Quick video describing how to weigh a trailer tongue at home with a bathroom scale.#swagnation #jointhepack Want to save money on your next fuel stop? Simple Tongue/Pin Weight. Too little tongue weight can cause the back end of the vehicle to lift which can result in a very dangerous condition known as trailer sway. Figure 4. Then, lay a 3½-foot-long 4×4 beam across the tops of those pipes. I can tow at 70 mph and it is rock solid. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Hope this helps. 1. There are also helpful diagrams in this blog post by Gregory Hildstrom. Repositioning items within the boat is the easiest method to alter trailer tongue weight. Rear Vehicle Axle Center-line to Tow Ball . The gross trailer weight for this measurement was about 3400 lbs (2000+450+650+300), so the tongue weight was about 11.5%, which is right in the 10-15% range that many people recommend. The torque only reduces the loads at the axles not the frame. 8,700 lbs. Copy and paste this code to your website: . Gross Total Weight. Here's where you may need to use some extra pieces of wood to get your coupler at the same height as your vehicle's tow ball. This is because the 'tongue weight' counts as cargo as it is, technically, weight placed upon the vehicle. If the tongue is resting outside of the scale, you will get a weight reading that could be anywhere from 9 to 15 percent lower than the actual gross trailer weight. According to the American…, Colorado is such a great place to explore on an RV road trip! How to Calculate Tongue Weight. So, for a loaded trailer . You should also pay attention to your tongue weight. Without lowering any other jacks, detach your trailer from the truck and read the scale. All rights Reserved. Again, be sure that no part of the trailer is on the scale. Older homes are usually lighter. No sway when passing or being passed by big trucks at all now. False. While researching important trailer weights and trying to get your rig set up safely, you may run across the term “hitch weight”. Multiply that number by 0.10 and 0.15. There is no formula to determine exactly what you need. Simply place the scale beneath your trailer jack on level ground, and the easy-to-read gauge will display your tongue weight. 3. All weights are actual weights. Hitch weight rating, which indicates the maximum weight your hitch is designed to safely carry. Typical Hitch Ratings: Receiver Ratings are typically marked on receiver. Tongue weight is simply the downward force that the tongue of the trailer exerts on the hitch that is connected to the vehicle. NOTE: We recommend this method only for a trailer that is 3,000 lbs or lighter. Subtract the second weight from the first weight to determine your tongue weight. If the jack is not a good fit, a sturdy pipe may be used, placed vertically between the coupler and scale. Class I - 200 lbs Tongue Weight, 2000 lbs. Because a trailer tongue weight that is too heavy can make steering the tow vehicle nearly impossible. Set up a box and adjust the height with 2x4s to be the same height as your truck's towing ball. If you're towing a fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailer . The mass of the trailer will be printed on the nameplate located on the frame. So if you know the trailer weights 400 pounds and you load it with another 150 pounds, then you should have a tongue weight at the ball of 15% of 550 or 82 pounds. If I put four 35lb bikes on it, that's 240lbs total weight. Be sure to measure your trailer's tongue weight without the Spring Arm attachment. Cars, Vans, Trucks and SUVs. Cargo Weight is the actual weight of all items added to the Curb Weight of the vehicle or trailer. Lay the brick/paver or similar item and the bathroom scale. All you have to do is adjust your cargo. Essentially, trailer tongue weight is the downward force the tongue of your trailer puts on the hitch of your tow vehicle. As the centre of gravity moves forward, say 10% of the distance from the axle to the tongue, 10% of the weight will be on the tongue. Click on the link and when the page opens, look at the top of the page and you will see the 4 Step Weight Safety Plan. Tongue Weight — sometimes referred to as TW — is the force pushing down on the trailer hitch by the load being hauled. The term “tongue weight” might seem like a silly one. Here's what I know: Lay one pipe long ways on the scale and one long ways on the brick/paver. In our example above, the trailer axle position is ~55% of bed length. Gross Total Weight. Aim to position your cargo so that your trailer's tongue gauge is reading within this . The dolly weight is mostly on its wheels, not on the tongue. How do you measure tongue weight on a trailer? Location. A tongue weight that is too light will cause the vehicle to sway while transporting. Step 2 - Determine the weight of the secondary vehicle. The tongue is a device that connects the trailer to the towing vehicle. It costs $10-15 and takes 10-15 minutes. There is a measurement you can take to ensure whether or not the bike rack will fit once you have the hitch installed. Weight distribution works to distribute the tongue weight of a trailer up to the front axle of the tow vehicle so that it will sit more level and handle/brake better. Trailer on scale. Get the weight (let's say it's 4,600 pounds), then drive off the scale, disconnect the trailer, drive the truck back on the scale again, and weigh the truck by itself. In going through this, I realized that this is something I have never . A. Transom should be flush with the end of the bunks/rollers to make sure that tongue weight calculation is correct. If you