EUGENE, Ore.— In a strategic move to create compatible on-board scales for air and mechanical suspension system, Air-Weigh and Stress-Tek have integrated their hardware and software.

Stress-Tek is the Seattle, Wash.-based manufacturer and distributor of Vulcan’s broad line of load cells and transducers, which can now communicate with Air-Weigh equipped trucks and tractors.

Vehicles with mechanical suspensions use strain gauge-based load cells or transducers to measure changes in weight. Air suspension-based weighing systems, such as Air-Weigh’s, convert the changes in loaded and unloaded air pressure to calibrated weight data.

The initial product from the companies is to be a steer axle transducer option for the Air-Weigh Truck Scale line that directly senses changes in steer axle weights for those applications that can’t otherwise take advantage of Air-Weigh’s low cost predictive method of measuring weight on the steer axle.

These applications include any weight-sensitive straight truck with leaf spring steer axle and air suspension drive axles, such as the expedited freight segment, and tractors that carry payload over the steer axle, such as car carriers and some moving vehicles.