These weights cant possibly be right.

[Mrs.Shockley]

We just stopped at CAT scales and weighed according to what we've been told the truck and trailer hooked up to the weight distributing hitch, the truck and trailer without the sway bars attached, and the truck alone. I input all the information into the calculator that was linked on this site. And it's saying that we have a 64% hitch weight?

I just don't see how this could possibly be accurate. They did have 4 scales and we were kind of not centered on them. Is it possible that these weights are off? We're about to stop at the next scale we come to and reweigh.

I should add that except for some slight porpoising which seems to be attributable to the roads, because it doesn't happen all the time, the truck seems to pull fine. Were driving a 2016 F150 with Eco boost V6, and we're pulling a Rockwood many light 2503 s. We have a husky center line hitch rated for 800 to 1200 pounds. I believe that hitch weight on this trailer was somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 pounds. So how on Earth could it be so heavy on the rear axle of the truck?

When the truck is hitched up when you look at it it looks pretty straight. I measured the front and back of the trailer and it doesn't seem to be leaning toward the front. I haven't measured the wheel Wells to the ground on the truck, because I didn't think that was necessary.

This is a link to the site that calculated the 64% tongue weight.

Actual Weights - Travel Trailer/Bumper Pull Weights from CAT Scales - Towing Planner

[Hersbird]

Post up the scale numbers. "Hitch weight" with the WD bars hooked up is kind of misleading. It's possible to remove ALL of the weight off the rear tires with a heavy duty enough WDH cranked up enough. Although clearly there is weight in the hitch there, it's just moving it all forward and backwards.

Oh sorry, I see the numbers in the link now...

To me it seems the rear axle weights are the total truck weight.

[Mrs.Shockley]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

Post up the scale numbers. "Hitch weight" with the WD bars hooked up is kind of misleading. It's possible to remove ALL of the weight off the rear tires with a heavy duty enough WDH cranked up enough. Although clearly there is weight in the hitch there, it's just moving it all forward and backwards.

The link I posted shows all the scale readings. I'm afraid I dont understand.

[Mrs.Shockley]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

To me it seems the rear axle weights are the total truck weight.

That's exactly what I mean. It's as though the entire weight of the trailer is going on the hitch and the rear axle how could 3000 pounds of the trailer be going on the to the hitch?

[itat]

When I clicked on your link it had the numbers already loaded in the page and it showed the 64.1% number for the tongue weight percentage. Thing is, the rear axle weights in those cells on the page look way too high - twice as heavy as the front axle without the trailer connected. So I suspect your numbers in the cells for the rear axle aren’t correct. Can you post a picture of the 3 scale tickets?

[Mrs.Shockley]

Originally Posted by itat

When I clicked on your link it had the numbers already loaded in the page and it showed the 64.1% number for the tongue weight percentage. Thing is, the rear axle weights in those cells on the page look way too high - twice as heavy as the front axle without the trailer connected. So I suspect your numbers in the cells for the rear axle aren’t correct. Can you post a picture of the 3 scale tickets?

Here they are. Truck alone, without sway bars, with sway bars.

[itat]

Well, you definitely put the numbers into the calculator correctly from those scale tickets. But it can’t be right. I wonder if you inadvertently somehow had more than one axle on the middle platform? Maybe the rear truck axle and the front trailer axle?

[itat]

Originally Posted by itat

Well, you definitely put the numbers into the calculator correctly from those scale tickets. But it can’t be right. I wonder if you inadvertently somehow had more than one axle on the middle platform? Maybe the rear truck axle and the front trailer axle?

On 2nd thought, that would be impossible. There’s too much space between the 2nd and 3rd platforms. There must be a problem with the scale’s computer.

[Mrs.Shockley]

I feel better to have someone saying they can't possibly be right. I didn't see any way they could be. That much weight should break the hitch or axel. I guess we'll weigh it somewhere else, but it wont be tonight, we're running late.

[itat]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Shockley

I feel better to have someone saying they can't possibly be right. I didn't see any way they could be. That much weight should break the hitch or axel. I guess we'll weigh it somewhere else, but it wont be tonight, we're running late.

If that scale isn’t far away, I’d think about taking the tickets back to them and asking them why it seems to be so far off.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by itat

Well, you definitely put the numbers into the calculator correctly from those scale tickets. But it can’t be right. I wonder if you inadvertently somehow had more than one axle on the middle platform? Maybe the rear truck axle and the front trailer axle?

This would be my guess too.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by itat

On 2nd thought, that would be impossible. There’s too much space between the 2nd and 3rd platforms. There must be a problem with the scale’s computer.

With a short wheel base pickup and the mini-lite, it might just be possible to have the steering axle on the leading edge of the front (narrow) plate, and the drive axle towards the front of the drive axle plate and the trailers tandem axles straddling the drive axle plate and the trailer plate.

Otherwise your guess of a scale malfunction is more likely.

[itat]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

With a short wheel base pickup and the mini-lite, it might just be possible to have the steering axle on the leading edge of the front (narrow) plate, and the drive axle towards the front of the drive axle plate and the trailers tandem axles straddling the drive axle plate and the trailer plate.

Otherwise your guess of a scale malfunction is more likely.

Herk, I just think that the distance between the 2nd and 3rd platforms is too large for the front trailer axle to be on the rear of the 2nd platform and the rear trailer axle to be on the front of the 3rd platform.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by itat

Herk, I just think that the distance between the 2nd and 3rd platforms is too large for the front trailer axle to be on the rear of the 2nd platform and the rear trailer axle to be on the front of the 3rd platform.

You are most likely correct. Just trying to think my way out of those crazy numbers. Not having much luck.

[itat]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

You are most likely correct. Just trying to think my way out of those crazy numbers. Not having much luck.

I know. It’s very strange. The tongue on a 5100# Mini Lite 2503S TT shouldn’t be more than 800#.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by itat

I know. It’s very strange. The tongue on a 5100# Mini Lite 2503S TT shouldn’t be more than 800#.

Yea, the 1840 pounds total weight on BOTH trailer axles makes no sense at all.

[Mrs.Shockley]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

With a short wheel base pickup and the mini-lite, it might just be possible to have the steering axle on the leading edge of the front (narrow) plate, and the drive axle towards the front of the drive axle plate and the trailers tandem axles straddling the drive axle plate and the trailer plate.

Otherwise your guess of a scale malfunction is more likely.

These scales seemed to to me like it had 4 platforms? I could be wrong.

Two axles on a platform actually sounds exactly right to me. I don't know that 145" is considered a short wheel base, but when we hopped out to unhook the sway bars it looked to me like the tandem axles were kind of straddling the space between the platforms. Our front wheels were definitely at the front edge. Having never used them before, I assumed that would be calculated in somehow. The people running the scales seemed really confused by what we were trying to do. The first guy, a 20-something, went and got an older woman, who also didn't quite understand anything except we wanted two re-weighs with the hitch changed.

So, operator error (ours) is the most likely culprit. Those scales are 100 miles away, well find others and be more careful.

[SlowrideHD]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

You are most likely correct. Just trying to think my way out of those crazy numbers. Not having much luck.

Is it going to make your truck sit differently, or pull differently, when you see some different numbers?

[Mrs.Shockley]

Originally Posted by SlowrideHD

Is it going to make your truck sit differently, or pull differently, when you see some different numbers?

Won't do a thing to his, but I might adjust my hitch a tad. LOL!

[itat]

Here is a link to the CAT scales instructions. I don’t recall exactly how much separation they have between the 3 platforms but the pictures suggest there isn’t much separation.

https://catscale.com/how-to-weigh/