragging cases of beer over the top of the load because the tandems would not slide.

I guess I've never tried that- paying for two tickets from two different scales at the same location. I have a hard time believing a CAT scale is going to be inaccurate, though. Maybe some podunk scale. CAT takes their calibration seriously- as do Flying J and other "certified" scales, I would imagine.

[dropdecks]

I agree with the above poster that said no two scales weigh the same. Flying J or CAT, it doesn't matter.

I weighed at a Flying J once time and the trailer axles were wrong and I said as much ( we have air gauges so I had a pretty good idea). Of course they disagreed with me because "nobody else has complained". I went down the road to a CAT scale and all 3 axle groups were different.

I've also weighed my tare with full tanks on the same scale many times and they are ALWAYS different.

Same scale, same truck, same trailer, full tanks on a different day = different weight.

IMO this is why the DOT gives you a % margin of error before they fine you.

[golfhobo]

I agree with the above poster that said no two scales weigh the same. Flying J or CAT, it doesn't matter.

I weighed at a Flying J once time and the trailer axles were wrong and I said as much ( we have air gauges so I had a pretty good idea). Of course they disagreed with me because "nobody else has complained". I went down the road to a CAT scale and all 3 axle groups were different.

I've also weighed my tare with full tanks on the same scale many times and they are ALWAYS different.

Same scale, same truck, same trailer, full tanks on a different day = different weight.

IMO this is why the DOT gives you a % margin of error before they fine you.

Must've been that triple decker greasy burger with the biggie fries!

[Fredog]

cat scales are a rip off!! I put my cat on one and it didnt even register!

[DaveP]

cat scales are a rip off!! I put my cat on one and it didnt even register!

Because it takes THREE cats to register...duhhh!