Fairbanks 2-Pound Grain Scale

This grain scale is a 2-pound scale. It was used to determine the weight of grain in a Winchester¹ bushel.

The three measures on the beam tell:

• Weight of a bushel (top line)
• Actual weight of the sample (second line)
• Percent of deduction after cleaning and drying (bottom line)

It is made of brass with iron pivots.  

Franklin Fairbanks, son/nephew of the company founders, was issued the patent in 1877. The patent covers two of the three graduations on the beam: the actual weight of the sample in the receiver bucket and the percent of deduction after cleaning/drying.

Knowing the Fairbanks patent date helps date competitors’ scales that have the three graduations because they must have been made after the Fairbanks patent expired in 1894.

We also have a 4-pound version of this scale (CLICK HERE).

References:
¹See Exhibits > Introduction to Grain Scales