I finally weighed my 2015 F350 SRW + NLE 9'6" QSE wet + mostly full, and the results were interesting.Let me start with a prior observation that seems relevant. I unloaded the camper on a very level surface, and the ruler on each jack leg read the same, say 24" off the ground. Despite being equal, I discovered one jack foot off the ground, which made me realize most of the camper weight was probably on a diagonal, like / (i.e. driver-rear and passanger-front legs carrying most of the load) or \.To my weighing session on an Oregon Department of Transportation scale. First, those scales only accomodate one axle, and I could get up to 400-lbs of variability off the 1-tire and both-axle-tires weigh attempts, depending on where I parked on the steel plate :-( The "x" numbers represent average weigh results, and all other numbers are additions or sticker limits.FL 1950x ... FR 2275x ... 4450x front total, 5200 GAWR, 3640 tire ratingRL 3500x ... RR 3050x ... 6450x rear total, 7000 GAWR, 3640 tire rating-------------------------------------------------------------------------.L 5450. ... .R 5325. ... 10900 total, 11000 GVWRThe upshot is, even with a little more weight expected: am ok on GAWR, the rear-left (RL) tire is near its limit, and a little over on GVWR. It is beyond me how this camper is marketed for 3/4 tons.Now the question - note how the RL and FR tires on the / diagonal are heavy, and the \ tires are light. Like my camper on the jack legs, are my RL and FR tires carrying more load than they should? Can I raise the \ tires somehow so they carry more load?I haven't yet checked if the camper tilts left or right. I'm anxiouos to do a weigh session without the camper to see if the truck has odd diagonal weights. When I installed stableloads, I only inserted 2 of 3 wedges, and wonder if I can add the 3rd wedge to the RR tire.--SiletzSpey

What you discovered with the jacks is that potentially any 4 point support could be entirely supported by 2 diagonal points with the others purely as stabilization. Also, most campers will tripod on front legs and 1 back leg easily. Regarding the truck??? You've found a solution to something that isn't a problem. Nothing is wrong.

Before worrying too much about it, I would use another scale. If the area around the scale isn't perfectly flat, you will get the results you describe. My guess this is the case and the reason for such a large variation each time you weighed. Leaf springs have a good bit of resistance in sliding between each leaf which can cause them to not flex and hence carry more or less weight at times. Depending on how you moved across the uneven surface, would depend on if you had enough force to cause the springs to slip and equalize. With as little as 1/2" variation in the ground could cause the results you see.In regards to the one leg being off the ground when you have the same dimension, I would suspect a combination of the ground being uneven and possibly even the jack being mounted a slightly different heights. With as little as being out of flatness by 1/8" would be enough to have a rear jack where it was off the ground. It would take a laser level to determine the flatness as a bubble level isn't precise enough.Like Grit dog says, sounds like you are worried about a problem that doesn't really exist. The only numbers I would really trust are the axle weights.On a side note, I drove my family crazy spending 30 minutes on one of those Oregon scales on a cross country trip. When I found one, I measured my FW and truck weights getting every axle and individual tire weight. They fussed and I simply told them it was one of the things I was looking forward to the whole trip and after driving 3,000+ miles, I was going to have my fun.

I read somewhere once that the leg jacks will retrieve at different speed rates if they are all engaged at the same time. The post indicated that the distance the jacks are from the battery is directly related to the speed with which they operate. Not sure if this statement is true or not, so place your own personal weight on the value of the information. My TC driver's rear leg is always off the ground (no weight on the jack) if I retract the legs all at the same time. Just the way mine works and I am conscious of that when operating the remote control device. As others have mentioned, you have no problem with your weight distribution. Time to go camping.Lakeside

If the camper is flat and the ground is flat and the legs are all extended the same, all four will touch regardless of where the weight is. When a leg isn't touching, either the ground isn't as flat as you thought it was, or the camper is twisted. Most likely the ground isn't as flat as you thought.I would not trust the numbers from the scale to be accurate, but as long as you are not exceeding tire ratings then I would not worry about the uneven weights. Uneven weights are NORMAL. Just look at your camper. The whole kitchen and all the storage is on the LEFT. Which side is heavy? The left, duh.

The weight imbalance may not be all from the camper. Truck weights are not balanced equally when empty and can vary greatly with loads added. For example, my fuel tank is mounted on the drivers side rear which can vary the weight by as much as 200lbs from empty to full.

Weight on tires, one heavy diagonal, one light diagonal

Grit_dog
Navigator
Mar 12, 2018
What you discovered with the jacks is that potentially any 4 point support could be entirely supported by 2 diagonal points with the others purely as stabilization. Also, most campers will tripod on front legs and 1 back leg easily.
Regarding the truck???
You've found a solution to something that isn't a problem.
Nothing is wrong.
kohldad
Explorer III
Mar 12, 2018
Before worrying too much about it, I would use another scale. If the area around the scale isn't perfectly flat, you will get the results you describe. My guess this is the case and the reason for such a large variation each time you weighed. Leaf springs have a good bit of resistance in sliding between each leaf which can cause them to not flex and hence carry more or less weight at times. Depending on how you moved across the uneven surface, would depend on if you had enough force to cause the springs to slip and equalize. With as little as 1/2" variation in the ground could cause the results you see.

