Greg Smith

I'm in the market for a wireless scale setup. The main ones I've come across in my price range, and maybe somewhat out of, are the following:

LongAcre #72702, ~$1645, no case
LongAcre #72711, ~$1995, hard case
Intercomp #SW650RFX, ~$1567, no case
Intercomp #SW777RFX, ~$1852, hard case
Tanner #50520, ~$1999, no case(They also make a trick 1" thick scale)
Proform #67651, ~$1000, soft case

I'm leaning towards the Intercomp #SW650RFX or the Longacre #72702, anyone have experience with these models, or both brands? Or with Intercomp scales in general? I'm hesitant to go with the Proform after watching their video on Youtube and seeing how slowly their scales 'settled', and just general quality. The Tanner scales look nice, I'm just not sure I can justify the additional cost. Are there others I'm missing?

Regarding the case, while I think a storage solution is needed, I think this( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Race-Scale-C...item2a2c91a85f ) is more practical for around the shop and in/out of the trailer, so I'm not sure I really care about the storage case.

Comments are appreciated...

Thanks,
Greg.

PS-It might be worth mentioning that I'll occasionally be using hub stands on these.

Rob in VA

I have used older wireless Intercomp scales (w/ a PDA) and while the idea of wireless is pretty nice, it comes with the inconvenience of having to keep fresh / charged batteries on hand. Other than that, they are really nice.

ltc

Used the Longacre wireless (and wired) units back when my son was racing.
No issues.

Certain credit cards will add or double the manufacturer's original warranty...well worth it IMHO.

Auto_Werks 3.6

When I was working for SCCA we used wireless inter comp scales for official weights at national solo events. No complaints other than messing with batteries

Greg Smith

Is the battery life really that big of an issue? Intercomp advertises a 400hr battery life for the pads, that sounds pretty good to me.

Rob in VA

Dunno. The set I use is an older model and relies on rechargeable AAs and doesn't last a day. 400hrs does sound good. Shouldn't be a problem.

chartersb

Intercomp manufactures their own scales, creates their own software and RF protocols; not sure about the other choices. We have experience with both the SW650 and the SW787 and prefer the 787 since it links right to a laptop.

BGB Motorsports

Having just done this exercise a little over a year ago, I will offer my $.02:

I went with Longacre because of the price. Intercomp makes really nice stuff and is regarded as the nicer of the two but I was price conscious because I wanted to spend the $ on the MK scale platform that sits 18" above ground. For the same reason you are using hub stands, I hate needing another person to align the car. If you have a 2-post lift, it's not bad but who has that in your home garage?

As for the wireless aspect of it all, I can't stress enough what the others are saying about batteries. It's not the life as much as it is the forgetting to turn them off. Rechargeable batteries are the way to go if you want wireless and want to sit in the car and read corner weights, which makes life easier. I bet you don't have Pro drivers asking you to go on the pad every 12 minutes though to double check the smallest of things, so...you probably won't run through batteries like we have to.

As for the Longacre product and whether I'm happy with it, I couldn't be happier.

John

P.S. I almost forgot the most important reason I went with either...since you're using hub stands, you probably shouldn't run into this problem but WITHOUT A DUAL LOAD CELL PAD the camber deflection screws with your alignment. So, for those reading this that aren't using hub stands, spend the money and get the dual load-cell pads so that when the car moves or doesn't sit perfectly on the pad, it's not gaining/losing camber.

Over!

Cory M

I'd steer clear of Tanner, I had a horrible customer service experience with them.

Greg Smith

Thanks for the input, I ended up ordering the Intercomp SW650RFX's, I chose those over the 787 because I didn't want to have to worry about future computer compatibility/reliability/crashing.

Since it's somewhat on topic, any preference for hubstands? I haven't totally researched all the options, I'd like to keep them under $1000 though for all 4. I'd like ones with bearings or rollers on the bottom, saving me the cost of slip plates.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?...umber=35-70050 (I'm a little concerned about the manufacturing tolerances of these)

http://www.mittlerbros.com/tanner-by...nt-system.html

http://www.bbxracing.com/product_inf...products_id=69 (I'm not crazy about these, but that might be because I don't full understand how they move/slide.)

Matt Romanowski

Lots of people use the MK ones http://www.mktechnologies.com/produc...tup_wheels.htm

With the scale built in. No where near budget http://velocityhaus.com/set-up-tools...s-gt-cars.html

JacksonW

I also use a intercomp scale but its a cheap one. why not you try to find on eBay because there are many counting scales and balances with features that you need. I also bought mine from eBay in $1299 few months ago.

88man1

I have many years of experience with both Intercomp and Longacre products. Overall both companies make good weighing equipment and are probably the top two in the industry. I would basically agree with BGB's post above.

Intercomp is a higher end company with more "industrial" style products. And they make scales for industrial use and a separate division that focuses on racing. But, they do generally cost more.

Longacre makes a more affordable product overall and I would suggest they are more interested in the weekly short track racer market than Intercomp.

As for the wireless question, I think Longacre pushed the wireless scale technology better than Intercomp did, at least for awhile. Now Intercomp seems to have put much more emphasis on that over the past couple of years with a lot of their product. Not just wheel scales but also with their industrial line like crane scales, floor scales, etc...

KevinGross

Wireless = more stuff to go wrong. I'd weigh the benefits versus the hassle.