Cranes & Load Links are typical of applications involving lifting. In almost all cases of lifting, there are restrictions on the weight of the item to be lifted, usually for safety or for structural reasons.
Cranes & Load Links usually have hooks or shackles for attachment of the load to be lifted. To provide the operator with weight information, a Load Cell is sometimes used, but the regulations for safety when lifting normally result in the use of pre-approved specialist weighing hardware.
The Load Link is a special type of Load Cell in the shape of a shackle coupling that can be easily placed in line with the load hook, to convert a "non-weighing" hook into a 'weighing" hook with very little addition to the lifting line length (sometimes a very important consideration when headroom is restricted).
Other solutions involve the use of strain gauges bonded directly to the body of the hook or shackle, and surrounded by the electronics, the battery packs and the display panels, to make a Crane Scale
Both of the above solutions are typical applications for RADIO TELEMETRY systems, due to the enhanced flexibility and reliability of wireless solutions when compared to moving wires.