In regards to the one leg being off the ground when you have the same dimension, I would suspect a combination of the ground being uneven and possibly even the jack being mounted a slightly different heights. With as little as being out of flatness by 1/8" would be enough to have a rear jack where it was off the ground. It would take a laser level to determine the flatness as a bubble level isn't precise enough.

Like Grit dog says, sounds like you are worried about a problem that doesn't really exist. The only numbers I would really trust are the axle weights.

On a side note, I drove my family crazy spending 30 minutes on one of those Oregon scales on a cross country trip. When I found one, I measured my FW and truck weights getting every axle and individual tire weight. They fussed and I simply told them it was one of the things I was looking forward to the whole trip and after driving 3,000+ miles, I was going to have my fun.
lakeside013104
Explorer
Mar 12, 2018
I read somewhere once that the leg jacks will retrieve at different speed rates if they are all engaged at the same time. The post indicated that the distance the jacks are from the battery is directly related to the speed with which they operate. Not sure if this statement is true or not, so place your own personal weight on the value of the information.

My TC driver's rear leg is always off the ground (no weight on the jack) if I retract the legs all at the same time. Just the way mine works and I am conscious of that when operating the remote control device.

As others have mentioned, you have no problem with your weight distribution. Time to go camping.

Lakeside
mkirsch
Nomad II
Mar 12, 2018
If the camper is flat and the ground is flat and the legs are all extended the same, all four will touch regardless of where the weight is. When a leg isn't touching, either the ground isn't as flat as you thought it was, or the camper is twisted. Most likely the ground isn't as flat as you thought.

I would not trust the numbers from the scale to be accurate, but as long as you are not exceeding tire ratings then I would not worry about the uneven weights. Uneven weights are NORMAL. Just look at your camper. The whole kitchen and all the storage is on the LEFT. Which side is heavy? The left, duh.
camp-n-family
Explorer
Mar 12, 2018
The weight imbalance may not be all from the camper. Truck weights are not balanced equally when empty and can vary greatly with loads added. For example, my fuel tank is mounted on the drivers side rear which can vary the weight by as much as 200lbs from empty to full.
HMS_Beagle
Explorer
Mar 12, 2018
I wouldn't say don't worry about it, but there may be nothing wrong, just an imbalance in load. Here is what my F350 weighs, empty and full:

Empty LF2340, RF2140
LR1860, RR1660
Note that the left side is heavy by 400 lbs, fuel tank was full and on the left side.

With camper LF2120,RF2430
LR3920, RR3920
Evened out in back but heavy right front. Galley is on the right. The truck will list a bit to the right with the camper unless I correct it with pressure in the airbags. It's more difficult to weigh the camper on its corners, but the above suggests that the camper is perhaps 500 or even 700 lbs heavy on the right.

When the camper (Bigfoot 10.4) is on the ground, you can raise one rear jack clear, however it will noticeably flex the camper to do it. The easiest way to see this is to watch the door frame wrack by watching the lower free (non-hinge) corner of the door in its frame. It will move +/- 1/2" up or down. Since I unload and store it on uneven ground I watch this as my gage for jack pressure.

The spring rates on the rear axle are around 1100 lbs/inch, so 1/2" off left to right will result in an 1100 lbs imbalance in the measurements (+550 or one side, -550 on the other). That makes it pretty easy to get an erroneous measurement. I measured mine in the same spot moving only the scale - but it's still hard to guarantee everything is exactly the same.
punomatic
Explorer
Mar 12, 2018
Bless you for being concerned. I have nothing to add to what the others have said, but I am currently camped next to a roughly 35' FW. It was dragged in here by a 1990s vintage F150 with one rear tire about half flat. I hope I don't meet this rig on the road one day.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Mar 12, 2018
When camper heavier on one side is normal thing, your results show heavy corners in diagonal line, what makes no sense.
Would engine be that much heavier on opposite side?
General recommendations say to keep all tires at recommended pressure regardless actuall load.
That is probably to avoid confusion as with tires holding air for a year, it is hard to remember what you did last time.
I had motorhome where all heavy stuff was on driver side. 600lb of batteries, 120 gallons fuel tank, water tank, when passenger side had ... refrigerator.
I could never scale the wheels, but my air suspension would raise passenger side at 60 psi, while driver side took 80 psi.
I was giving the big wheels extra 10 psi on heavy side.
jimh406
Explorer III
Mar 12, 2018
I think the answer is the scale isn't designed to weigh that way. You can change the tires/wheels to gain more tire capacity.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Mar 12, 2018
If y’all are concerned about this, you’ll really freak when you think about the forces applied going over a bump or around a corner!
There are about 1 million differnet reasons for this slight difference like slightly different spring rates changing the reaction at each wheel, variations in tire pressure, spring height, shock valving or consistency, or even.......that the vehicle is actually supposed to not be loaded 100% symmetrically.