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bedpan's avatar
bedpan
Explorer II
Jun 16, 2015

How to weight

More just a general question. I don't have any specific concerns, just wondering how to do...

I have an 2013 f150 3.5 Ecoboost with Maxtow package. Got a 2015 Starcraft 18BH. Everything tows fine, no concerns at all. Just wondering how the numbers come in, tongue weight etc. So, the question; if I find a scale I can use, what would the recommend procedure be to weight everything.

Doing some digging around I see a few different approaches. If time allows I would think

With trailer hooked up
1) Weigh only truck axles with trailer off scale
2) Weigh with all axles on scale
3) Weigh just trailer axle

Disconnect from trailer
1) weigh only truck
2) weigh trailer

I am sure this is weight more then I need to do, just want to have it planned out if I find some where cheap/free to play with a scale.

Thanks in advance!

Mike

15 Replies

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  • BarneyS's avatar
    BarneyS
    Nomad
    Jun 16, 2015
    bedpan wrote:
    No WD on the trailer for me so two passes it is.

    When you say pads, I am not sure what this refers to. You specify the 3 pads, are those just weighed separately by having the appropriate axles on the scale, or are the scales actual broke into segments and show different reads somehow?

    Never used a scale before so its all new.

    Many thanks,

    Mike


    Yes, most commercial truck scales are divided into three seperate scales. This allows putting the steering axle on one, the drive axles on the 2nd, and the trailer axles on the third. You get a printout of the weights on all three scales and the total weight of all three combined.
    Catscale - How to weigh
    Barney
  • bedpan's avatar
    bedpan
    Explorer II
    Jun 16, 2015
    No WD on the trailer for me so two passes it is.

    When you say pads, I am not sure what this refers to. You specify the 3 pads, are those just weighed separately by having the appropriate axles on the scale, or are the scales actual broke into segments and show different reads somehow?

    Never used a scale before so its all new.

    Many thanks,

    Mike

    APT wrote:
    3 passes with 3 pads for the scale tells you almost everything you need to know if you have a WDH 2 passes is enough without WDH. TW and TW% can be calculated with those numbers. And you'll know where tou stand with respect to all your truck's ratings (Axle, GVWR, GCWR, receiver).

    Truck
    Truck with trailer without WD
    Truck with Trailer with WD

    The 3 pads are truck front axle, truck rear axle, and TT axles together if more than 1.

    TW is calculated by subtracting truck front axle + truck rear axle weights empty from truck front axle + truck rear axle with tongue on ball (no WD).
  • APT's avatar
    APT
    Explorer
    Jun 16, 2015
    3 passes with 3 pads for the scale tells you almost everything you need to know if you have a WDH 2 passes is enough without WDH. TW and TW% can be calculated with those numbers. And you'll know where tou stand with respect to all your truck's ratings (Axle, GVWR, GCWR, receiver).

    Truck
    Truck with trailer without WD
    Truck with Trailer with WD

    The 3 pads are truck front axle, truck rear axle, and TT axles together if more than 1.

    TW is calculated by subtracting truck front axle + truck rear axle weights empty from truck front axle + truck rear axle with tongue on ball (no WD).
  • bedpan's avatar
    bedpan
    Explorer II
    Jun 16, 2015
    Is that enough information to calculate tongue weight? I would have thought you would have to do some of the axles separately?

    badercubed wrote:
    When I weighed I did 3 passes...

    Truck alone
    Truck with trailer and W/D engaged
    Truck with trailer and W/D disengaged
  • badercubed's avatar
    badercubed
    Explorer
    Jun 16, 2015
    When I weighed I did 3 passes...

    Truck alone
    Truck with trailer and W/D engaged
    Truck with trailer and W/D disengaged

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