Forum Discussion

frisbeekev's avatar
frisbeekev
Explorer
Jan 06, 2019

Weighing rv

This is a silly question I am sure, but here it goes. I know you can weigh your rig at a truck stop on their scales. I was wondering if you can use those random truck scales on the side of the highway or do they frown upon that? Also would It get me the weights i want (tongue weight, trailer weight, truck weight, and combined weight. I know (at least near me) the state police sometimes search vehicles there, which would be a pain. That is all I have near me though and I want to get the weights of my unit. Thanks
  • Tvov's avatar
    Tvov
    Explorer II
    Jan 07, 2019
    As far as I can tell in Connecticut, gates close off the highway scales when they are not being used by DOT / State Police. When they are being used, it is mandatory that commercial trucks stop at the scales, and there is a line of trucks and a bunch of officers there. People would not be happy if a camper pulls in to get different weights.

    My town uses a "transfer station" for garbage - garbage trucks and personal vehicles hauling garbage are weighed, they dump into a hopper, garbage gets hauled away to a trash-to-energy plant. At slow times, usually late afternoon, the place is almost empty. If you ask the scale operator, and are polite about it, they are perfectly happy to let anyone weigh pretty much anything at no charge.
  • deltabravo's avatar
    deltabravo
    Nomad
    Jan 07, 2019
    frisbeekev wrote:
    This is a silly question I am sure, but here it goes. I know you can weigh your rig at a truck stop on their scales. I was wondering if you can use those random truck scales on the side of the highway or do they frown upon that?


    I do it all the time in WA.... when the scales are closed.

    If the scales are open and in use by a line of truckers, keep going.

    WA leaves the scale display rotated around for outside viewing specifically so people can randomly stop and weight their rigs.
  • rbpru's avatar
    rbpru
    Explorer II
    Jan 08, 2019
    The real world number for my rig across the CAT scales for my last trip were.

    Total truck axel weights equaled 6500#
    Total truck and trailer weight 13,080#
    So, the weight of trailer was 6580#
    Weight of trailer axels 5740#
    Weight transferred to WD hitch was 840# about 13% of trailer weight.

    The truck's yellow door sticker shows 15,000# max total load, 7200# max total truck axel weight.

    Trailer manufacturer's sticker shows gross trailer weight of 7500#

    2011 F-150 towing guide states a max trailer weight for my truck is 9800# with 10 to 15 percent on the tongue. However the max WD hitch weight is 1130#.

    While I am nowhere nears truck or trailer total limits, I have found I need to watch the rear axel weight. Not because of the WD weight but because of all the camp gear I load into the truck bed that should be carried it the camper.

    The CAT scales are your friend when it comes to long distance trips.
  • Huntindog's avatar
    Huntindog
    Explorer
    Jan 08, 2019
    rbpru wrote:
    The real world number for my rig across the CAT scales for my last trip were.

    Total truck axel weights equaled 6500#
    Total truck and trailer weight 13,080#
    So, the weight of trailer was 6580#
    Weight of trailer axels 5740#
    Weight transferred to WD hitch was 840# about 13% of trailer weight.

    The truck's yellow door sticker shows 15,000# max total load, 7200# max total truck axel weight.

    Trailer manufacturer's sticker shows gross trailer weight of 7500#

    2011 F-150 towing guide states a max trailer weight for my truck is 9800# with 10 to 15 percent on the tongue. However the max WD hitch weight is 1130#.

    While I am nowhere nears truck or trailer total limits, I have found I need to watch the rear axel weight. Not because of the WD weight but because of all the camp gear I load into the truck bed that should be carried it the camper.

    The CAT scales are your friend when it comes to long distance trips.
    These figures, though they may be "real", may not mean anything if it was not weighed properly..

    What is the TW WITHOUT WD engaged? That is just for starters. Gotta go to work now, but you can look up the right way to do this on the forum
  • rbpru's avatar
    rbpru
    Explorer II
    Jan 08, 2019
    My point is the tongue weight without the WD hitch means little. Unless you have enough weight to bend the frame.

    If the the tongue weight is 1000# or 1500#. The purpose of the WD hitch is to redistribute some of that weight from the rear truck axle, to the front truck axle and the trailer axles.

    If the hitch is set so the truck and trailer sit level, and all the axle weights are within spec, I am set to go. (Actually I use the yellow sticker max cargo rating, as it is a bit less than the sum of the truck's axle ratings).

    If you have enough tongue weigh to bend the frame, you have other issues.
  • Huntindog's avatar
    Huntindog
    Explorer
    Jan 08, 2019
    rbpru wrote:
    My point is the tongue weight without the WD hitch means little. Unless you have enough weight to bend the frame.

