Put down $400 on a load indicator system last spring, biggest mistake yet

I bought a Rayco Wylie load indicator for my Grove RT650 back in April, thought it would be a solid investment for safety checks. Turns out the sensor calibration kept drifting after every rainstorm, and I spent more time fixing it than actually lifting. Any other operators here had bad luck with aftermarket load systems, or did I just get a lemon?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_kevin3d ago

You mentioned the calibration drifting after every rainstorm... that's actually not just a lemon situation. The Rayco Wylie systems have a known issue with moisture getting into the sensor housing if the seals aren't perfect. I had a buddy who ran a Link-Belt and he had to seal his sensor box with dielectric grease every few months to keep it working right. The calibration drift you're seeing is probably from condensation building up inside, not the unit itself being bad. Grove's factory load indicators use a different sealed design that handles weather better, but those aftermarket ones need extra care if you're working in wet conditions.

tylerlane3d ago

@the_kevin nailed it with the moisture thing, that's exactly what I've seen on other gear too. It's like how anything electronic in a damp basement just slowly loses its mind no matter how careful you are. Calibration drift is always a symptom of water sneaking in somewhere it shouldn't be, not the unit being trash out of the box.