Confirm Towing Capacity Is OK?
I know you all get this all the time. But I wanted to give my setup and see if folks think this is OK. I weighed my 2011 Keystone Passport Ultralight. It is 5764 lbs shipping weight which I assume ...
Forum Discussion
Hi,
The easy way to figure out the trailer hitch weight is to leave the trailer at home, check the weight of the truck alone. You don't have to bring the family, but if you are going to dinner . . . . You can also just estimate their weight and add that to the truck weight, subtract the "Loaded and towing" weight from your results and come up with a Guestimate of the hitch weight.
You can also use a bathroom scale. While mine will not read 600 pounds that will be on your hitch jack, it can be done with a 4X4 and some blocks. Place a 2X4 across the top of the scale. Place a 4X4 about 6" long on the ground about 12" from the hitch jack. Place the scale about 48" from the jack, and a 4X4 in between those two points. Your hitch weight will show up on the scale.
If the separation was 12" to each side, then the scale would read 1/2 the weight on it. If 12" and 24" than 1/3 the weight will be on the scale. 12 and 48" will mean that 1/6 of the weight will be on the scale, and 5/6 will be on the other 4X4 on the ground. So a weight on the scale of 120 pounds = (120X6) 720 hitch weight. If you have a 300 pound capacity scale (from a garage sale, not the nice glass top one in your bathroom) then you can move in the 4X4 to 12" and scale to 24", you will get a closer guess at the hitch weight. Take the results and X3. This will work up to 900 pounds of hitch weight with a common 300 pound dial scale. Electronic scales normally can not take a reading while you lower the jack into place, unless you can put on the weight really quickly.
Fred.
The easy way to figure out the trailer hitch weight is to leave the trailer at home, check the weight of the truck alone. You don't have to bring the family, but if you are going to dinner . . . . You can also just estimate their weight and add that to the truck weight, subtract the "Loaded and towing" weight from your results and come up with a Guestimate of the hitch weight.
You can also use a bathroom scale. While mine will not read 600 pounds that will be on your hitch jack, it can be done with a 4X4 and some blocks. Place a 2X4 across the top of the scale. Place a 4X4 about 6" long on the ground about 12" from the hitch jack. Place the scale about 48" from the jack, and a 4X4 in between those two points. Your hitch weight will show up on the scale.
If the separation was 12" to each side, then the scale would read 1/2 the weight on it. If 12" and 24" than 1/3 the weight will be on the scale. 12 and 48" will mean that 1/6 of the weight will be on the scale, and 5/6 will be on the other 4X4 on the ground. So a weight on the scale of 120 pounds = (120X6) 720 hitch weight. If you have a 300 pound capacity scale (from a garage sale, not the nice glass top one in your bathroom) then you can move in the 4X4 to 12" and scale to 24", you will get a closer guess at the hitch weight. Take the results and X3. This will work up to 900 pounds of hitch weight with a common 300 pound dial scale. Electronic scales normally can not take a reading while you lower the jack into place, unless you can put on the weight really quickly.
Fred.