    If the the tongue weight is 1000# or 1500#. The purpose of the WD hitch is to redistribute some of that weight from the rear truck axle, to the front truck axle and the trailer axles.

    If the hitch is set so the truck and trailer sit level, and all the axle weights are within spec, I am set to go. (Actually I use the yellow sticker max cargo rating, as it is a bit less than the sum of the truck's axle ratings).

    If you have enough tongue weigh to bend the frame, you have other issues.
    You either believe in the ratings, or you don't.

    You stated that the max WD hitch weight is 1130#.

    If you are really (you never come right out and say it) over 1130# before engaging WD, then you are over the rating... Probably of the hitch itself, but that is just a guess.

    You state that your weight transferred to WD (really no such thing) is 840#.

    That means that you are really close to being over the rating when you measure the TW properly...

    Thou doth protest too much..... I think you are over the limit, and don't want to admit it.

    Will it cause you a problem being a little over?? Who knows.

    You either believe in the ratings or you don't.

    But do not fool yourself, and worse encourage others to do the same by using your measuring methods.

    Weigh it right. Know the truth. Then either believe in the ratings, or don't.
  • drsteve's avatar
    drsteve
    Explorer
    Jan 08, 2019
    rbpru wrote:
    My point is the tongue weight without the WD hitch means little. Unless you have enough weight to bend the frame.

    If the the tongue weight is 1000# or 1500#. The purpose of the WD hitch is to redistribute some of that weight from the rear truck axle, to the front truck axle and the trailer axles.

    If the hitch is set so the truck and trailer sit level, and all the axle weights are within spec, I am set to go. (Actually I use the yellow sticker max cargo rating, as it is a bit less than the sum of the truck's axle ratings).

    If you have enough tongue weigh to bend the frame, you have other issues.


    The WD hitch is a lever that distributes load to the front axle, and some to the TT axles. The tongue weight remains right where it is, and must be accounted for.

    If your TT had zero tongue weight, and you hitch up with a WD hitch, the spring bars will STILL distribute load from the rear axle of the truck to the front, and some to the TT axles, and a scale would show that. The bars do not distribute tongue weight. Tongue weight is not even part of the calculation.

    This subject has been beaten to death around here. There is a lengthy sticky at the top of the Towing subforum that covers this in great detail. There used to be a diagram that illustrated how it all works, but I do not know if it survived the Photobucket purge.
  • trailer_newbe's avatar
    trailer_newbe
    Explorer II
    Jan 09, 2019
    My sig says trailer newbe. I like it, but I’m not a newbie anymore. Two trailers and two trucks and many miles traveling I’m not an expert, but no longer new to this game. Gas engine is all about RPM and HP. A diesel is all about torque. You can get up the hill using RPM and down the hill using RPM. Diesel gets up the hill with torque and down the hill with diesel breaking (Both, much more effective). A 1/2 ton truck has less overall weight suspension, axel and breaks. A 3/4 ton has more weight axel and breaks. When the wind hits on the highway the difference between a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton is like night and day. Don’t make the mistake I made over the years. Buy the trailer you want, then buy the truck to tow it. Ive been down the justification road for towing with a 1/2 ton, but if you are justifying, you are already conceding the argument.
  • rbpru's avatar
    rbpru
    Explorer II
    Jan 09, 2019
    At the risk of whipping a dead horse, my comment is, unhitched tongue weight means little when properly distributer by a WD hitch.

    People ask where does the weight go? The weight does not go anywhere, it is redistributed to the truck and trailer frame. How do we know this? There was a decades old advertisement showing an Oldsmobile Torenado with front wheel drive pulling a trailer with the rear wheels remove.

    All the tongue weight was transferred by the WD hitch to the car's front axel and the trailers axels. There was no weight on the rear axel so the wheels were removed.

    You would get the same effect if you welded a large I beam to the trailer frame and the truck frame. The tongue weight is still there, but it is spread out along the length of the I beam. You would not even need the hitch ball. Of course you could not turn either.

    As mentioned, either you believe the numbers or you do not. If your WD hitch is adjust so the rig sits level and the scale shows your max axel weights, max cargo, (usually a bit less then the combined front and rear axel weights} and your trailer axel weights are okay; with about 10 to 15% of the trailer weight is on the ball, then your tongue weight had been properly distributed.

    But what if you put some super gonzo, heavy weight trailer and WD hitch on your poor little half ton? When you level the rig and go to the scale, it will show that the redistributed weight exceed the weight limits of your axel or max cargo rating or both.

    There is no free lunch, if your trailer is too heavy, it is too heavy. Folks who are close to there max cargo will sometimes shift the load inside the trailer. This of course has its limits also.

    So again the tongue weight of the sitting trailer means little. It is how it is redistributed to the axles by the WD hitch that is important.

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