Weighed my trailer the other day, the pin weight comes in at 12%. Had the fresh tank full which resides behind the axles. An educated guess is the pin will fluctuate from the low of 12% to maybe 17% depending on the status of the 3 tanks. Is this low weight anything to worry about? Seemed just fine on a recent 6000 mile trip but I don't know what I'd be looking for.If it matters, the TV weighed 6540, the pin 520, the trailer axles 3840. Truck was empty except for the driver, the trailer lightly loaded for a weekend.

How sid you arrive at that 12% number? Is the pin weight 12% of the axle weight or did tou acually drop the trailer completely on the scale. It will make a difference.

donn0128 wrote:How sid you arrive at that 12% number? Is the pin weight 12% of the axle weight or did tou acually drop the trailer completely on the scale. It will make a difference.No need to drop the trailer on the scales.Just follow the CAT instructions that has been posted on this site more times than I can count.

Dropping the trailer ON the scales would do nothing for telling you pin weight. That would only tell you total weight of camper and what weight is on the front legs if on a different section of the scale which is different than pin weight.Easy to do the right way. Weight full loaded combo...pull off...drop trailer...weigh just truck and subtract differences.

RCMAN46 wrote:No need to drop the trailer on the scales.Just follow the CAT instructions that has been posted on this site more times than I can count.Dropping the trailer on the scales will give the OP the total trailers weight. Which is what I was driving at.

520 lbs. is only 80 lbs different from manufacturers specs for pin weight. If your worried, put 80 lbs in front. If it towed fine, I wouldn't worry about it. At least you don't have to worry about overloading truck.

Light pin weight | Good Sam Community

ependydad
Explorer
Oct 21, 2014
Padlin wrote:
Last trip, 5 weeks and 6000 miles, no issues at all. On that trip more often then not we had the fresh tank full as we seldom had water hookups.

If it were me- I'd pay the $20 and do the 3 sets of weights again. But if it tows fine, I wouldn't worry much about the numbers.
Padlin
Explorer
Oct 20, 2014
ependydad wrote:
I have limited experience towing but have read that lighter than 15% of pin weight can be sway inducing for fifth wheels. Did you have any issues? Did you normally run with a full water tank?

(btw, I love these little Escape campers.)

Last trip, 5 weeks and 6000 miles, no issues at all. On that trip more often then not we had the fresh tank full as we seldom had water hookups.
tegu69
Explorer
Oct 20, 2014
You said fresh water tank was behind axles. A full tank (28 gal per website) should weigh in at something like 230 lbs. Sounds reasonable to me that it would take some weight off of pin. I think your worried for no reason. You could always take some water out of tank.
ependydad
Explorer
Oct 20, 2014
I have limited experience towing but have read that lighter than 15% of pin weight can be sway inducing for fifth wheels. Did you have any issues? Did you normally run with a full water tank?

(btw, I love these little Escape campers.)
Padlin
Explorer
Oct 17, 2014
Next year (already covered) I'll try it with the fresh empty and the other two full just to see what the range is. Both the grey and black are forward of the axle where as the fresh, which was full at the scales, is behind.
ependydad
Explorer
Oct 17, 2014
Padlin wrote:
If it matters, the TV weighed 6540, the pin 520, the trailer axles 3840. Truck was empty except for the driver, the trailer lightly loaded for a weekend.
...
I weighed it like you're supposed to. TV only, then TV and trailer, or vice versa, wheels properly positioned on the scales. Pin weight being the weight gain on the truck axles.

It sounds like you did this correctly, but I'd definitely be curious about a re-weigh. Taking their dry numbers, they have an approximately 16% dry pin weight (600 / 3700 = 16.2% where 600 is the dry hitch weight and 3,700 is the dry vehicle weight). I'd be surprised if they really expect to unload pin weight by 4%.
rhagfo
Explorer III
Oct 17, 2014
donn0128 wrote:
RCMAN46 wrote:

No need to drop the trailer on the scales.

Just follow the CAT instructions that has been posted on this site more times than I can count.

Dropping the trailer on the scales will give the OP the total trailers weight. Which is what I was driving at.

You can also derive that with dropping the trailer off of the scales and reweighing the TV without the trailer. This also will allow you to know how much Payload you have and what is available on the rear axle.
Calculated pin weight and trailer wheel weight equals total trailer weight.
RCMAN46
Explorer
Oct 17, 2014
WeBeFulltimers wrote:
Dropping your Fiver on the Cat Scale will more than likely get you evicted from the truck stop! They don't like anyone damaging the scales and costing them income waiting for repairs.

Not only that but a trucker waiting to get on the scales may help you remove your 5th wheel in a way you will not like.
avvidclif1
Explorer
Oct 17, 2014
lenr wrote:
Probably a lot of 250/2500 owners who wish they only had 12%!

And even more F150 Egoboost owners.....
lenr
Explorer III
Oct 17, 2014
Probably a lot of 250/2500 owners who wish they only had 12%!