B737-200 CREW WAS IMPROPERLY FUELED AND HAD A FUEL IMBALANCE THAT WAS OUT OF LIMITATIONS.

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OVER-FUEL/ FUEL IMBALANCE. WHILE AT THE GATE IN DAL; THE MECH CAME UP WITH MAINT STAND TO THE WINDOW AND ASKED WHAT THE R FUEL GAUGE READ. IT WAS 6300 LBS WITH A SIMILAR READING ON THE L. THE MECH LEANED IN AND LOOKED AT IT AND THEN LEFT WITHOUT ANY COMMENT. THE FUEL LOAD ON THE RELEASE WAS 12500 LBS. A FEW MINS LATER WE READ THE CHKLIST. THE FO RECALLED THAT MY RESPONSE TO 'FUEL QUANTITY' WAS '14000 LBS; CLRED WITH 12500 LBS.' ON TKOF WITH THE FO FLYING; WE HAD A STRONG R XWIND. I NOTICED AT THE START OF THE TKOF ROLL THAT HE CORRECTLY HAD THE AILERONS INTO THE WIND. AT VR; I SAW HIM NEUTRALIZE THE AILERONS; AND I EXPECTED US TO BANK L AS WE TOOK OFF. WE DID NOT. CLBOUT AND CLEANUP APPEARED NORMAL TO ME; BUT THAT TURNED OUT TO BE DUE TO GOOD FLYING BY THE FO. FINALLY; AT ABOUT 5000 FT; HE ASKED IF WE HAD A FUEL IMBALANCE. WHEN I LOOKED; THE L GAUGE SAID 5800 LBS; AND THE R ONE SAID 9000 LBS. I OPENED THE XFEED VALVE AND TURNED OFF THE L TANK PUMPS. WE WERE BACK IN BAL BEFORE TOP OF DSCNT. ON ARR; I ASKED TO HAVE BOTH TANKS DRIP STICKED. DURING FUELING; THE R HAND COCKPIT GAUGE LAGGED WELL BEHIND THE L ONE AS FUEL WAS ADDED. THE FUELER CONFIRMED THAT THE R TANK REACHED THE PROPER FUEL LEVEL ON THE STICK WELL BEFORE THE GAUGE SHOWED IT. I CALLED DAL AND TALKED TO THE MECH WHO FUELED US. I ASKED HIM WHY HE CAME TO THE COCKPIT TO READ THE GAUGE. HE SAID THAT THE R TANK APPEARED TO BE TAKING FUEL SLOWLY AND HE WANTED TO XCHK THE GAUGES. HE SAID THAT HE ADDED NO MORE FUEL AFTER WE READ 6300 LBS PER SIDE. I NEXT CONTACTED DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL AND WROTE UP AND MEL'ED THE R HAND FUEL GAUGE AS LAGGING DURING REFUELING. IN RETROSPECT; WE PROBABLY LEFT THE GATE WITH A 6300 LB/9500 LBS IMBALANCED FUEL LOAD. BESIDES BEING WAY OUT OF BAL; WE WERE 3200 LBS HEAVIER THAN ON THE LOADSHEET. WE PROBABLY MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH THE PROB WHEN WE READ THE CHKLIST. SINCE WE HAD 14000 LBS TOTAL; WE WERE PROBABLY SHOWING A 6300 LB/7700 LB IMBALANCE; BUT DIDN'T NOTICE IT. FROM NOW ON; IN A -200; I'LL START LOOKING AT THE INDIVIDUAL FUEL GAUGES; NOT JUST THE TOTALIZER. (I ALREADY DO IT THAT WAY IN THE -300; -500; -700.) WE ALSO FAILED TO NOTICE THE 1500 LB (AT TIME OF CHKLIST READING) DISCREPANCY BTWN THE TOTALIZER READING AND WHAT WAS ON THE LOADSHEET. ALSO; I SHOULDN'T HAVE LET THE MECH LEAVE WITHOUT FINDING OUT WHY HE NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT THE COCKPIT GAUGE READ. IF I HAD KNOWN THEN THAT HE THOUGHT THE TANK WAS 'TAKING FUEL SLOWLY;' IT MIGHT HAVE OCCURRED TO ME THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY TAKING FUEL AT A NORMAL RATE AND THAT THE GAUGE WAS LAGGING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 560373: WE HAD THE LOADING SCHEDULE WHEN WE READ THE CHKLIST AND DID NOT CONNECT THE FUEL QUANTITY DISAGREEMENT. THE TOTALIZER READ 14000 LBS AND APPEARED TO BE BALANCED (THE LOADING SCHEDULE SAID 12500 LBS). I DID NOT LOOK AT THE FUEL QUANTITY OR BAL AGAIN UNTIL ON DEP. ON TKOF; WE HAD 13 KTS OF R XWIND. I STARTED THE TKOF ROLL WITH THE APPROPRIATE XWIND CTLS AND WE PRETTY MUCH ROLLED EXACTLY DOWN THE CTR OF THE RWY. ON ROTATION; I HAD TO REVERSE THE AILERON TO GET THE R WING OFF THE GND. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS A GUST OF WIND BUT AS WE CLBED OUT I HAD TO KEEP A LARGE AMOUNT OF L AILERON INPUT TO KEEP THE WINGS LEVEL. MY NEXT THOUGHT WAS THAT WE HAD AN ENG PROB SO I SLAMMED THE ENGS AND NOTICED THE FUEL IMBALANCE. THE INDICATION WAS #1 TANK ABOUT 5.8 AND #2 TANK ABOUT 9.0.