Next Year’s Best-Selling Load Cell

This article points to the standout features of Crosby Straightpoint’s Radiolink plus—that will keep it firmly at the top of the market in 2022. It was written by David Ayling, the former owner of Straightpoint, and now president of FAD Equipment Store.

Crosby Straightpoint manufactures many load cells and load monitoring technologies, but the Radiolink plus remains by far its best-seller—and ours. In short, it is a 1t to 500t capacity wireless load cell that offers a range of 3,200 ft. to a multi-function handheld display. However, it’s important to explain how the product adds practical advantages at the point of use, and why it stands above alternative systems on the marketplace.

We stock the Radiolink plus from 1t to 500t

Whole range in stock

Unlike many other load cells out there, the Radiolink plus is in-stock from 1t to 500t capacity. It is not uncommon to wait several weeks for other manufacturers’ systems to be delivered, especially in higher capacity ranges.

Unrivalled wireless range

We often get asked what the practical benefits are of a 3,200-ft. range. And it’s a good question. After all, there is never realistically going to be an application where the user must stand so far away (that’s 1km for our metric users) from the hook.

Remember though that this is a line-of-sight measurement and often there are obstacles between the crane and the operator. This means that when a 100 ft. line-of-sight range is in play, practically that results in much less, especially if there is no connection at all. This is where Radiolink plus users gain peace of mind that they will never be out of range.

Further, signal strength and low battery alerts, and internal firmware checks, inform the user when there might be an issue with either signal or power. This means the product will never be used without a strong, accurate signal, and will never provide an inaccurate reading.

The Radiolink plus is the world's best-selling load cell.

Keeping the load cell rigged

There are several features to highlight that mean the Radiolink plus can be left on the hook of the crane—it’s part of the rigging:

AA batteries

The product is powered by easy-to-source AA alkaline batteries, which can be bought from the local store or gas station, offering battery life of 1,200 hours continuous use. These batteries are behind a removable cover versus the internal, rechargeable batteries in most other competing products available. This was a popular addition to the product in 2014. Think about the problems caused by finding out a load cell is out of battery power when it is hundreds of feet in the air or rigged offshore in a critical lift. De-rigging and recharging could cost the user thousands of dollars.

Suited to extreme environments

The Radiolink plus is constructed from high-quality aerospace grade aluminum, and the product features an advanced internal design structure. This design provides it with an unrivalled strength-to-weight ratio. The use of a separate internal sealed enclosure administers the load cell's electronic components with NEMA6 (or IP67) environmental protection, even with the battery cover plate missing. Again, this means the load cell can be kept on the hook for many months even in the most extreme marine environments.



An ATEX and IECEx version for use in Zones 0, 1 and 2 is also available.

• It is the only load cell or dynamometer available that is DNV-type approved, while an ATEX and IECEx version for use in Zones 0, 1 and 2 is also available. 

Internal antennae and on / off switch

The absence of an external antennae and physical on / off switch further enable the product to remain rigged, as it can be controlled from the safety of the handheld device, operated at distance, rather than having to switch the load cell on from the device itself, which isn’t easy if it’s 50 ft. in the air on a crane hook.

Key features include hardened bushes to accept industry standard shackles.

Other facts

• The product can provide an update rate of 3Hz and can be easily configured to run at industry-leading speeds of up to 200Hz, making it ideal for dynamic force measurement.
• It complies with ASME B30.26.
• We recommend the Radiolink plus is used with Crosby shackles—a full range of which is stocked in our store.
• The product is supplied with a 12-month certificate of calibration and proof test—and includes a two-year warranty.

Where might a Radiolink plus be used?

Straightpoint manufactures a variety of equipment that can be used for proof testing. Its Insight software records data gathered by up to 125 Radiolink plus load cells simultaneously, for example. It then creates a pass or fail certificate that includes test data and graphs charting data from the load versus time throughout a test.

Order your Crosby Straightpoint Radiolink plus today.

In one recent application, a customer used 5t capacity water bags and a 50t load cell to complete a load test on a knuckle boom deck crane on a ship docked at a local shipyard. In another, a customer used a 12t capacity load cell and a Crosby shackle of the same capacity to complete a series of tests during fabrication of a power generator module.

We’ve sold Radiolink plus load cells for use in towing, construction, shipping, and for use with davit cranes too.

The impressive strength-to-weight ratio means that the 250t capacity version weighs only 180 lbs.

Did you know?

A Bluetooth version of the Radiolink plus uses wireless technology for exchanging data over short distances to collect information from a single load cell up to 320 ft. away. The app can package up the data collected and send it onto a recipient in the form of an Excel spreadsheet. The free-of-charge iOS and Android app adds convenience and cost efficiency to many applications involving Straightpoint equipment where a single force measuring device is used near a reader and / or data-logging system.

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Buy your Radiolink plus here.