glanced thru the searches, but didn't see anything on how to determine what my pin weight is. I know I have to use scales, I guess truck scales, but how do I go about determining this? Do I weigh my truck alone, then hook up the fiver and weigh again? If so, how does that reflect my pin weight? It would seem that would only give me the difference between the two.Circumstances are that over the last three months, I have had slipped belts on my rear tires, first one, then the other even tho they only had 30k miles on them. Shop manager said that the tires I have normally get about 40-45k miles before something like this happens and when I told him I have a 5th wheel, he suggested that I might be running without max air pressure. Since I don't do that, I was thinking that perhaps I've got too much pin weight and I have never weighed the rig.Interested in any comments. thanks

Think of it as a load. The total weight of a load is identical to the weight bearing down on all load supporting places. 2000 pounds on the pin, plus 10,000 pounds on the wheels will make a load 0f 12,000 pounds.Weighing the truck without the pin weight, then the truck with the pin weight will determine the pin weight by itself.

Artum Snowbird wrote:Think of it as a load. The total weight of a load is identical to the weight bearing down on all load supporting places. 2000 pounds on the pin, plus 10,000 pounds on the wheels will make a load 0f 12,000 pounds.Weighing the truck without the pin weight, then the truck with the pin weight will determine the pin weight by itself.Still a little confused, how do I determine just the pin weight? In other words, how do I determine how much weight is on the pin and how much of the total weight is on the fiver wheels? Do I just weigh with the rear wheels on the scales?

when you go to the scales (e.g. CAT truck scales) there will separate scales in a row adjacent to one another. First you weigh the truck by straddling 2 of the scales so your front tires are on one and your rear tires are on the separate adjacent one. This will give you separate weights for the front axle (called 'Steer Axle' on the weight ticket) and the rear axle (called 'Drive Axle on the weight ticket). Now, hook up to your trailer and go back onto the scales so your truck front axle is on the first scale (as before), your truck rear axle is on the second scale (as before) and your trailer axles are both on the third scale. You'll get another weight ticket that will now show the Steer Axle, Drive Axle and Trailer Axles. To get your pin weight take the difference between the Drive axle weights with and without the trailer hooked up. There may also be a difference in the Steer axle weights that you'll have to take into account based on whether the Steer axle weight went up or down with the trailer hooked up vs. not hooked up. Also, you can do a web search that will give you info on how to do it and show you what a weight ticket looks like.

Here is a description of how to weight on CAT scales.Catscale.com/how-to-weigh

If you tow a FW, it would be good to rotate tires more often. The added pin weight, no doubt puts more stress on the rear tires.As long as you are within your RAWR/tire rating, and keeping tire pressure at the max, you should not be having belt trouble.IMO, I would switch tire brands, but you do need to weigh, to be sure you are not pushing the tire load limits.Jerry

determining pin weight | Good Sam Community

43 Replies

shadoow
Explorer
Apr 21, 2014
when you go to the scales (e.g. CAT truck scales) there will separate scales in a row adjacent to one another. First you weigh the truck by straddling 2 of the scales so your front tires are on one and your rear tires are on the separate adjacent one. This will give you separate weights for the front axle (called 'Steer Axle' on the weight ticket) and the rear axle (called 'Drive Axle on the weight ticket). Now, hook up to your trailer and go back onto the scales so your truck front axle is on the first scale (as before), your truck rear axle is on the second scale (as before) and your trailer axles are both on the third scale. You'll get another weight ticket that will now show the Steer Axle, Drive Axle and Trailer Axles. To get your pin weight take the difference between the Drive axle weights with and without the trailer hooked up. There may also be a difference in the Steer axle weights that you'll have to take into account based on whether the Steer axle weight went up or down with the trailer hooked up vs. not hooked up.
Also, you can do a web search that will give you info on how to do it and show you what a weight ticket looks like.
Cajun_Bill
Explorer
Apr 21, 2014
Artum Snowbird wrote:
Think of it as a load. The total weight of a load is identical to the weight bearing down on all load supporting places.

2000 pounds on the pin, plus 10,000 pounds on the wheels will make a load 0f 12,000 pounds.

Weighing the truck without the pin weight, then the truck with the pin weight will determine the pin weight by itself.

Still a little confused, how do I determine just the pin weight? In other words, how do I determine how much weight is on the pin and how much of the total weight is on the fiver wheels? Do I just weigh with the rear wheels on the scales?
Artum_Snowbird
Explorer
Apr 21, 2014
Think of it as a load. The total weight of a load is identical to the weight bearing down on all load supporting places.

2000 pounds on the pin, plus 10,000 pounds on the wheels will make a load 0f 12,000 pounds.

Weighing the truck without the pin weight, then the truck with the pin weight will determine the pin weight by itself.

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determining pin weight

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