A Portable Tripod and Weighing Assembly for Large Animals

A device for weighing large animals in the field was constructed. It consisted of a portable, easily erected tripod of iron pipe and up to five spring balances capable of weighing 1,200 pounds each. While conducting a survey of carcass and body composition analyses of East African ungulates, we found it necessary to devise a method of weighing large animals in the field. To be acceptable, the method had to include a means of supporting animals at a height sufficient to allow them to swing clear. A portable, easily erected tripod was decided upon. The method also had to provide for weighing animals up to 4,500 pounds when only spring balances capable of weighing maximum weights of 1,200 pounds each were available. This problem was overcome by mounting a series of such balances between two parallel pipes and summing the weights shown on the individual machines. The tripod (Figs. 1 and 2) was made of iron rod 3 inches in diameter. Leg A was 13 feet 2 inches long, with a steel plate 12 x 9 x 1/4 inches welded 5 inches from the basal end to prevent it from sinking into the ground or skidding. A ring of '/2-inch iron pipe was welded 3 inches from the top, to which a block or chain hoist was attached, the diameter of the ring being about 3 inches. On the lateral sides of leg A, 26 inches from the top, two '/2-inch iron rings were welded to accommodate the attachment of legs B and C (see Fig. 1). These legs were made of pipes, 3 inches in diameter, 12 feet 4 inches long, with a steel plate 10 inches in diameter welded to the basal end and a 4-inch iron rod welded to the top (see Fig. 1). When in transit, the tripod components were carried in racks bolted to the roof of the Land-Rover. The method of erection was simple and fast. Leg A was placed with its basal end near either end of the dead animal and