Types and Uses of Hanging Scales
In simple terms, a hanging scale is a type of scale that weighs something by making use of a hook or suspended bin. The item to be weighed is placed on the hook or in the suspended bin and gravity pulls the item down which creates a weight reading on the scale. This may sound like a rudimentary function, but hanging scales are actually highly accurate and very versatile.
Probably the first thing most people think of when they conjure up an image of a hanging scale is the very common hanging produce scale found in most grocery stores. This type of scale is usually placed in the produce section of many grocery stores for customer convenience. Most of these types of hanging scales are of the dial variety, which is convenient for store owners because dial scales are accurate yet they do not require a source of electricity (as a digital scale may). When you are grocery shopping and wishing to buy a specific amount of a produce item, you can weigh your produce selection on the provided hanging scale. Hanging scales can also be found on farms where they may be used for weighing bulk amounts of grain, produce, or other dry goods. The shipping industry is also a large user of hanging scales. Hanging scales can provide quick and accurate weight measurements of packages to be shipped. And, a hanging scale is useful in the shipping industry because odd shaped or large packages can be easily weighted by hook or by bin. Hanging scales are also frequently used by fish and game hunters. Fish, game, and birds can be weighed on a hanging scale which incorporates a specially designed platform to contain the fluids of the item being weighed. Of course a bag or other container could be used to contain the fluids of the item, but the final weight calculation would need to be adjusted to account for the weight of whatever container is being used.
The two main types of hanging scales are the dial hanging scale and the digital hanging scale. The dial hanging scale is highly accurate and easy to read. As I have already stated, the dial hanging scale can be very convenient in many applications because this type of scale does not require a power source. The dial type of hanging scales range in weight capacity from small scales for the weighing of food or small packages to large scales for industrial types of applications. Some popular brands of dial hanging scales are the My Weigh MHS Series Hanging Scales and Salter 235 Series Hanging Scales. The scale manufacturing company Detecto makes several dial hanging scales for various applications including the Detecto T3530 Legal For Trade Hanging Scale, the Detecto 11S Heavy Duty Hanging Scale, the Detecto MCS Series Utility Hanging Scales, and the Detecto MCS-B Butcher Hanging Weight Scales.
The digital hanging scales work on the same principal as the dial scale, however they use a digital sensor system and an LCD display. The digital scales also come in a variety of weight capacities from small to large scale. A few popular digital hanging scales include the Salter Brecknell CS Series Hanging Crane Scales, the Detecto HSDC “Legal For Trade” Hanging Scales, and the CAS IE Series Crane Scale.