6 Best Premium Scales For Market Hogs That Old Farmers Swear By

Guessing a hog’s weight by eye is a time-honored tradition, and a surefire way to lose money. You can be off by 20 or 30 pounds, and at today’s prices, that’s a costly mistake. A reliable scale isn’t a luxury; it’s one of the most critical management tools you can own. It turns guesswork into data, helping you make smarter decisions about feed, health, and when to sell.

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Why Accurate Hog Weights Are Non-Negotiable

Knowing exactly what your hogs weigh is fundamental to running a tight ship. When you sell an animal, you’re paid by the pound. Hitting that ideal market weight—not too light, not too heavy—is how you maximize your return. Missing that window means you either get docked for being underweight or you’ve spent extra money on feed for minimal gain.

Accurate weights are also your best report card for your feed program. By tracking weight gain over time, you can calculate your feed conversion ratio. This tells you exactly how efficiently your animals are turning expensive grain into profitable pork. Without this data, you’re just throwing feed in a trough and hoping for the best.

Finally, a scale is a powerful health monitoring tool. A hog that stops gaining weight or, worse, starts losing it, is often the first sign of illness. Catching this on the scale lets you intervene days before other symptoms might appear. Consistent weigh-ins are your early warning system.

Rice Lake SAS: The Gold Standard in Durability

When you talk about a scale that will outlast the barn you put it in, the Rice Lake SAS is what comes to mind. This isn’t a delicate piece of equipment. It’s a purpose-built single animal scale made from heavy-gauge, powder-coated steel designed to handle mud, manure, and grumpy 250-pound hogs.

The genius of the SAS is in its rugged simplicity. The load cells that do the actual weighing are sealed to protect against moisture and corrosion, which is the number one killer of farm electronics. The platform has a non-slip rubber mat, and the entire unit is low-profile, making it easy to get animals on and off without a fuss.

This scale is for the farmer who values reliability over bells and whistles. Its motion-filtering technology is excellent, locking in a steady weight even when a hog is dancing around. The tradeoff for this durability is its weight; it’s not something you’ll want to move around daily. But if you want a permanent or semi-permanent scale that just works, every single time, this is it.

Gallagher TWR-5: Smart Scale for Data Tracking

The Gallagher TWR-5 is more than just a scale; it’s a complete animal management system. If you’re the type of farmer who keeps detailed records in a notebook or spreadsheet, this device will change your life. It’s built for those who believe data drives better outcomes.

Its large, full-color touchscreen is easy to read in bright sunlight and simple to navigate. You can record not just weights, but also treatments, notes, and sort animals into different groups right on the indicator. It stores information for thousands of animals, tracking individual weight gain history automatically.

The real power comes from its connectivity. With built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can sync all your data to the Gallagher Animal Performance app on your phone or computer. This eliminates transcription errors and puts powerful analytics at your fingertips. It’s a significant investment, and the features may be overkill for someone raising just a couple of hogs a year. But for a growing operation, it provides insights that can dramatically improve your efficiency and profitability.

Tru-Test S3: Simplicity and Portability in One

The Tru-Test S3 system hits a sweet spot for many small-scale farmers. It delivers the accuracy and reliability of a premium brand in a simple, portable, and user-friendly package. It’s the perfect step up from a basic platform scale without the complexity of a high-end data management system.

The system consists of a handheld indicator and a pair of load bars, which are the sensors you place under a platform or a chute you build yourself. The indicator connects to the load bars via Bluetooth, so there are no cables for a hog to chew or for you to trip over. The battery life is excellent, and the whole setup can be moved and re-established in minutes.

The S3 indicator is brilliantly simple. The screen is large and backlit, making it easy to read in any condition. Tru-Test’s "Superdamp" weighing algorithm is one of the best in the business, quickly locking in an accurate weight on a restless animal. It can even connect to your phone via Bluetooth to record weights in the Data Link app, giving you a simple way to track gains without manual entry.

