how to read CAT scale numbers after weighing

[quickrod66]

While traveling with our new 28ft TT, stopped at a truck stop and had everything weighed while fully loaded with just about everything on we would take somewhere including, pets,people, canoe & all access ( fishing stuff etc.)My 4 wd Sierra book states no more than 7,100lbs max trailer wht. & GCWR of 12,000 lbs. Scales read - steer axle 6,360lb, trailer axle 4380lbs. gross wht 10,740lb it seems I am ok I am assuming 6,360lbs was the wht of the trailer & 4,380lbs was the truck. Am I right on this assumption.

[brulaz]

quickrod66 wrote:
thanks for all the info I guess I may have pulled up too far because the call button was high, and I wanted to be able to reach it by standing up in the door of the truck.

I try to centre the truck over the first two scale pads.

And before I go to a CAT scale, I always put a broom handle or some other long pole in the truck's cab. That call button IS high.

Or, you can run over and do your best basketball leap to hit it. Then run back and jump on the running boards. But that got a little embarrassing when there was a line of truck's behind me, and the scale operator was off on a bathroom break.

With a WDH I make 3 trips to the scales.
The first is with the WDH bars cinched up as usual. (1)
Then drive off, release the WDH bars and reweigh. (2)
Then drive off, drop the trailer, and weigh the truck alone. (3)
I try to line up the truck at the same spot each time.

(1)total and (2)total (GCW) should be the same. Compare them to your truck's GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating).

(1)total or (2)total minus (3)total is your trailer's total weight or GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight). Compare that to the trailer's GVWR (GVW Rating).

Tongue weight is the trailer's GVW (calculated above) minus (2)trailer axle weight.

(1)steer, (1)drive and (1)trailer can be compared with the GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) for the front and rear truck axles and the trailer axle. Add (1)steer and (1)drive them together and compare to the truck's GVWR.

Comparing (1) and (2) weights will show you how the WDH moves weight from the drive axle to the steer and trailer axles.

[quickrod66]

thanks for all the info I guess I may have pulled up too far because the call button was high, and I wanted to be able to reach it by standing up in the door of the truck.

[gmw_photos]

It sounds like you accidentally got both the front and rear axles of the truck on platform one, and the trailer axles on platform three, and the middle platform had nothing on it. You need to stop with the front ( steer ) axle on the platform one, the drive axle on two and the trailer on three.

EDIT: It should look something like this:

[Berky]

Unless you pulled on the scale backwards, the steer axle weight (6360#) would be your truck (including the tongue weight) and the trailer axle (4380#) would be your TT weight less the tongue weight. There will be some small errors in these numbers (maybe 200# or so) because of the action of the WDH.

[hmknightnc]

Hard to say with those numbers. You should have gotten 3 numbers at a CAT scale. Steer Axle, Drive Axle, and Trailer Axles, somehow you only got two. No way 4380 was the truck, the truck (sierra) ways more than that by itself. My guess is you pulled onto the scales wrong and the 6360 is the combination of the truck axles and the 4380 is the trailer axles but I have no idea what trailer you have so don't know if that number for trailer even makes sense

[therink]

Yes. But to get true weights of each, you have to disconnect and weigh separately. This way you can also verify your tongue weight. Based on the combination weight you appear to be within the truck gcwr, but it is usually the truck payload rating you have to watch. I am thinking that the steer axle weight was the weight of your truck including the trailer tongue weight.