are familiar with towing weights, then here's some explanatory notes about the calculator. Fine-tuning the tongue weight to fall within the 9- to 15-percent weight range of the gross trailer weight (GTW) might seem nearly impossible. Steps on How to Set a Trailer Tongue Weight. The max tongue weight is the factor many forget to calculate. © 2021 CURT Manufacturing LLC. You’ll just have to move things until you find a nice balance. Zero out the scale to ensure an accurate reading. If the tongue weight is too heavy, the steering of your vehicle will be affected. Tongue weight (TW) is the downward force exerted at a vehicle-trailer coupling point when your trailer is hooked up for towing. Why is tongue weight important when towing? Using the formula (dry hitch weight / dry vehicle weight) you arrive at the designed-in pin/tongue weight of the camper. To determine either tongue or wheels weight, a lever can be used if direct measurement (ie by bathroom scales) is not possible W = A + B (i) (Total weight = weight at point A + weight at point B. Originally published on March 20th, 2020, 8 Paws of Love: Camper Van Travel Tips with Two Dogs – Adventure Allens, Planning a Cross-Country RV Road Trip With Vanna Mae, How to Stay Fit on the Road with the Adventure Allens, Planning the Ultimate Denver RV Road Trip, How To Transition To Living In A RV: AsoboLife, Planning the Ultimate Las Vegas RV Road Trip. Determine the total weight of the trailer plus cargo. Newer ones tend to be taller and the materials used are heavier, therefore the newer homes are heavier. Total Measured Weight of the Trailer: Wcg = 2600 Lbs. DO NOT drive your trailer on the scale with your vehicle. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. HaulGauge Mobile Tongue Weight Scale Sherline Scale Another popular tool is the Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scale.The Sherline Scale can be used with standard trailers as well as fifth-wheel campers with tongue weights up to 2,000 lbs. Since most tongue weights are equivalent to roughly 10-15% of the weight of the trailer, this scale can ultimately handle a gross trailer . Truck Weights. 2,250 pounds. Class II - 350lbs Tongue Weight, 3500 lbs. Place a bathroom scale down on the opposite side of the tongue from the brick, this time two feet away from the coupler. Step 3 - Calculate tongue weight. The weight of fuel the fuel, trailer, and other accessories can add up to 2,000 lbs to these average weights which can highly impact their ability to be towed. The idea is to set the tongue of the trailer onto a beam that spreads the load between the bathroom scale and another support point. Weigh the truck again without the weight of the trailer. Compare the figure in Step 7 with the figures in Step 8. If the tongue weight is expected to be less than 300 pounds, simply place the tongue or jack directly on the scale. Measure from the ground to the top of the hitch receiver. . If you’re like us, you might have several strong reservations about moving out of your home and into an RV…. Having the correct balance is the utmost imp. If the tongue weight is too little -- less than 10% of the total trailer weight -- the trailer may tend to sway back and forth. Record the weight. First, make sure your RV is loaded with everything you normally camp with, and park your vehicle and trailer on a hard level surface, such as a parking lot or driveway. Tongue Weight or Hitch Weight (HW) Also known as tongue weight, HW is the amount of weight of the trailer that is carried on the hitch. In order to calculate your tongue weight you need to do the following: Make sure your trailer is fully loaded as it would be when taking it on a trip. You can subtract 200 pounds that the tongue carries. *PWCs. Drive all 4 wheels of your vehicle on the scale while your trailer is still attached. So, a vehicle and hitch with a 5000 lb towing weight capacity will have a tongue weight capacity of 500 lbs. Knowing your trailer tongue weight is great, but really, it's only half of the information needed to keep you safe. Whenever I open up Google Maps, I get excited because I know that I have a whole world to explore…. Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) Your account has been temporarily locked, so no orders can be placed at this time. How do you fix this? A quick way to calculate hitch Tongue Weight Capacity is to multiply your vehicle's Gross Towing Capacity (GTWR) by 10% (tongue weight = GTWR x 10%). If too light, bring a battery or gear to the front. The tongue weight will have an impact on the amount of weight that you can carry in the vehicle. This tongue weight only accounts for an empty trailer. Make sure you err on the side of caution when calculating the . On the other hand, too much tongue weight can cause the back end of the . The load represented on the bathroom scale is the ratio of the scale (A) to the coupler support distance (B) and the tongue support distance (C). Tongue weight is important for towing because improper tongue weight can cause driving hazards. Meanwhile, a trailer that puts too little force on the tow vehicle hitch is likely to have problems with swaying. Then, hook up your trailer and weigh your vehicle again, without letting the wheels of the trailer touch the scale. Although it's at the convenience of being at your own home it does require some supplies and set up. This will be calculated for you below. One last method for measuring the tongue weight of your trailer is to use a vehicle scale at a rest stop or at your local dump. Simple Pin/Tongue Weight Calculator (using fixed percentages. Fortunately, getting this