Abstract: A portable load scale for use in rugged terrain or at locations without suitable support pads, the load scale having a support deck affixed to a base platform through a plural number of load cells, where the base platform is constructed to provide ramp members joined by longitudinal runner assemblies to form a rigid, non-flexing assembly having a central gap and gaps between pairs of ramp members to reduce the standard rectangular footprint by approximately 30 percent. The runner assemblies are constructed so that the bottom of the support deck is separated from the top of the base plate of the runner assemblies by a distance of several inches so that debris will not impede the operation of the load scale. The load cells are mounted onto the underside of the support deck and joined to the base platform by ball bushings such that the load cells can pivot in any or all axis directions relative to the base platform to relieve stresses induced by uneven terrain.