Using the Sherline Tongue scale on A-Frame

[handbuilder]

This Sherline tongue scale is amazingly easy!

After reading past posts and observing contraptions made with bathroom scale and wood - I'll advise get something actually made for the purpose. This was so simple to use. Measures weight either on the jack or on the coupler. Comes with an instruction booklet and pointers. Definitely lives up to the great reviews it's received.

[OldCoot]

Wonder why you couldn't make an adapter and measure the pin wt on a 5er"?

[handbuilder]

Mine came with a pin...

Sherline advertises the 5000 lb weight scale for 5vers ...

http://www.amazon.com/Sherline-LM-50.../dp/B007REJKXA

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by handbuilder

Mine came with a pin...

Sherline advertises the 5000 lb weight scale for 5vers ...

Mine did too, I don't know why you couldn't weld up an adapter to sit on top of the scale and accept the pin from the 5er. Sit it on a jack in the back of a pickup and check weight.

[handbuilder]

You'd probably make alot of RVers happy if you fabricated an adapter for the public!

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by handbuilder

You'd probably make alot of RVers happy if you fabricated an adapter for the public!

It would be a one time build. I'm retired and don't want a job!

[Blackhat6mike]

I bought one of these same scales because the CAT scales would not weigh my tongue weight. Now I do it myself. Works great!

[lbrjet]

Blackhat, it takes two weighs on the Cat scale to get your tongue weight. Weigh the truck with your hitch in the receiver. Then hitch up the trailer without the weight distributing bars and cross the scales again. The difference in your truck weights is the tongue weight.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[lbrjet]

Some people don't know that the Sherline gauges (1K, 2K and 5K) are interchangeable on the same base unit. If you upsize trailers like I did 5 years ago you need only buy a new gauge. Unscrew one and screw in another another. I went from a 400 lb TW to a 1100 lb TW and replaced my 1K gauge with the 2K. Was about 25 bucks direct from Sherline. I just looked and they are 30 bucks now.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[handbuilder]

I didn't know that? That's awesome!

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by lbrjet

Blackhat, it takes two weighs on the Cat scale to get your tongue weight. Weigh the truck with your hitch in the receiver. Then hitch up the trailer without the weight distributing bars and cross the scales again. The difference in your truck weights is the tongue weight.

The Cat scale will also give you independent TV axle weights. With two weighings, you can see the amount of surprising amount of weight the camper transfers from the front axle to the rear.

In my case, the 420 Lb tongue added 600 Lb to the rear axle with the 180 lb difference transferred from the front.

[bob caldwell]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

It would be a one time build. I'm retired and don't want a job!

BBB...SSS...!

[Riverdaze]

Has anyone checked the accuracy of the bathroom scale method against the Sherline? I'm reluctant to spend $150.

[handbuilder]

Riverdaze, you just need to Google the reviews on Amazon and other businesses that sell the product to see they vouch for accuracy. A search within the Forest River Forum will also give you an idea of how well thought of this product is. Unlike bathroom scale, the Sherline tongue scale is made specifically for this purpose.

[Riverdaze]

Originally Posted by handbuilder

Riverdaze, you just need to Google the reviews on Amazon and other businesses that sell the product to see they vouch for accuracy. A search within the Forest River Forum will also give you an idea of how well thought of this product is. Unlike bathroom scale, the Sherline tongue scale is made specifically for this purpose.

Thanks Handbuilder. I wasn't questioning the accuracy of the Sherline. I wondered how good the above bathroom scale method was using the Sherline as the de facto standard. I'm cheap, but I also don't want to be 20% over on tongue wieght.

[RPAspey]

Originally Posted by Riverdaze

Thanks Handbuilder. I wasn't questioning the accuracy of the Sherline. I wondered how good the above bathroom scale method was using the Sherline as the de facto standard. I'm cheap, but I also don't want to be 20% over on tongue wieght.

I have checked. I used my TT and took multiple samples. I carefully made the bathroom scale one and got different weights on all of the samples, all about 50# range. On my Sherline, the sample weights were practically identical to each other. Now between the bath scale and Sherline was about 75#, with the bath scale being low on most samples.

BTW, my tongue weight was 860# via Sherline.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by Riverdaze

I'm cheap, but I also don't want to be 20% over on tongue wieght.

Then find a local CAT scale. For less than $20 you can get all relevant weights accurate to 10 Lbs by weighing everything hitched and unhitched.

Even cheaper, find a nearby gravel or stone seller, go by on a day when they are not busy and ask to use the scale for a few minutes. Weigh the camper axle with the TV just off the scale. Then lower the tongue jack onto the scale until the coupler comes off the hitch ball. The difference is, of course, the tongue weight.

[Riverdaze]

Thanks RPAspey. That was the comparison I was asking about, though the result was not the one I hope for. lol I am towing with a Sienna, which does not have a lot of wiggle room on the weights, so I should probably invest in the Sherline.
Thanks, also to Pooneil - I did do the CAT scales last year and did three weighings [at the same time] and was charged $30, despite the prior explanation that it would be $14. We do have a gravel purveyor, I had not thought of that possibility! Livin' and learnin'.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Blackhat6mike

I bought one of these same scales because the CAT scales would not weigh my tongue weight. Now I do it myself. Works great!

I am sure the reason they would not allow you to disconnect the trailer on the cat scale is because of the amount of time the scale would be out of action.
Time is money.

They might also be afraid someone would drive off leaving an abandoned trailer on the scale.

[lbrjet]

Riverdaze, you have to tell the CAT operators 'second weigh' for the second and third weightings.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K