How is tongue weight calculated

So you have to do the whole detach thing again and again if you need to check the weight. Using option 3 above allows you to simply drive through the scales and get a pretty accurate tongue weight.

This just seems simpler. For some it might be worth toting a scale around. For others detaching maybe preferred due to constantly changing truck payload. The only wrong answer is not insuring you have a proper connection.

Have a better way to check tongue weight quickly? Let us know! Stock hitches top out around pounds. Try upgrading to pounds with commercial duty hitches. There are even options to fit over your existing hitch so you can keep the Commercial Duty when you sell your truck. It fits under the existing hitch so we can keep the factory unit on and just remove the Commercial Duty Hitch when we sell the truck. My brother wants to buy a tandem axle trailer. This is a very informative article for anyone who tows a bumper pull trailer.

I find it would be especially helpful to folks new to pulling a travel trailer. Thanks for posting this. This is some really good information about trailer weight. Thanks for explaining that you will want to consider if the truck axles can handle the weight of a trailer and the axle. It does seem like you should get an expert to help with finding how much weight to get on your truck. Thanks for sharing these tips! I have just bought a new boat and i want to decorate it with some funiture, do u have some guess for me?

Many thanks! My father has been consideirn ggeting an equipment trailer this spring. It is nice to know that he will want to consider the tongue weight. I liked tha you pointed out that he will also want to consider how easy he wants the detaching process to be. Personally, I would want him to get a trailer and tongue that are durable. My uncle needs to rent an electronic scale to weigh out some of his cow feed. It also allows you to re weigh over and over and not have to detach.

Glad you found the article helpful. Thank you for the comment. Calculating Trailer Tongue Weight quickly on the road. To calculate trailer tongue weight is pretty easy if you have the right pieces of information. You just need; The weight of the tow vehicle alone. The weight of the tow vehicle with the trailer attached. One of the easiest ways to determine tongue weight is to weigh the tow vehicle then weigh the tow vehicle with the trailer attached and do a little math but there are some other options depending on your situation.

Spend the money and get a tongue weight scale. Tongue Scale We have this scale. Adjustable Ball Mount We own a few of these and have had no issue. Just Estimate… at your own peril. As an example, let's say that your gross trailer weight is pounds kilograms. If you're trying to adjust your tongue weight to 11 percent of the gross trailer weight, then you want the tongue to weigh 62 28 kilograms pounds.

Easy enough -- but how do you find out how much the tongue weighs right now? Since this is a smaller trailer, you can measure the weight of the tongue using a standard bathroom scale.

The trick is to make sure that the scale is at the same height as the hitch ball on the tow vehicle. Usually a small box or a cinder block will do the trick. Next, carefully place the tongue of the trailer directly on the scale and read the weight. This is your tongue weight. If the tongue weight is more than 62 pounds 28 kilograms , then you need to move some of the trailer's cargo rearward so that more weight is carried behind the trailer's axle.

If the tongue weight is less than 62 pounds 28 kilograms , then you'll need to adjust some of the cargo toward the front of the trailer so more weight is carried in front of the trailer's axle. Keep your eye on the scale and you should be able to hit the target tongue weight. For much heavier trailers -- those with a tongue weight that would exceed the weight limit of a standard bathroom scale -- you need to employ a slightly different technique.

There are two very good options available to you. First, you could purchase a tongue weight scale that's designed specifically to measure trailer tongue weights up to one ton. Or, with a little extra effort and some additional setup time on your part, you can use the same standard bathroom scale. To do this, you'll need a two-by-four cut to a five- or six-foot 1. Lay one of the pipes across the scale and the other across the brick.

Position the scale and the brick so the pipes are exactly three feet apart. Now, lay the two-by-four across the pipes, and find a suitable way to support the tongue of the trailer at the same height as the tow vehicle's hitch ball. Place the tongue and hitch-height support on the two-by-four exactly 2 feet 0.

Read the weight displayed on the scale, and then multiply the weight by three. As with the method we used for the smaller trailer, you can adjust the weight of the cargo forward or rearward of the trailer axle to reach your target tongue weight.

Just watch the scale -- and don't forget to multiply the displayed weight by three. Calculating tongue weight isn't really that complex. In fact, with enough practice, you'll soon be a pro at finding tongue weight -- and the way your trailer handles on the road will reflect that. If you're interested in reading more about vehicle weight, towing and other related topics, follow the links on the next page. Sign up for our Newsletter!

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