Author Topic: Old sheep weigh crate - repairable? (Read 2235 times)

suziequeue · « **on:** August 03, 2014, 05:51:41 pm »

We bought an old sheep weigh crate off eBay (much like the one in the photo) but have discovered that it's wildly inaccurate. I tried to calibrate it this morning (using some dumb-bell weights) and it was all over the place.

Are these things repairable? What's the most likely fault?

How would I go about repairing one or is it better to just get a new one??

Anybody have experience of these contraptions?.

shep53 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 04, 2014, 08:49:53 pm »

You could try looking inside the scales for any thing obvious , my salter scales the plastic is held with clips then the needle has a nut and then the face two small screws then you are in to the springs , has it got a working adjuster screw mine got lost so I put a bolt in

Bramblecot · « **Reply #2 on:** August 10, 2014, 12:17:47 pm »

Is it always off by the same amount? One of ours is but you can you test it with known quantities eg a feed bucket, and adjust your figures accordingly. It does give us an idea of how the weights compare between animals and is still useful bit of kit. And we find the sheep have to stand fairly still to let the crate springs settle down.
I am sure you can buy new scales but they are expensive.

Stellan Vert · « **Reply #3 on:** August 15, 2014, 11:59:02 am »

Hi

I would get a hose or steam cleaner and go over the moving bits as your inconsistent weight may be a lump of mud or muck in the mechanism. A good clean may be all it needs.

SV