Cardinal Run-A-Weigh: Mobile and Built to Last

For some operations, the biggest challenge is getting the hogs to the scale, not the other way around. The Cardinal Run-A-Weigh solves this problem elegantly. It’s a complete, self-contained weighing system—platform, cage, and gates—all built onto a wheeled frame. This is the ultimate solution for portability.

Built by a company known for heavy-duty industrial scales, the Run-A-Weigh is tough. The steel construction and solid pen sides can handle agitated animals with ease. You can wheel it down a barn alley or out to a paddock, weigh your group, and then store it out of the way. This mobility is invaluable if you don’t have a central working area.

This isn’t just a platform with wheels; it’s an integrated system. The gates are easy to operate, the digital indicator is reliable, and the entire unit feels solid and safe. It’s a premium price for a premium product, but if you need to weigh animals in multiple locations, the time and labor it saves can justify the cost quickly.

Brecknell PS1000: A Versatile Platform Scale

Sometimes the best tool is the one that can do more than one job. The Brecknell PS1000 is a simple, tough, and affordable platform scale that can be adapted for weighing hogs. It’s a great choice for the farmer who needs a general-purpose scale and is willing to do a little DIY.

The PS1000 itself is a low-profile 43" x 20" steel platform with a 1,000-pound capacity. To use it for hogs, you’ll need to build a small, lightweight crate or pen to place on top. Once you "zero out" the weight of the crate, you have a perfectly functional and accurate livestock scale.

The true value of this scale is its versatility. When you’re not weighing hogs, you can use the platform to weigh bags of feed, hay bales, or anything else around the farm. It lacks the advanced motion-filtering of dedicated livestock scales, so you’ll need the animal to stand still for a moment. But for its price and multi-use potential, it’s an incredibly practical option.

Weigh-Tronix 640M: For Heavy-Duty Operations

For the farmer building a permanent, custom working facility, the Avery Weigh-Tronix 640M indicator is a top-tier choice. This isn’t a full scale, but rather the "brain" that you pair with high-quality load bars under your own custom platform or squeeze chute. It represents a professional-grade approach to animal weighing.

The 640M is renowned for its incredibly fast weight acquisition. Its advanced filtering algorithm is designed for high-throughput scenarios, like sale barns, where you need an accurate weight on a moving animal in seconds. The large, bright red LED display is easy to read from a distance, even in dusty barn conditions.

This is not a beginner’s scale. It’s a component for a larger system and is best for those raising a significant number of animals. Pairing it with a set of four quality load cells under a concrete or steel platform creates a weighing system that is as accurate and durable as it gets. It’s an investment in peak performance and efficiency for a serious operation.

Key Features in a Dependable Livestock Scale

When you’re ready to buy, it’s easy to get lost in the details. Focus on these four key areas to make sure you get a scale that truly meets your needs.

• Durability and Construction: Look for powder-coated or hot-dipped galvanized steel. Check that the electronics, especially the load cells and cable connections, are sealed against moisture. A non-slip floor is a must for animal safety and cooperation.
• Motion Filtering: This is the most important feature. Hogs don’t stand still. Good "animal weighing" software averages a flurry of readings in seconds to lock onto a stable, accurate weight. Without it, you’ll be frustrated and your numbers will be meaningless.
• Portability vs. Permanence: Be honest about your workflow. Do you need a scale you can easily move between pens, or will it live in a dedicated spot in the barn? A portable system with load bars offers flexibility, while a heavy, one-piece scale offers maximum durability.
• Data and Connectivity: Do you just need to see the weight, or do you want to track it? A simple indicator is fine for basic use. If you want to monitor average daily gain and keep digital records, look for a scale with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi that can sync with a smartphone app.

A quality scale is an investment, not an expense. It pays for itself by ensuring you get full value for your animals, optimizing your feed costs, and providing a critical window into your herd’s health. Don’t just buy the cheapest option; choose the scale that best fits the size and style of your operation. The right tool will make you a better, more profitable farmer.