The Application of Tungsten Alloy Counterweight in Trucks

Counterweight is an integral part of a variety of big machines dealing with huge load. By balancing the weight, it secures a safety performance of tractors, trucks, cranes, excavators and others. If you own a truck that you want to have a safe trip, it is important that you do not just go out into the wild with the equipment that came with your vehicle. Even Jeeps usually require special upgrades to ensure that they are able to handle driving on terrain that is not paved. Failing to ensure that you have the right elevation and counterweight in your truck, tires or wheels can lead to expensive damage. Tungsten alloy counterweight is the best choice in truck to ensure the balance of weight when loading and unloading goods.

What is Tungsten Alloy?

The word tungsten means “heavy stone” in Swedish. The chemical symbol for tungsten is W which stands for Wolfram. The name came from medieval German smelters who found that tin ores containing tungsten had a much lower yield. These alloys contain 90% or more tungsten with nickel, iron, or copper added. Unlike pure tungsten, these materials can be conventionally machined and are less expensive. However, they cannot withstand the extremely high heat that it would take to melt pure tungsten and are not as hard.

Why is Tungsten Alloy Used in Trucks?

A counterweight is a weight that, by exerting an opposite force, provides balance and stability of a mechanical system. Its purpose is to make lifting the load more efficient, which saves energy and is less taxing on the lifting machine. Tungsten alloy is denser than most materials, thus tungsten alloy for counterweights have in average three times more density than pure concrete. This enables it to achieve the target weight in less space and volume compared to concrete which eliminates the cost for additional material. Once the truck starts the required operation, the center of gravity of the machine is moved immediately forward or backward. The more the truck arm raises the load, the more the center of gravity moves further and higher, until the caused instability leads to the truck's overturning. Therefore, the major safety factor, while operating a front-end loader truck is its stability while lifting and transporting a load. The extreme working conditions in which usually the machine is used (working while snowing on hills or slopes), increases the risk of tipping over and requires an adequate solution. Tungsten alloy counterweight needs to be inserted at the rear or front part of the machine to secure a proper weight distribution and stability.

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