Average pin weight?

[mdamerell]

I've often read that a 5'rs pin weight, on average, is 20-25% of the trailers weight. Personally, mine runs around 22%. Do most people find this rule of thumb to be accurate?

Reading a thread on 1/2 ton towable 5'rs, the one person posted his numbers and his pin weight was around 16%. Got me to wondering if the 1/2 ton 5'rs run a lighter pin weight? Since most 5'rs will hit the pin weight limit before the tow limit. Is this one way the manufacture's are making them towable with a 1/2 ton truck?

Don't want to start a war, just an honest question.

[tahoemc]

Our rig on CAT scale totaled 9,980. TV weight difference with and without 5'r was 1,980. Pin weight = 19.8%

[ken_burke]

My 14,500# 5th wheel weighs 14,500 pounds. Pin weight is 3100 pounds, which is 21%

ken

[ependydad]

wolfsontheprowl wrote:
ok for all of us who are afraid to ask how to determine pin weight. Truck and trailer weigh 15,080. Trailer and truck rear axle weigh 11,620. Trailer axle (hooked up to truck) weighs 6860. truck weighs (again hooked to trailer) 8240.
Truck unhooked from trailer weighs 6560.
I have seem some formulas that takes hours to arrive to pin weight.
Right now, trailer pulls fine with truck. Happy with setup
Thanks for the help with figuring out pin weight (wife was a former math teacher :))

I know you have gotten an answer to this already, but I have a blog post from one of my weighings that I break down the math:
http://learntorv.blogspot.com/2013/08/weighed-again-still-all-ok.html

If you put your mouse over each of the numbers, it tells you what that particular number is. Hopefully it can help you.

[ependydad]

I've weighed 3 times:

1) At the beginning of this season, so I had a margin load and no water in either tank. This would be what I consider a light load for us.
my CAT scaled pin weight was 16.6%

2) At the height of the summer season and just prior to a 3-week trip. I even had an extra adult staying with us.
my CAT scaled pin weight was 17.1%

3) Just this past weekend with a completely empty fiver as it waits for a trip back to the factory.
my CAT scaled pin weight was 14.8%

And, for the record- doing the math on the dry hitch weight divided by dry weight gives you 15.4%.

The reason being- this camper has dual opposing slides at the rear of the camper. As well as the main living slide spans the axles (some of it forward, some of it rear).

As you can see, the more stuff in the basement and front bedroom- the higher my pin weight, but unless I'm loading bricks or landscaping material in the fiver's basement- I am NOT hitting 20%.

[luvglass]

We're at 22%. 3750 pin on 17060 trailer. Way overweight, but tows well and I can't seem to get the better half to throw anything out. 🙂

[wolfsontheprowl]

mdamerell wrote:

wolfsontheprowl wrote:
ok for all of us who are afraid to ask how to determine pin weight. Truck and trailer weigh 15,080. Trailer and truck rear axle weigh 11,620. Trailer axle (hooked up to truck) weighs 6860. truck weighs (again hooked to trailer) 8240.
Truck unhooked from trailer weighs 6560.
I have seem some formulas that takes hours to arrive to pin weight.
Right now, trailer pulls fine with truck. Happy with setup
Thanks for the help with figuring out pin weight (wife was a former math teacher :))

Truck hooked 8240#
Truck unhooked 6560#
Differences should be Pin 1680#

Gross 15,080# - Truck unhooked 6560# = 8520# trailer

1680# divided by 8520# = 19.7% pin weight

Excellent....thank you
Have a great weekend

[azjeffh]

Mine is ~21% of my actual trailer's weight.

[mdamerell]

wolfsontheprowl wrote:
ok for all of us who are afraid to ask how to determine pin weight. Truck and trailer weigh 15,080. Trailer and truck rear axle weigh 11,620. Trailer axle (hooked up to truck) weighs 6860. truck weighs (again hooked to trailer) 8240.
Truck unhooked from trailer weighs 6560.
I have seem some formulas that takes hours to arrive to pin weight.
Right now, trailer pulls fine with truck. Happy with setup
Thanks for the help with figuring out pin weight (wife was a former math teacher :))

Truck hooked 8240#
Truck unhooked 6560#
Differences should be Pin 1680#

Gross 15,080# - Truck unhooked 6560# = 8520# trailer

1680# divided by 8520# = 19.7% pin weight

[wolfsontheprowl]

ok for all of us who are afraid to ask how to determine pin weight. Truck and trailer weigh 15,080. Trailer and truck rear axle weigh 11,620. Trailer axle (hooked up to truck) weighs 6860. truck weighs (again hooked to trailer) 8240.
Truck unhooked from trailer weighs 6560.
I have seem some formulas that takes hours to arrive to pin weight.
Right now, trailer pulls fine with truck. Happy with setup
Thanks for the help with figuring out pin weight (wife was a former math teacher :))

[CWSWine]

I have Keystone Cougar 28SGS 1/2 ton towable.

Gross Weight Truck and 5th Wheel is 16,760 loaded ready to camp

Pin Weight is right at 2000lbs with 22.8% pin weight.

My TV is Chevy 2500 Diesel and tow great.

[ramyankee]

After reading this I was curious as to our %.....
8331 and 1881 comes to 22.5%

[Fire5er]

IMHO, those of you that have weighed are the only ones that truly know your percentage of pin weight (and thank you for being safe out there on the road with my family and friends). If you are not weighing your rig to get your pin, and only using the printed numbers out of the manufacture's brochure, you do not know what your pin is.
Per CAT we are at 18% loaded for a weeks vacation. When we start long-timing (loaded for several months) we have a little room to play with adding weight, and it will be back to the scales to prove to us we are safe for the road.

[2hams]

Just a software engineer here, struggling with understanding this 'hardware'. The DH is a mechanical engineer so he might have a better understanding.

Other thing that might affect the pin weight is that we changed from 15" to 16" rims with BF Goodrich Commercial T/As.

Will be interesting to see how the new 5er tows. That is if I ever finish shopping and pick one. Have to believe that most every 2500 on the road is over the GVWR. Unfortunately, don't see myself losing 50# any time soon 😉

[avvidclif1]

My last trailer had a pin weight of 18%, actual weight and ready to camp. I noticed when I emptied it out to take it to the dealer (less pin weight) I had more chucking and it just didn't pull as well. I haven't weighed the new one yet.