When you’re out on a job in harsh arctic conditions, you don’t have time to make mistakes. In Alaska, construction jobs take precision and teamwork. But if your calculations are off, this can be both costly and potentially deadly in extreme environments.
Today’s technology offers those who work in the most extreme conditions the peace of mind needed when they’re out on the job concentrating on work. And if your fleet wants to add more precision to every job, there are a few tools that you have to be using.
For quarry and aggregate work, each load needs to be precise. Otherwise, this could result in damage, fines, disrupted plans, or even injury. And this is why a wheel loader scale system is a must-have for any earthmoving operation.
The benefits of wheel loader scale systems speak for themselves. And here, we’ll explore the five benefits of using wheel loader scales for your construction fleet.
Could your fleet benefit from a wheel loader scale system? Contact GPS Alaska today to check out the best systems for tough Alaskan jobs.
What Is a Wheel Loader Scale System?
Precision is synonymous with the construction business. Without precision, you end up with subpar construction, and this creates a safety hazard for everyone. And the same is true with loading and hauling. Each vehicle is only able to handle a specific load capacity, as are many of the roads we travel on.
Wheel loader scales offer real-time weighing capability to help construction project managers improve efficiency in loading precisely, and hauling at a legal weight. These digital systems are produced in a variety of styles, and depending on the features, they can track the loading and unloading weight of any vehicle and relay the information to the right personnel.
5 Benefits of a Wheel Loader Scale System
Having a wheel loader scale system can be a huge advantage to your project. And the best part is, you’ll get many additional benefits as well.
1. Minimize Loading Errors
Overloading can be dangerous and costly. And as any transfer vehicle is calibrated to handle a specific amount of weight, exceeding this weight can cause strain on the vehicle and damage it over time.
Additionally, exceeding the weight capacity can also pose a safety threat to the driver of the transfer vehicle as well. And you’re probably aware that hauling a load over a certain capacity carries a hefty fine. As such, using a wheel loader scale system for minimizing loading errors can help you to avoid costly fines, repairs, and other costs
2. Optimize Your Load
When you’re ready to ship out a load, whether it’s moving earth or hauling debris, if you’re not optimizing your load, you could be losing time, money, and impeding your productivity.
The goal with any load is to minimize empty space as much as possible while staying within the legal limits of transportable load weight. Basically, this means that you want to transport as much as possible per load in order to reduce the number of hauls. This reduces the cost of both gas mileage and man hours worked, thus reducing your overall shipping cost.
In addition, wheel loader scale systems can also offer advantages for your operator to optimize a load more effectively such as:
- Totaling a load for a full workday, or for an allotted amount of time
- Automatically calculate bucket loads without causing your operator to halt production
- Adjust the last bucket to a specific load weight
With a wheel loader scale system, you can see the advantages this tool brings for load optimization. And you’ll be able to see data displayed in real-time, and be able to optimize each load, every single time.
3. Reduce Cycling Time
Too many project managers are keenly aware of load capacity and the dangers of exceeding it. This is why many construction project managers and those working in logistics opt to load lighter instead of reaching an optimized capacity. And rightfully so. After all, this approach mitigates danger and incurred costs. But your cycling time will suffer in the process without the ability to optimize your load size.
A wheel loader scale system can help to reduce cycling time and keep your crew focused on doing the job while working out in the arctic. And the more time you save, the better your productivity will be.
4. Integrate Data Management
While many wheel loader scale systems vary in features and data display, there are several with built-in features that offer calibration for other attachments – such as the WL Series wheel loader scale. However, the ability to manage data is also a huge bonus with any piece of hardware.
If you’re doing large-scale jobs that require a great deal of precision, wheel loader scales that are pre-configured to integrate with your machine’s onboard tech is also a huge benefit that allows you to make any adjustment needed to optimize your load, minimize guesswork and time spent talking to support specialists, and keep the job running.
5. Improve Accuracy
As mentioned, precision is key to performing any job properly – especially in Alaska. And your wheel loader scale can offer you a variety of means to improve accuracy while your crew is out on the job.
Though payload weight is the primary goal, there are several contributing factors that will affect the load weight. This can include the following:
- Material type
- Temperature change
- Weather change
- Site slope
- Operator experience
With a wheel loader scale, you’ll have pinpoint precision up to a 1 percent margin of error that includes compensation for all factors. And as you may know already, anything over 1 percent can cost you thousands of dollars per day, especially on large-scale jobs in Alaska.
Today’s wheel loader scales offer those working in quarries an entirely new level of accuracy and precision to operate with. And while the old days were full of guesswork or that one seasoned project manager with “the eye” for any load size, having real-time access to load data will give your crew the means to get the job done while minimizing error and improving overall cost.
Keeping an Eye on Precision
Whether you’re in the market for state-of-the-art wheel loaders equipped with all the bells and whistles including real-time connectivity that enables operators to directly receive orders in the cab, or if you just want to improve your production on the job site, GPS Alaska offers the best tools for tough jobs out in Alaska.
Wheel loader scale systems simply make your life easier while out on the job. And when you can focus on more on work and less on the tedious tasks of ensuring load accuracy, you’ll be able to improve your overall productivity while watching your crew improve theirs as well.
Precision is a top priority on any job in the arctic. And you’ll be doing your crew and your client a favor by streamlining your process by leveraging the benefits of wheel loader scale systems for all your quarry or earthmoving projects.
Could a wheel loader scale system help increase your productivity? Contact GPS Alaska today to check out the best systems for tough Alaskan jobs.