Kudos to you for doing your homework like this. And hats off to you for trying to find fun (and safe) places to camp with your daughter.
I've had good luck finding scales from the CAT locator:
https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/You can probably google "truck scales" and your zip code or city to find other companies with scales too.
What you want is a scale at a commercial location like a truck stop. You don't want a roadside DMV/CHP scale though.
There's an art to weighing, so you should search through the Towing forum here or start a new thread there in Towing for advice on checking your weights.
When you weigh your rig, pack it like you'd pack for a trip: full water (if you tow with water), fridge, dishes, clothes, propane, firewood, passengers, gas, and whatever else you bring with you.
Steel yourself for some blunt responses from the weight police. They aren't always kind and sometimes not even right.
The moderators in
Towing are super nice guys and hopefully won't let the trolls give you a hard time. (Just like I've deleted some of the unkind responses in this thread.)
This is all supposed to be fun. Once you've done your homework about the safety and made any necessary adjustments to your setup, you'll be all set. You'll hopefully make checklists for packing, and the safety issues will be part of the routine (check tire pressure, check lug nuts, etc.).
And as far as the friends go, that's kind of up to you. Meeting strangers on the internet is dicey, but I camped with a huge group of people I met here in the Toy Hauler forum in 2004 (including single moms) and I've been life-long friends with most of them ever since. Most of my camping pals are people from other cities and states, and we never see each other outside of camp. We've been through thick and thin as a group, experiencing joys and tragedies as a camping family. And yes, I've hauled other people's trailers for them when they needed it. It's a small gesture that comes from all of us relying so much on each other.
Good luck and keep asking questions.