measurement is fairly straightforward. You should get scaled and get accurate weights (click for instructions on how to weight a fifth wheel or travel trailer. The scale read about 98 lbs, which means the tongue weight was about 392 lbs (98x4). The full tongue weight rests on the vehicle's frame. This is your tongue weight. Regardless, if the tongue weight capacity is 11 percent of 1500 pounds, the tongue weight capacity would be 165 pounds since it is lower than the 300 pounds of the reducer. This is the weight of your tow vehicle. Need something more visual to understand these instructions? Then, Jane Doe, who weighs 300lbs, stands upon the hitch and the rear sags 3 inches. (enter numbers above) Adjust Pin/Tongue Weight. Place one length of pipe on the brick and another on the bathroom scale, both oriented in the same direction as the trailer (so, front to back). Does that mean I've exceeded the tongue. The simplest method is shown below- take the camper's estimated actual loaded weight and plan for a fixed percentage of that being tongue weight. 706. If you have a truck that can tow 11,700 pounds and has a tongue weight of 1,220 pounds with a weight distributing hitch, you would use the 10-15% rule to calculate that an 11,700-pound camper will have a tongue weight between 1,170 lbs and 1,700 lbs. Fortunately, this usually only takes one or two tries. Once you know the weight of your loaded trailer, you can learn your ideal tongue weight by using percentages. An alternative method for measuring tongue weight is to use a common bathroom scale. Can too much tongue weight cause trailer sway? As an example, if John Doe weights 200lbs, and he stands upon the trailer hitch causing the rear to sag 2 inches. Ideally, your tongue weight should be between 10% and 15% of the trailer's gross weight. Tow Ball to Spring Bar Connection . First, hitch your fully loaded trailer up to your truck. Knowing your trailer tongue weight is great, but really, it’s only half of the information needed to keep you safe. You can’t go wrong camping in a…. Quote: Might be even EASIER to just weigh the truck along and the trailer alone and add the tongue weight to the rear axle weight. Gross Total Weight. Pretty simple, right? The primary purpose of this calculator is to answer the question: "How heavy a travel trailer can I tow?" This calculator is designed for travel trailers (also know as conventional trailers), towed by a ball hitch, either weight-carrying or weight-distributing. RVs are typically heavy trailers, so the scale must be heavy-duty enough to handle the weight. Tongue weight is the downward force exerted at the vehicle-trailer coupling point when your trailer is hooked up for towing. If the tongue weight it too much -- greater than 15% -- your vehicle may become less responsive, especially when turning and braking. The result is the weight of the target language. Luckily, the fix is incredibly simple. Answers to common questions: How to calculate the weight of a mobile home. Then add 3 inches to accommodate the height of the ball. We also check the tongue weight. There's a variety of models available. Many people ask, “The tongue weight of a trailer should be what percent of the total trailer weight?” The answer? Record this weight. Mark the 2'x4' one foot over from where it rests on the pipe that is on the brick/paver. You'll want to set your 2'x4' up using a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio. Step 3 - Adjust the tongue weight Check out this video, which modifies the process a little by resting the tongue jack on the long 4×4 alone, rather than using the coupler on a stack of wood. In general, you want the tongue weight to be about 10-15% of the gross trailer weight. If tongue weight is too heavy, it can make your vehicle more difficult to control, especially when making turns and braking. Of course, the first thing…, © Copyright 2021 RVshare.com Privacy and Terms, © Copyright 2021 RVshare.com | 155 Montrose W Ave, Akron, OH 44321, Last updated on May 19th, 2021 at 03:47 pm. For instance a class III receiver may be rated at 350 lbs, which means it can tow up to 3,500 gross (trailer) weight. This will give you your GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating), which should be less than the GAWR number in the table . This revolutionary trailer coupler hooks up with a single pin for painless, stress-free coupling every time. We can simplify calculating axle position by knowing the CG . A lot of times, during the research and evaluation process of fifth wheels is trying to figure out if your truck can or cannot tow the camper of your dreams. Tow Ball to Center-line of Trailer Axle(s) Distributed Tongue Weight---(be in this zone to be equalized) CALCULATE. You can use the bathroom scale if the trailer isn't too heavy; otherwise, use the tongue weight scale. Determining these tongue weight adjustments is not an exact science. You may be wondering, “What is tongue weight?” This is an excellent question, and exactly what we will focus on in this section. This is important when calculating Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). Tongue load is the weight of a trailer at its tongue or coupling point. The curb weight is the weight of the vehicle without passengers or cargo. In today’s article, we will focus on tongue weight so you can have a complete understanding of what it is, why it’s important, and how to find it. Begin by weighing your vehicle without the trailer hooked up. However, you may not want that much weight transfered, or you may want more, and it's not just a function of the trailer tongue weight. Now calculate the