A major recycled aggregates company has adopted a forward-thinking on-board weighing system for more accurate measurements and improved efficiencies.
Quarry operations are generally on the lookout for ways to improve their productivity and output.
The value of these materials makes it just as important to ensure each payload transported records the correct weight every time.
Overloading is of particular concern for quarries in Australia – and not just for a loss of capital – as an overloaded haul truck can face serious criminal and financial penalties while also running the risk of a potential crash.
On Board Weighing General Manager Jim Eagle told Quarry that the responsibility for preventing overloading falls back on the entire company.
“The chain of responsibility means that everyone from the company, to the manager, to the loader driver, to the truck driver has some responsibility in ensuring trucks are not overloaded,” he said.
“In addition, if an overloaded truck gets to their destination they could be turned around there because of mass management responsibilities and policies at the receival point. Many companies have a zero tolerance policy to overloading.”
To combat this issue, Kerfab subsidiary On Board Weighing offers the German-designed WK-60 scales. Designed and manufactured by German company Pfreundt, the WK-60 is a renowned for its accuracy and reliability globally.
The WK-60 scales enable payload weighing directly from the truck which also saves time and prevents the requirement of a weighbridge and operator. This is made possible by the WK-60’s compact and easy to read touch screen display.
“On Board scales prevent trucks from being overloaded as the loader operator can see exactly how much they’ve loaded into a truck as they are doing it,” Eagle said.
“I always say to our customers if you can use a phone or an iPad you can use a WK-60 Scale.
“It is the most advanced system on the market but it’s also the easiest to operate. It’s a simple touchscreen with big clear writing so anyone can clearly see the information they need.”
With the WK-60 being the flagship model offered by On Board Weighing, the WK-60 Smart, WK-60 S, and the smaller 5-inch WK-60 XS are also available, with all models featuring accurate and reliable load capabilities.
Eagle said underloading is another major issue suffered by operations with inaccurate load scales. Thanks to the WK-60, this can also be avoided.
“The main advantage if it’s legal for trade is that you can ticket a load and make a sale from a certified instrument straight into the truck – this means you can fulfill more orders in a day and could eliminate the need for a weighbridge and operator entirely,” he said. “It saves time for the trucks as they don’t need to get to the weighbridge before finding out it’s underloaded or overloaded.”
Right for the job
A significant advantage to installing an on-board weighing system in a quarry is a lower total cost of ownership through its accuracy, reliability and reduced repair requirements.
“The best part though is that WK-60 scales are more reliable and are accurate for longer. When we do service or recalibrate them we more often than not find that they are still within an acceptable margin of error so servicing is quick and easy,” Eagle said.
On Board Weighing has a network of technicians across Australia to make installation, calibrations and servicing more convenient for customers.
Alex Fraser, a leading provider of recycled aggregates in Australia, has adopted On Board Weighing’s WK-60 at its operations.
Group manager for FP & ME Maintenance Andy McManus told Quarry the WK-60 has improved accuracy for sales loading duties, while also reducing truck loading times and maximising truck capacity.
On Board Weighing was also able to diagnose an issue with a machine to further boost payload accuracy.
“The technician’s system knowledge, diagnosis reporting and support of product showed an undiagnosed fault on the machine,” McManus said. “On Board Weighing worked with us to rectify the fault and enabled repairs to be made on the loader, further improving its accuracy.
“Over and underloading negatively impacts truck turnaround times, increases product wastage, and increases site congestion,” he added.
Alex Fraser’s operators were given a thorough training demonstration to show the simplicity of the WK-60. The company utilises on-board weighing to minimise truck waiting times and reduce material wastage.
Eagle explained that the WK-60 enables accurate load scaling without the need for a weighbridge, making it an attractive investment for smaller quarries, while also providing value to larger operations.
“Smaller quarries cannot afford or justify a weighbridge so where a weighbridge may cost $80,000 to $120,000, certified scales are priced from $10,000,” he said.
“(The WK-60) can be as simple or as advanced as the company needs. It can be used as anything from a basic scale to advanced scales connected via the internet to the companies’ ticketing software or anything in between.”
For more information about the WK-60 and other scales, visit onboardweighing.com.au
