Weights a minute

[TimandDebbie]

No question is a dumb question. I have 3.
Should I weight my truck now before hooking up. ?
Then weight it hooked and loaded.?
Do I have to produce weights if I'm stopped by dot. ?

[SKnight]

Tow it loaded for a typical trip, black and gray tanks empty, fresh either slap full or slap empty. That way you know instead of somewhere between 1/3 and 2/3.

Drive onto the scale, get weighed. Try to park the truck on the front pad, trailer jacks on another pad then trailer tires on a different pad. It's obvious once you arrive, that way they can check different parts separately. Drive off, get your ticket number, tell them you're going to reweigh then pull back on in the same way, tires in the same place. Unhook the trailer, you don't need to do anything more than get the trailer fully off the truck. Push the button and ask for a reweigh. Rehook, move off the scale and go inside.

Now you'll have the whole assembly, hooked, unhooked and all. The trailer weight and the truck weight. Do a little math and you can resolve for,

Pin or tongue weight. Subtract the second truck weight from the first truck weight.

Actual trailer weight. Add the trailer axle weight to the jack weight.

If your pin weight percentage is good or needs attention.

So that takes care of the first two right there.

As for the third, I've never heard of such. Yet. Actually never heard of a DOT officer questioning an RV owner. But you can bet it's happened.

Here's my thread where I went weighing.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...day-58513.html

[TimandDebbie]

SKnight thanks for the info. It will help.

[Herk7769]

I do mine a bit differently and don't spend time on the scale connecting and disconnecting if the scale is busy.

When I arrive I tell the scale operator I will need 2 weight tickets (for a 5th wheel) or 3 tickets for a travel trailer (2 connected and 1 disconnected) and will be dropping the trailer in the yard for the last weigh.

Then I drive onto the scale. The CAT scales have a very short front weight table that is designed to hold only the front axle of the truck (that is what you need too).

Position the truck so the front axle of the truck is on the first table, the rear axle of the truck is on the second table, and the camper's axle(s) are on the third table. (My short bed pickup and "smallish" 5th wheel takes a bit of jockeying to get it right. I am close to the rear of the front axle table and close to the front on the camper's table). Wave to the operator or (using a stick you remembered to bring) press the voice button to tell the operator you need your first weight.

If you are weighing a travel trailer this first weight is with your WD bars ON and adjusted. THEN get out and "de-tension" your WD bars and remove them or swing them out of the way. Get back in the truck and signal for your second weigh.

In both cases, now drive off the scales into the yard and find an open spot to drop your camper. Get back in line (if there is one), and weigh the truck alone; same drill. Front axle on table one and rear axle on table two. Signal the operator for your final "truck only" weight.

First weigh is 10 bucks and each additional weigh is a dollar at CAT scales.

For my 5th wheel, I use this sheet to keep track of my weigh history. It is a Word document so you can edit it as needed.

For a travel trailer, you can use most of this but the reason for the WD bars on and off weigh is to determine your actual tongue weight (WD OFF) and the amount of "distribution" to avoid overloading the camper's axles or the pickup's front axle.

Anyway, that is how I do it.

[SKnight]

I hadn't thought about doing it that way to find out the WD action, slick idea. Out of curiosity what did you find out?

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by SKnight

I hadn't thought about doing it that way to find out the WD action, slick idea. Out of curiosity what did you find out?

The actual tongue weight.

As I stated, driving a 5th wheel now. Been a while since my last TT.

[MtnGuy]

For those interested in what information 3 weigh-ins can give, here is a thread I posted a while back: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ats-11523.html

Just the top 6 lines with each weigh-in catefory would need to be viewed, unless you need some bedtime reading to put you to sleep.

If you are uncertain if more or less chain lengths would be a better setup, by all means go back across the scales with those setups also.......as Lou stated it is usually just a $1 for reweighs.

I would do like Lou indicated, and move off of the scales to drop your trailer. There is usually plenty of room in the back lots to do that. Also, pull off of the scales to ditch the spring bars if it is a busy truck stop......you don't want to tick off a 18 wheel driver. I put my spring bars in the back of the truck near the tailgate.

On each weigh-in, it is important that all cargo, fluid levels, and passengers are the same........don't let anyone go to the restroom in just 1 weigh-in.......make them hold it.