center of mass (aka Center of Gravity or CG). If there is a 3' gap between the scale support pipe to the coupler support and a 1' gap between the opposing support pipe to the coupler that equates to a 3:1 ratio. Mobile Home Weight How to quickly figure out how much your home weighs. Trailer tongue weights that are too high can be fixed by doing just the opposite. Wondering how to determine tongue weight using a bathroom scale? With regard to setting your tongue weight, you can use your bathroom scale as A-Jay suggested, but if you're tongue weight exceeds your scale's capacity (always with large vessels), you might need a marine shop or weigh station. https://www.sherline.com/product/sherline-trailer-tongue-weight-scale/, To view your user account, click the following link, Make sure your trailer is fully loaded as it would be when taking it on a trip. The tongue weight was at 240 lbs. This includes personal cargo, optional equipment, and Tongue or King Pin Weight.This is important because it will determine how many things you can safely pack into your RV. Show Instructions. (ATV, Golf Cart, Motorcycles, Etc.). According to General Motors, the tongue weight on conventional trailers and ball mount hitches should be 10-15% of the total weight of the trailer and its load. You will need a bathroom scale, 2 pieces of steel pipe, a concrete paver or brick (or something that is the same thickness as your scale so that your set up is level), 2'x4' between four to five feet long and possibly some extra pieces of wood to use to get your coupler the same height as your vehicle's tow ball would be. you should be able to determine within a few lbs, your actual tongue weight. Here's some helpful websites that will locate commercial scales near you https://www.publicscaleslocator.com/, https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/. Our third recommendation would be to purchase a tongue weight scale. Calculate the tongue weight and drive safely. This force can be adjusted, and should be checked and adjusted regularly in order to keep it in the correct range. In the form below, enter as many pieces of information as are required. Calculate tongue weight on a bumper pull. No complicated hinging components and no headaches! Add that weight to the weight of the load on the trailer. Is there any way to calculate the tongue weight based upon the sag of the rear? Add the weight of the trailer to the weight of your bike (s). If tongue weight is too light, it may cause the trailer to sway while driving. I'm manufacturing a model of a vehicle, and the vehicle is actually the trailer as well. You can take a fully loaded trailer to the scales, or you can take an empty trailer -- the choice is yours to make. It measures tongue weight, gross combined weight, payload, weight distribution and more. The other thing you need to know is the ideal weight range you're looking for. Make sure the brick and the scale are about the same height (use a different brick or stack things to make them even). This means that if your loaded trailer weighs a total of 6,000 lbs, your ideal tongue weight would be between 540 and 780 pounds. Tongue weight and hitch weight are both terms that refer to the force a bumper pull trailer puts on a hitch. To determine maximum towing capacity, you will need to know the vehicle manufacturer's weight ratings and compare them against the gross weight of your trailer. You may also want to go for a tongue weight closer to 15%. Another factor affecting trailer weight (and your potential purchase) is tongue weight, which is how much downward force the trailer exerts on the hitch ball. Calc lets you decide on safety margins. Here are some of our favorites: One of our favorite things about traveling by van is that we get to bring our dogs along. The formula is 11% of the rating. 5) Tongue weight is always 10 percent of the weight I am towing. Typically, tongue load or tongue weight is 10 to 15 percent of the total weight of the trailer. Payload capacity refers to the total weight capacity of your trailer. Calculating Tongue Weight. The TW can also be found by weighing your tow vehicle on a vehicle scale by itself and comparing it to the vehicle weight when the trailer is coupled. Tongue Weight. Towing and payload ratings can be tricky to calculate accurately, just because of how many variables — like hitch type, environmental conditions, cargo arrangement, and more — are at play . When towing any trailer the Gross Combined Weight Rating and the "Tongue Weight" are critical in any situation. It covers three different options, depending on the equipment available to you. The answer? To measure tongue weight on a trailer, you can use a tongue weight scale, a common bathroom scale or a vehicle scale. 850 lbs. Kendon trailer weights are listed on our website at kendonusa.com. This can be obtained at a commercial weighing station. My Forester has a tongue weight capacity of 200lbs. If the weight is likely greater than 300 pounds, you can use some boards and pipes to set up a test as shown in the diagram. Look . Making sure your tow vehicle and hitch can handle the trailer you choose will help ensure you have full control of the trailer even on rough roads, while stopping, and while going downhill. Most vehicles have the trailer towing capacity listed in the owner's manual, on the driver-side door jamb or in a trailer towing capacity guide on their website. One of the most important things you can do to keep your family and yourself safe while towing a travel trailer is making sure you know the various important weights and weight limitations associated with your rig.