Cat scale question

[PaulBates]

We have a fall trip coming up with a fully loaded vehicle and it's time to face the CAT scales music

I understand the fundamentals of the 2 pass process, and what goes on what pad. This is not a "how to question"

Here's my question:
On pass 2, my plan is to pull trailer around again and drop it and put the tongue on the 3rd pad and vehicle on the first 2... that gives me the vehicle axles unhitched, and an actual tongue weight.

Has anyone done this and know if CAT allows this or will object to me doing it this way? I don't see a problem with it but guessing this has come up before. Edit: I did look at their site and its not covered

 

[Believer45]

I would go into the truck stop and ask. That would be controlled by the people operating the scale.

 

[PancakeBill]

Doing it like that would tie the scale up for a little bit, but then again, I have never had to wait or had someone behind me, so maybe a non-issue, until it is. There are other ways to get tongue weight. Friend has a scale for that I have borrowed.

 

[LarsMac]

Well, I would do just a tad different.
I would drop the trailer on the lot, out of the way of traffic, go weigh your tow vehicle.

Then, hook up the trailer, and take your whole rig to the scale, making sure the trailer is on separate scale pad from you vehicle.
Now you have the tow vehicle weight, and the weight of the tow vehicle with the load the trailer tongue puts on it (The dif between the two results from the vehicle pad.) And the weight on the trailer axles, and the combined weight of the whole rig, all in two relatively easy runs across the scale, without tying up the scale for any extra time for unhook/re-hook.
You probably can pull on the scales so that you can get each axel of the tow vehicle on separate pads, refining the the data even more.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Well, I would do just a tad different.
I would drop the trailer on the lot, out of the way of traffic, go weigh your tow vehicle.

Then, hook up the trailer, and take your whole rig to the scale, making sure the trailer is on separate scale pad from you vehicle.
Now you have the tow vehicle weight, and the weight of the tow vehicle with the load the trailer tongue puts on it (The dif between the two results from the vehicle pad.) And the weight on the trailer axles, and the combined weight of the whole rig, all in two relatively easy runs across the scale, without tying up the scale for any extra time for unhook/re-hook.
You probably can pull on the scales so that you can get each axel of the tow vehicle on separate pads, refining the the data even more.

And many scales will do a second trip over the platform (re-weigh) for free.

 

[CharlesinGA]

1) Weigh truck alone, with all gear and people and fuel, plus the hitch.
2) Weigh the truck and trailer together, with WDH bars disconnected and laying in the very rear of the truck bed.

3) Take the combined weight of the entire rig on the second weigh ticket, and subtract the total weight of the truck on the first ticket, from it. This will give you the weight of the trailer alone.
4) From the trailer weight arrived at in #3, subtract the trailer axle weight found on the second ticket. This result is your tongue weight.
5) Take the tongue weight, and divide it by the total weight of the trailer, #3 above, this will give you the percentage of tongue weight.

example, Tongue weight of 850 lbs divided by a 6800 lb trailer weight = .125 or 12.5%

Charles

 

[Jubilee]

All truck stop scales allow at least two weighs.
More if you need it in some cases.
Just tell them what you’re doing.

 

[RRR]

I'm happy I have state weigh stations within ~50 miles of home, leaving and returning. Whip into one when they are closed and all have an overhead reader, weigh and leave. Years ago before the electronic scales they had a little peep hole that you could see the scale, but you had to jump out to read it, and hope the scalemaster remembered to turn the scale to the peephole.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Sadly only a few states leave their scales on when the weight station is closed. Wish they ALL did

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

About 5 years ago I was hired to write some how-to articles for a commercial website. One of them was a set of articles and How & Where to Weight your RV Trailer. The site owner surrounded my article with some related stuff and produced a rather comprehensive piece on weighing either a travel trailer of fifth wheel on most any type of scale. I can't put it in the Resource library here, but you can find it at How and Where to Weigh Your Travel Trailer (Complete Guide)

[I don't get royalties for using the links in the article, but the VEHQ website owners do.]

 

[blw2]

Use the Cat app on your smartphone (weigh my truck). Easy to do everything, including the re-weigh, without the need to explain anything. Don't even have to go in for a printout or to pay.

evertime I've done it, 1st pass is hitched up
then I go drop the trailer in the parking lot
then back for just the reweigh of the tow vehicle alone

that way you get five numbers
steer loaded and unloaded
drive loaded and unloaded
trailer axle

a little math gives you
gross combined
gross tow vehicle hitched
gross tow vehicle un-hitched
gross trailer
tongue weight
and you can check each axle's load against their ratings