Second Hand Weighbridge Buyers Guide
If you are thinking of buying a second hand weighbridge privately and not from a reputable weighing company there are several points that you should consider.
The main consideration is the cost to remove the second hand weighbridge using a crane, transport and preparation for new foundations for relocation, therefore sometimes it is not cost effective to remove and transport from one site to another, this alone can cost thousands of pounds on top of the purchase price.
Before buying a second hand weighbridge it is recommended to take advice and to consult a weighing company that has experience in weighbridges. Many weighbridges may be at the end of their life and may have obsolete or expensive load cells, and the digital weight indicators may need to be replaced to meet with the current legislation, if you intend to use the weighbridge for Trade purposes i.e. buying or selling by weight. In addition some manufacturers’ weight indicators can be password protected so you may have to use the manufacturer to carry out any work and to pay their prices.
All weighbridges that are to be used for trade, MUST be EC verified, even if this has been done at its previous location, once it has been moved it needs to be re-verified. This involves the hire of a weighbridge test unit with calibrated weights, and either a trading standards officer or a company who can self verify the equipment, this test is fairly stringent, so the installation needs to be good.
It is recommended to check the second hand steel weighbridge structure for cracks, splits, rot, rust and general wear as steel can wear paper thin. Concrete weighbridge are not bullet proof either, the concrete can crack and deteriorate over time and some have inherent structural problems, these are also extremely heavy and you may need two 50ton cranes just to lift out one piece.
With some weighbridges you may need a moving order because it is considered to be a “wide load”.
