Excellent video. My main concern on towing has been trailer hitch weight. With this handy unit I won't have concerns about improper loading. Thank you!
I have watched many videos on this scale, but this is the first one that showed both methods and their difference and calculations. Kudos for taking the time to make it.
Dan, I should be more clear. When I weigh the tongue, I want the trailer level, as it would be when actually towing. In other words, when I am getting the weight, the trailer should not be nose down or nose high, correct?
its measured based off of actual. Dry weight is one, that's right off the manufacture floor. Then there is actual, which is after load your stuff into it, which will change every trip you take depending on how much you take with you and where you put it in the trailer etc.. I had a travel trailer in the past that was an FK, front kitchen. It was terrible, we would load the groceries, fill the fridge etc, load about 400lbs of food, water, etc and being it was in the front or up past he trailer axels, it added to the tongue weight like you wouldn't believe. It was such a pain to keep adjusting the weight distribution bars on every trip to equal out the weight on the tongue. Didn't know about this scale or even if it was around at that time, now I know how to better load my travel trailer and have a quick little scale to test to make sure its safe as possible, and my travel trailer now has the kitchen over the axes on the trailer, so not much weight changes other than the gas bottles being empty or full, that's about the biggest weight difference now on the trailers tongue area.
Honu Maka Thank you Honu, happy thanksgiving! Yes you would want the trailer level when towing. It broke with weight distribution and tire traction when it’s level, the tow vehicle should have a little squat but not much depending. My F-150 rear end is higher than the front end a bit without any load. Once the trailer is attached it levels out the truck and the weight is good. Eyeballing it isn’t really the best way, the safest and best way is to get the axel weights and make sure the weight is dispersed evenly.
Nice job. Clears up a misconception I had about where to place the scale and what the variance would be. Most accurate I assume would be at the same height as the ball on the hitch?
Tommy C Factory dry weight on the tongue is 786. I have Over 200 lbs of equipment in the storage at the front compartments, 2 gas bottles filled and 2 batteries, that alone is over 300. That’s why I added baggage doors to the rear so I could transfer some of the weight.
@@dan8220 well your video inspired me to order a tounge scale. Just got same one your using. Plan on using it on my bumper pull 16k heavy equipment and on my 5th camper. With varying loads all the time it's good to be sure and safe. Thank you for your video and content.
The calculation is not just .95. It is the weight you got at your hitch divided by the weight you got at your Jack. The difference is used to multiply by the weight at the Jack to get the hitch weight. So now you can just use your Jack to weigh from vice the hitch and obtain a good measurement.
Excellent video. My main concern on towing has been trailer hitch weight. With this handy unit I won't have concerns about improper loading. Thank you!
I have watched many videos on this scale, but this is the first one that showed both methods and their difference and calculations. Kudos for taking the time to make it.
This is the what I've been looking for. Great video.
Great video Dan. I just purchased one to measure my trailer's hitch weight.
Thanks Dan, excellent tool to help prior to a heavy trailer pull. Have a fine Thanksgiving.
Dan, I should be more clear. When I weigh the tongue, I want the trailer level, as it would be when actually towing. In other words, when I am getting the weight, the trailer should not be nose down or nose high, correct?
Honu Maka
Yes it should be as level as possible.
I was going to make a scale but This I now feel is the way to go. I'm going to start with 13% GVW of trailer and see how tows. Thanks for the video.
New to this- is the tongue weight measured in dry weight (actual weight of the trailer) or the GVWR?
its measured based off of actual. Dry weight is one, that's right off the manufacture floor. Then there is actual, which is after load your stuff into it, which will change every trip you take depending on how much you take with you and where you put it in the trailer etc.. I had a travel trailer in the past that was an FK, front kitchen. It was terrible, we would load the groceries, fill the fridge etc, load about 400lbs of food, water, etc and being it was in the front or up past he trailer axels, it added to the tongue weight like you wouldn't believe. It was such a pain to keep adjusting the weight distribution bars on every trip to equal out the weight on the tongue. Didn't know about this scale or even if it was around at that time, now I know how to better load my travel trailer and have a quick little scale to test to make sure its safe as possible, and my travel trailer now has the kitchen over the axes on the trailer, so not much weight changes other than the gas bottles being empty or full, that's about the biggest weight difference now on the trailers tongue area.
Happy Thanksgiving Dan!...I assume (!) you want the trailer level, as it would be during towing?
Honu Maka
Thank you Honu, happy thanksgiving! Yes you would want the trailer level when towing. It broke with weight distribution and tire traction when it’s level, the tow vehicle should have a little squat but not much depending. My F-150 rear end is higher than the front end a bit without any load. Once the trailer is attached it levels out the truck and the weight is good. Eyeballing it isn’t really the best way, the safest and best way is to get the axel weights and make sure the weight is dispersed evenly.
Nice job. Clears up a misconception I had about where to place the scale and what the variance would be. Most accurate I assume would be at the same height as the ball on the hitch?
TheFRL13
Yea, the most accurate would be putting it up in the coupler where the ball goes.
Dan, thank you for the video.
1000lb tounge weight! What's in that trailer?
Tommy C
Factory dry weight on the tongue is 786. I have Over 200 lbs of equipment in the storage at the front compartments, 2 gas bottles filled and 2 batteries, that alone is over 300. That’s why I added baggage doors to the rear so I could transfer some of the weight.
@@dan8220 well your video inspired me to order a tounge scale. Just got same one your using. Plan on using it on my bumper pull 16k heavy equipment and on my 5th camper. With varying loads all the time it's good to be sure and safe. Thank you for your video and content.
The calculation is not just .95. It is the weight you got at your hitch divided by the weight you got at your Jack.
The difference is used to multiply by the weight at the Jack to get the hitch weight. So now you can just use your Jack to weigh from vice the hitch and obtain a good measurement.
Good video. And the difference between the jack and ball weight is 5 %. And your math is correct. Thanks