weather protection for hive scale

[Kimbrell]

I have acquired two feed scales that I plan to use in my bee yard to weigh my hives.  Since they will be stationary I feel some sort of shelter should be erected around the weighing apparatus to protect it from the elements.  Does anyone out there have any ideas?  Do any of you already use a hive scale?  If so, how do you keep the inside workings from rusting?

[Brian D. Bray]

I have a small slide scale (0-150 lbs) that I use.  I used 2 S hooks, 1 to attach a T handle and the other to slip into an eye screw mounted to the back of the hive stand.  I lift the back of the hive off the grown and record the reading.  Multiply that by 2 to get the full wieght (1/2 is resting on the other end of the hive stand) and then subtract the wieght of the woodenware.  Gives me a very good idea of how much wieght in bees, wax and honey is in each hive. 
Simple to use and can easily be moved to any bee yard and/or carried in your inspection box along with smoker, hive tool, etc.

[Kimbrell]

I decided to "bump" this because I'm still looking for anyone who has had experience with the type of scale I'm using.  It's what I call a feed scale that has the measuring bar on a 2-4 foot post.  I went to a class on using a scale like this at the EAS meeting in Kentucky last summer.  By leaving the hive on the scale and recording the weight every day the beekeeper is able to predict hive build up, nectar flow, etc.  Anyway I have acquired two of these scales.  But I really feel like there needs to be some protection from the elements for the measuring bar.  If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them.  I want to put the scales in place by the middle of February so I need to get started on it soon.

[BjornBee]

I'd do two things...

First, get a can of lubricant like WD-40, and coat the entire scale with a good coat. (and repeat every year)

Second, get a piece of rubber to cover the scale part. I would not do it for the platform section as it's hard to do without locking in moistire. But for the scale section, you can use a rigged piece of rubber, ensuring the there is enough air flow to not trap moisture under the rubber. As long as you keep it covered and rain out, it should work well.

[Kimbrell]

Thanks for the WD40 tip.  That will definitely help with the rust factor.  I'm not too worried about the scale base since the hive body should cover it.  I had thought about using a removable waterproof cover such as your suggested piece of rubber.  However since I need to check the hive's weight everyday I thought removing and replacing something like that would cause too much disruption.  The best I have been able to come up with is a sort of free standing cabinet built around the scale post that is anchored into the ground, not touching the scale.  This sort of covering would necessitate a door of some sort.  However the design is getting fairly complicated.   I thought surely someone out there had used a scale before and might have an idea for a simple covering that wouldn't disturb the hive.

[Robo]

I never did anything to protect mine and they worked fine for years with no issues.  However,  Bjorns recommendations sound like a good idea to me.

I assume these are the type of scales you are referring to.

[Kimbrell]

Yes, those are the type of scales I have.  However one of them is very old and the post is made of wood.  If you haven't had any trouble with yours, maybe I'm just worrying over nothing.  I think I had better still find some thing to protect the wood one, though.  Thanks.