Cattle scales are extremely important in the livestock industry. They help assess the health, growth rate, and worth of cattle. A scale that can provide an accurate daily measurement can help a farmer track the growth and health of the animal and address any health issues as they come up. An accurate measurement is also needed because any medicine administered by a veterinarian is based upon the weight of the animal. In short, having the right scale to help weigh cattle while they are in the cattle chute enables ranchers and farmers to maintain the health and worth of the herd, ultimately helping them qualify for accurate packer’s bonuses.
Here at Arlyn Scales, we have been leaders in the weighing industry for the past thirty years due to our in depth research and understanding of our customers weighing needs. We are comfortable designing scales for industrial environments as well as agricultural ones. Our scales contain the latest technology to quickly and accurately weigh whatever may be on the scale platform, whether it’s a drum container of petrochemicals or livestock. We manufacture our scales in our factory in Long Island, New York. It’s great for our customers because being right next door to our corporate offices means we can ship factory direct. Our customers do not have to pay the usual distributor markups that are factored into a retail price when they buy right from us. The money we save on this arrangement allows us to put the money right back into the scales we make. This gives our customers an even better scale at a lower price.
The Cattle Chute
Unfortunately, cows are not just going to mosey on up to your scale, get on it, stand still, and then get off the platform once a weight has been taken. This is why there is a cattle chute used in conjunction with our custom scales. A cattle chute has an entry and exit door. The cow is separated from the general livestock area and guided down the chute. The exit door is closed and once the cow is guided to the scale, the entry door is closed. At that point, the cow must remain relatively still and that is when the weight measurement is taken. Once the weighing is done, the exit door opens and the cow moves along. Initially, there’s a training mode where both doors are kept open. The second stage is when the entry door is closed with exit door still open. The last stage offers normal operation. The reason this is done is because keeping the animal as calm as possible is important both for weight measurement and to minimize any damage that an excited animal may create.
Quick and Excellent Accuracy
Custom scales for livestock are designed to quickly weigh the animal since, more than likely, they will not be standing perfectly still. Our Weight Average and Hold option will give you an accurate reading even when the animal is moving around. This function uses sophisticated algorithms to take many rapid weight readings while the animal is on the scale. This function factors out readings that are less likely to be accurate based upon the time the animal was not moving on the scale. After that, an average is created and you have a highly accurate weight measurement of the animal.
Reliable and Rugged
Given you are weighing livestock, we have taken great pains to make sure your scale is a tough as the weighing environment. The load cells in these scales are made of stainless steel to help prevent any damage that can occur due to shock loading or over loading. The load cells are also placed into protective pockets that are affixed in the four corners of the scale platform. This is another layer of protection and also helps keep the scale platform balanced and reduces the chances of the animal skidding or slipping while on the scale. Additionally, the platform has a low profile which makes it easier for the animal to step on and off the scale.
The scale is also water resistant and this makes it easy for days when you need to hose animal waste, mud, and other material off both the scale frame and the platform. The platform is available with an optional rubber mat to further decrease the animal slipping and sliding during the weighing process. The scale frame offers welded construction and is not made out of sheet metal, unlike our competitors. We can construct the frame out of aluminum or stainless steel depending on what you may require in a customized solution.
Size and Capacity
On our standard livestock scale, the platform size comes either with a dimension of 22 x 44 or 27 x 60. However, should you find that those sizes do not fit your cattle chute, we can discuss a custom size. We have made scale platforms that are as large as 5 x 5 for our floor scales. So, tailoring a scale platform for your exact needs should not pose any problems.
Additionally, the scale starts with a standard capacity of 500 lbs. up to 5,000 lb, but this can be adjusted as well. Using the floor scale as an example again, we have designed scales with 20,000 lbs. capacity and higher. We feel we can meet your tailored expectations, no matter what they may be.
Connectivity Options
If you need to store weight data, we offer a variety of options to help you connect to your PC or your local network. USB, Ethernet/Wi-Fi and USB Flash Drive options let you choose the way you want to extract the weight data from your scale. You can place them on a Windows based laptop or PC for analysis in MS Access or MS Excel. This is an excellent way to track animal growth, worth, and health using more sophisticated applications. Additionally, you can remotely control your scale and monitor its performance if you use the USB or Ethernet/Wi-Fi options.
Customization
As you can clearly see, we can offer a great deal of flexibility in the equipment we provide. If you’re unsure which model best suits your needs, simply contact us, and our friendly and highly trained customer support staff will be more than happy to discuss your expectations, show you options and designs, and create a scale that is custom made for your business needs. Not only that, but your scale will be offered at a price our competition couldn’t dream of beating. Reach us online using the form on our Contact Us page or call us at (800) 645-4301.
