Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 
 


General Hi-Lo camper discussion The perfect place to discuss your Hi-Lo camper
Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 11-01-2010, 12:02 PM   #1
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 25
Default Trailer Weight

Where does one take their camper to have it weighed? And how is it set up to determine tongue weight?

Thanks
__________________

PartTimers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2010, 12:42 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
sting32's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Salina, KS
Posts: 256
Send a message via Yahoo to sting32
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by PartTimers View Post
Where does one take their camper to have it weighed? And how is it set up to determine tongue weight?

Thanks
If you see 2 possible places I know of, 1 truck stops, sometimes have scales you pay to get weighed, used by trucks, would weigh a car and trailer easy enough.

Another is a Grain Storage or livestock facility, they would have scales that is how they know how much of anything they have is by weight. I would however strongly suggest that you don't go there when they are busy as heck (harvest times). Tongue weight can be accomplished at home, if you have a bathroom scale that is big enough to goto 500 lbs, MOST DONT!

you would unhook camper on while it is fully on scale, wheels and tongue jack on scale is overall weight, then you could back the camper up to where only jack stand is on the scale to get tongue weight, in fact do this in the reverse order, save backing up, lol.
__________________

__________________
From Kansas: 29ft '95 5th, converted to toybox in rear, by Hilo. Pics soon, Some Here.
sting32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2010, 01:25 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
PopRichie77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Quakertown, PA
Posts: 1,074
Send a message via AIM to PopRichie77
Default

I took mine to a metal recycle place, they left me unhook the trailer and drive the tow vehicle off the scale, was a small fee. I asked before I took it there.
Tongue weight should be from 10 to 15% of the total weight of the trailer when it is loaded for safe towing.
PopRichie77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2010, 02:42 PM   #4
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 25
Default Great!

Thanks, I love this forum!!
PartTimers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2010, 06:47 PM   #5
Site Team
 
JackandJanet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Pine, AZ
Posts: 4,666
Default

You can also determine the tongue weight a different way, and I think it's a far better approach, because you really want to know the weight on each axle. This method uses a CAT scale at a truck stop, but could be adapted to any other kind of scale:

Connect the trailer in your normal towing configuration and put the trailer axle(s) on the rear platform, and each of your tow vehicle's axles on the two front platforms. Get that weight. This tells you the weight on each axle. Add them up and you have the Combined Gross Weight. Your tow vehicle has a limit on this.

Drop your trailer on one of the truck stop's scales so that its axles and tongue are all on the rear platform. Move your tow vehicle so that each of its axles is on one of the separate front platforms. Get that weight - now you know the total weight of your tow vehicle (the sum of its axle weights), the total weight of the trailer and, the weight on each axle of your tow vehicle.

Now,
total trailer weight - trailer axle weight = tongue weight
And, you know how much additional load you are putting on each of your tow vehicle's axles. Ideally, you would like the weight distributing hitch to apply an equal load to each axle, but you'll probably have to settle for something "close". And of course there's a limit on the axle weights for your tow vehicle too, that you won't want to exceed.

It cost me $9.00 per weighing here at the TTT Truck Stop CAT scale in Tucson. Just talk to the folks at the truck stop first so they'll know what you want to do and I'm sure they'll be very helpful. (And, they'll tell you what to do when you're on the scale so you won't just stand there feeling like an idiot - you probably have to push a button that signals them to take the weight and you can talk to them through a loudspeaker too.)

- Jack
__________________
Hi-Lo 1707T - Tire Minder TPMS on Tow Vehicle and Trailer, 300W Solar Battery Charger, Equal-i-zer WDH, Progressive Dynamics Converter, Fan-Tastic Fan, LiFePO4 battery 12V DC Electrical System, SoftStartRV mounted on A/C
2024 F150 Platinum FX4 3.5L PowerBoost SCrew
JackandJanet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2010, 08:01 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Fort Pierre, SD
Posts: 189
Default

I took mine to the rock Quarry scale and they weighted it for nuthin.
PaulS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2010, 06:58 PM   #7
Member
 
FHILO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Northern Florida
Posts: 70
Default

junk yards and gravel pits also have scales that will getter done
FHILO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-18-2011, 10:57 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Fort Pierre, SD
Posts: 189
Default

Alexander, you never want to skimp with trailor hitches, if something broke or got loose during tow- oh boy that would not look nice...
__________________

__________________
Paul Schoenfelder
Fort Pierre,South Dakota
PaulS is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hi-Lo Trailers Worldwide or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:21 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
HiLoTrailerForum.com Copyright 2010
×