Custom Weighing Cages for the Hog Industry Introduced By Arlyn Scales

Remote Screen

The hog industry has some very unique weighing requirements. Groups of animals are raised together and must all reach market weight at the same time. Farmers receive their best market returns when a batch of animals reaches the target weight with very little variation. The best way to accomplish this is to monitor each animal individually, and to adjust its feed to achieve the proper rate of weight gain.

Arlyn Scales has recently designed a custom digital weight indicator specifically for this industry. Using this digital weight indicator, a farmer can program any number of animal weight ranges. As each animal is weighed, it is automatically classified by its indicated weight range. This weight range triggers an electrical activation signal which opens a gate and allows the animal to enter its designated feed area. The data that is collected by the indicator aids farmers by determining the statistics for a batch of animals. This data can then be forwarded to a computer system for further statistical analysis.

These specially designed weight indicators are fitted onto a rugged weighing cage built by Arlyn Scales. Each cage is fitted with four stainless steel load cells that can provide accurate weight measurements on a moving animal. As hogs may weigh up to 250 lbs., these load cells must be exceedingly rugged. They have also been specifically engineered for reliable operation, even after years of operating in a dirty and difficult weighing environment. The cages are extremely durable as well, and are welded from high strength tubular steel.

A variety of data transmission options are available from these custom digital indicators. Industrial grade RS-485 outputs may deliver the information to an Arlyn RS-485 to USB converter for input into a computer. Other options that can be included are Ethernet and Wireless Ethernet connections.

For more information on how Arlyn Scales can develop custom weighing and scale applications for your industry, please contact our sales department by calling us toll free at 800-645-4301, or by filling out our contact form.