Could/would a dealer weigh the trailer

1 question. Why would you load people into the trailer to weigh it?

Use he dry weight on the sticker in the cabinet, that is the as delivered weight. Then add 1200-1500 lbs to the dry weight. Now figure on 12.5% of that number. That will be what you want your loaded tongue weight to be, regardless of the dry tongue weight. As you load the trailer tongue weight will change. So it needs to be loaded correctly each and every time so you always have that same tongue weight.

When I was shopping I took my Sherline scale to a few dealers and weighed the tongue myself with their permission.

Walaby wrote:
If you want to make sure you stay below a certain tongue weight, take the full GVWR of the trailer (max weight trailer can be, including cargo) and multiply that by 13-15 percent. That will give you what your potential max tongue weight could be. Of course, that goes out the window if you overload your trailer.
Mike

Good advice. Do this..

Estimate your tongue weight and potential vehicle cargo as well as trailer cargo. Do a little math and you can come pretty close to actual weight. Then select a vehicle or trailer that does not push that limit. Simple as that. If you are trying to cut it close on either your vehicle's capabilities or the trailer weight you're just asking for trouble anyway. Leave plenty of room.

They can, but will they? You'll never know unless you ask.

If you want to make sure you stay below a certain tongue weight, take the full GVWR of the trailer (max weight trailer can be, including cargo) and multiply that by 13-15 percent. That will give you what your potential max tongue weight could be. Of course, that goes out the window if you overload your trailer.

All trailers will have their dry weight posted, and the max cargo capacity posted. Add those two numbers together to get your GVWR for the trailer.

If you go with that max GVWR, and you are within what you need for tongue weight, at 15 percent of that, then you should be good.

Mike

Most dealerships will tell you the truck is more than adequate to tow whatever it is they are selling.

I have even heard of fifth wheel sellers telling a prospective customer to go buy a GM 2500 truck to tow one of their 35' long fifth wheels with a 3,000 pound pin weight - even though the GM dealership should say NO - this 2500 truck does not have the ability to carry a 3,500 pound wet pin weight and a passengers.

But likely the car dealership will not know anything about the cargo rating of the trucks they are selling! And they will recommend the first one that you see that is the right color!

A tongue scale is probably going to cost $150 or more. I don't know any dealerships in my area that have one. They probably will say read the manufactures literature (it is getting closer to the actual weights).

I guess in reality, the 'dry weight' before you buy the trailer will change by at least 200 - 600 pounds when the fresh water tank is full, along with camping gear, clothes, food, cooking pans, and such.

So I would not really need to check the parking lot weight of the trailer (unless you think you are really close to the vehicle's GVWR) as it will change several hundred pounds when you are ready to camp.

That is why many say to buy 'to much truck' and you will have just enough. A larger truck will typically have heavy duty tires, less prone to allow side to side sway into a corner, and the extra weight on the rear axle will prevent the trailer from pushing the back of the truck into a corner on a downhill mountain run, where the truck is trying to hold back the weight of the trailer with engine compression and downshifting.

The built in brake controllers on modern big three trucks will apply the electric trailer brakes automatically if they feel side to side sway to get the trailer straight behind the truck again. But aftermarket controllers do not do this, they have a manual slide switch for this reason, and are supposed to be near the driver's reach while steering and controlling this. Sway can be induced by a passing truck on a two lane road, and a tsp of the trailer brakes will stop the sway quickly.

Good luck,

Fred.

He could, but whether he will or not is a question only he can answer. His first response is going to be to stonewall you in any number of ways; "That vehicle is plenty big enough", "We don't have a scale", "yadda, yadda, yadda". Just tell him your not paying any money for anything until you get that weights you need to decide for yourself whether or not your vehicle will handle the load. It's your money, you have all the control. He makes no money until he gets your money - remember that.

I would expect it to be very rare that any dealer would have a scale.