"When we first looked at the rationale behind a weighing service for large complex touring systems, it was clear that a significant number of measuring devices would be needed to adequately fulfil the needs of the industry," said Load Cell Rental founder, Richard Young. "Our initial investment was for 60 two ton load cells from Motion Labs. Now, we've just purchased the assets of Load Cell Hire Co' and more than doubled our stock."
Over 100 of the cells are currently out in rehearsal on Pink's Truth About Love tour in the USA. With various hanging and moving elements incorporated into her show, the ability to easily monitor the weight of any given point is important. The tour's lead rigger, Gabriel 'Gabe' Wood, is testing lighting trusses, speaker hangs, video screens, aerialist trusses, and other flying gags. He explains, "During rehearsals we are using one cell per point to get the exact point weights, and individual element weights for everything flown during the show. It is important to be vigilant, especially in the event of dynamic loading by aerialists and circus performers.
"Load Cell Rental has provided a complete system for this show," Wood continues. While most of the load cells on Pink will be returned after setting weight loads during rehearsals, Wood has decided to integrate a few for the duration of the tour. "To be honest the use of load cells has changed my approach somewhat in that, if possible, I will use them long-term on any trusses with extremely heavy loads, especially for trolleying loads.
"The primary advantage of a load cell system is to be able to weigh and certify the weights of your touring rig. When speaking with building engineers and local venues, it's helpful to be able to say we have our own load monitoring system to ensure proper motor loadings. Also, custom structural pieces can easily be tested for safe construction."
Gabe Woods concluded, "I have been happy with the performance of the Load Cell Rental system and I look forward to using it for the duration of the tour, as well as having additional load cells onsite in case any other monitoring is necessary."
(Jim Evans)
