MNM Four 4,000 lb Stainless NTEP Shear Beam Load Cell Kit Guide
- pete8781
- Jul 30
- 4 min read
Need help sizing a platform, hopper or replacement set? Call MNM Scales at (832) 290-3120 or email mnmscales@yahoo.com.
The MNM four 4,000 lb stainless shear beam load cell kit is a four-corner weighing package for platform, floor, pallet, hopper, tank and custom scale projects that need stainless moisture-sealed sensors in a compact envelope. MNM’s listing identifies the package as NTEP and includes four 4,000 lb cells, four 1/2-20 feet and four spacers. The listing also publishes a full set of electrical and performance specifications, making this family especially useful for replacement matching and new multi-cell builds where the designer needs more than capacity alone.
What Is Included
The MNM package contains four stainless, moisture-sealed shear-beam load cells rated at 4,000 lb each, four threaded feet with 1/2-20 hardware and four spacers. In a typical four-corner platform, each load cell supports one corner through appropriate mounting hardware and all four signals feed a summing/junction box before reaching the indicator. The cells’ individual capacities add to 16,000 lb mathematically, but that is not automatically the legal or engineering capacity of a finished platform. Deck dead load, uneven loading, corner concentration, impact, overload margin, mounting geometry and metrology requirements all reduce the usable system rating.
MNM-Published Technical Specifications
Capacity per cell | 4,000 lb Material / sealing | Stainless steel, moisture sealed Rated output | 3.00 ± 0.015 mV/V Nonlinearity | ±0.02% FS Hysteresis | ±0.02% FS Repeatability | ±0.01% FS Creep, 30 minutes | ±0.02% FS Zero balance | ±1.00% FS Temperature effect on zero | ±0.02% FS / 10°C Temperature effect on output | ±0.02% FS / 10°C Input resistance | 385 ± 5 Ω Output resistance | 350 ± 3 Ω Insulation resistance | ≥5000 MΩ Excitation | 10 V DC/AC Compensated temperature | -10 to 50°C Operating temperature | -20 to 60°C Safe overload | 120% FS Wiring | Red +Excitation, Black -Excitation, Green +Signal, White -Signal Included feet | Four, 1/2-20 Included spacers | Four Cable notation on listing | 5.4 × 6 m; confirm exact interpretation with MNM if cable dimensions are critical
What the 3.00 mV/V Rating Means
Rated output describes the approximate full-load signal relative to excitation. At 10 V excitation, a nominal 3.00 mV/V cell produces about 30 mV at its individual rated load before system summing and calibration effects. In a four-cell platform, the junction box combines signals and the indicator is calibrated to the finished platform capacity. Matching 3 mV/V cells is convenient because common industrial indicators are designed for this signal class, but bridge resistance, excitation capability, cable wiring and total load-cell count must also be compatible.
Capacity Planning for a Four-Cell Platform
Start with the heaviest gross load the platform must carry, then add the platform/deck dead weight and realistic off-center concentration. A pallet or vessel does not distribute force perfectly across four corners. During forklift loading or when a tank’s center of gravity shifts, one or two cells may carry much more than one quarter of the total. Because each cell has a 4,000 lb rating and MNM lists 120% safe overload, the system designer should calculate the worst individual-cell force—not simply divide gross weight by four. For legal-for-trade systems, the complete scale design, indicator, junction box, cell certification and installation must meet the applicable requirements.
Listed Interchange Families
MNM lists the following families as interchangeable references: Artech SS30310, Celtron SQB SS, HBM B35, Revere 9123, Rice Lake RL35023S, Rice Lake RL39123, Sensortronics 65023SS and Coti Global CG-23SS. That is valuable for maintenance departments replacing obsolete or damaged cells, but confirm the exact capacity, mounting envelope, bolt pattern, load direction, cable, electrical specifications and legal-metrology requirements of the specific legacy installation before substitution.
Where Stainless Shear Beams Make Sense
Stainless, moisture-sealed load cells are attractive in food/process plants, packaging rooms, agricultural facilities, wet warehouses, chemical-adjacent environments and outdoor/condensation-prone installations where bare or plated alloy steel would face more corrosion risk. “Moisture sealed” should not be automatically translated into a specific IP69K/high-pressure washdown rating unless that rating is documented for the exact cell. Design cable entries, junction boxes and indicator enclosures to the same environmental standard as the load cells or the weakest enclosure will limit the system.
Basic Four-Cell Installation Workflow
1. Build a rigid platform or vessel support that directs vertical load through the four load points. 2. Install each cell in the same orientation and with the correct fixed/loading-end geometry. 3. Use the supplied feet/spacers as intended by the mounting design; allow the platform to settle without side binding. 4. Route all four cables to a compatible junction/summing box. 5. Wire red +excitation, black -excitation, green +signal and white -signal according to the MNM listing. 6. Verify each corner responds in the same direction. 7. Mechanically level/free the platform before trimming electronics. 8. Perform corner testing and junction-box trim. 9. Zero the empty scale, apply known calibration load for span, then repeat corner checks. 10. Document the finished rated capacity and keep it below what the mechanics and individual cells can safely support.
FAQ
Does four 4,000 lb cells mean I automatically have a 16,000 lb scale? No. 16,000 lb is the sum of individual nominal capacities, not an automatic finished-platform rating. What is the rated output? MNM lists 3.00 ± 0.015 mV/V. What are the bridge resistances? MNM lists 385 ± 5 ohms input and 350 ± 3 ohms output. What excitation is listed? 10 V DC/AC. Are feet included? Yes, four 1/2-20 feet plus four spacers are listed. Is the kit stainless? Yes, the listing describes stainless, moisture-sealed cells. Is it NTEP? MNM’s product title/listing identifies the kit as NTEP; for a legal-for-trade installation, confirm the applicable certificate/configuration and complete system compliance for your specific build.
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