Haul Gauge - Anyone use it?

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Similar, but not the same: The guys on TFL Truck (The Fast Lane Truck ... it's a Youtube channel) have used one of these on their show doing towing comparisons, and I was quite impressed...was not aware that these existed. Basically a hitch with a built in scale to gauge tongue weight. No apps/connectivity needed.

Weigh Safe Adjustable Trailer Hitch
 
Skookum said:
Similar, but not the same: The guys on TFL Truck (The Fast Lane Truck ... it's a Youtube channel) have used one of these on their show doing towing comparisons, and I was quite impressed...was not aware that these existed. Basically a hitch with a built in scale to gauge tongue weight. No apps/connectivity needed.

Weigh Safe Adjustable Trailer Hitch
Click to expand...
I thought of adding one of those when I started pulling the car hauler., but I realized that I'll be loading the trailer the exact same way every time and the price seemed a lot for what would basically be a one-time use.
 
After reading the glowing review ( absolutely unfake) detailing the various calibration features and the 17 times he and the development engineers messaged over a period of weeks, in an essay which rivaled the Magna Carta in length, I've concluded I'm one, too dumb and two, so pita averse (lazy), this thing would be a candidate for the UPS desk before quick got ready.
 
DouglasB12 said:
That is an interesting concept, but it also looks like you could not use a weight distributing hitch with it.
Click to expand...

A WDH does not change the tongue weight. It changes the weight distribution to the front or rear of the vehicle. The gauge will allow you to move weight in the trailer forward or backward in the trailer to change the tongue weight.
 
Those hitch scales have been around a while and seem to work OK. I've not heard any complaints.

But, here's my thoughts. After you get the actual weights on your towed trailer the first time, do you really need it any more? I can see where these might come in handy for semi-truck drivers who carry different weights of load on their trailers, almost every day, it's different. But for anyone who owns a travel trailer or fifth wheel, we're towing the same thing all the time. At best, the actual weight of the over all trailer may vary by couple hundred pounds because of water in the tanks. But how much does that really add weight to the hitch, especially if the tanks are in the middle or near the rear (like mine are).

So after getting the readings the first time, does anyone "really" need to constantly monitor ever time they put a loaf of bread in the cabinet when traveling?
 
gwinger said:
A WDH does not change the tongue weight. It changes the weight distribution to the front or rear of the vehicle. The gauge will allow you to move weight in the trailer forward or backward in the trailer to change the tongue weight.
Click to expand...
At the risk of a protracted forum scrum with links. Tongue weight or any other weight is the inert force bearing down on the point at which it rests. Tongue weight as measured on a hitch ball is the amount of force bearing down on the ball. If part of that force is by rotational means diverted to the front axle of the TV and the axle(s) of the trailer then it ( tongue) effectively weighs less. That being the reason most hitches list two tongue weight loading criteria, one without and one with a WDH. Doubting that go weigh TV and Tlr, with and without the WDH engaged. If there’s a difference in those two weights, trust me, there will be, something now weighs more and something weighs less, ie., zero sum. It came about because the tongue weight ( force bearing down on the hitch ball) was altered.
 
I think it's for the smaller truck/SUV owner who likes to poll the internet every time they have to tow something or add something extra to their travel trailer. Or how to optimize existing weight in the trailer. Must have? I'm not sure. Neat? Yeah, it's kinda neat to have.
 
Etrailer:
>" ... the systems do not "reduce" tongue weight or allow you to tow beyond the capacities of the vehicle. The tension on the spring bars essentially lifts up on the tongue, figuratively "holding" some of the tongue's weight. This causes a shift in the distribution of the weight off of the vehicle's rear axle to all of the axles in the entire setup."
> "A weight distribution system will not change the tongue weight of the trailer. It just maximizes the vehicle and hitches capacities..."
VHQ.com:
>"No, a weight distribution hitch does not reduce the tongue weight. It only ensures that the tongue weight of the trailer is maintained at a safe level."
> "When the weight is shared equally across the trailer, there will be less chance of the trailer swaying, resulting in a smoother and much safer ride. However, there will be no change to the tongue weight of the trailer as a result of a weight distribution system. The system simply maximizes the capacity of both the vehicle and the hitches."
 
Tulecreeper said:
Etrailer:
>" ... the systems do not "reduce" tongue weight or allow you to tow beyond the capacities of the vehicle. The tension on the spring bars essentially lifts up on the tongue, figuratively "holding" some of the tongue's weight. This causes a shift in the distribution of the weight off of the vehicle's rear axle to all of the axles in the entire setup."
> "A weight distribution system will not change the tongue weight of the trailer. It just maximizes the vehicle and hitches capacities..."
VHQ.com:
>"No, a weight distribution hitch does not reduce the tongue weight. It only ensures that the tongue weight of the trailer is maintained at a safe level."
> "When the weight is shared equally across the trailer, there will be less chance of the trailer swaying, resulting in a smoother and much safer ride. However, there will be no change to the tongue weight of the trailer as a result of a weight distribution system. The system simply maximizes the capacity of both the vehicle and the hitches."
Click to expand...
Well there’s the link anyway, ‘cause if it’s on the internet it must be ______. Now the scrum.
 
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Onyrlef said:
At the risk of a protracted forum scrum with links. Tongue weight or any other weight is the inert force bearing down on the point at which it rests. Tongue weight as measured on a hitch ball is the amount of force bearing down on the ball. If part of that force is by rotational means diverted to the front axle of the TV and the axle(s) of the trailer then it ( tongue) effectively weighs less. That being the reason most hitches list two tongue weight loading criteria, one without and one with a WDH. Doubting that go weigh TV and Tlr, with and without the WDH engaged. If there’s a difference in those two weights, trust me, there will be, something now weighs more and something weighs less, ie., zero sum. It came about because the tongue weight ( force bearing down on the hitch ball) was altered.
Click to expand...
At risk of adding to the scrum, some clarification is required. Using a WDH will actually reduce the downward force on the hitch receiver but not on the ball. This is why the hitch receiver comes with two ratings. If you're lucky, your tow vehicle will allow more tongue weight with a WDH, which I have discovered most trucks do. Since I use an SUV, I am limited by other factors other than the hitch and therefore cannot increase my tongue weight with a WDH.

Yes, if you go to a CAT scale and measure with and without a WDH, you will see that the net total weight on the steer and drive axles decreases with a WDH engaged. This is because the additional weight from the trailer tongue has been redistributed but it has not been reduced. It's important not to confuse the downward force created by the trailer tongue frame with the vertical load transmitted through the ball. They just so happen to be the same when the WDH hasn't yet been engaged. You can measure this downward force from the tongue (tongue weight) with a scale mounted under the coupler when there is no hitch. Or you can go to a CAT scale and take measurements of your TV alone and then with TT attached without a WDH and calculate the weight difference on the TV axles.

OR you can use the Weigh Safe scale when your trailer is hooked up, since it's built into the ball. This brings up an interesting discussion now, as this scale will provide empirical evidence of what forces are being applied at the ball once a WDH is engaged. If you watch the Weigh Scale video link below (about the 6 minute mark), you will see that the actual force on the ball increases 2 to 3 times of the tongue weight once the WDH is engaged.

So yes, the force on the "hitch ball" has been altered when a WDH is engaged, but this isn't the tongue weight as that was already measured before the WDH was engaged AND this force doesn't decrease, it actually increases (Statics 101 in first year engineering...hated it). The downward force being applied to the "L" brackets on the tongue with a WDH engaged adds an upward vertical load at the ball coupler, but a decreased vertical load on the hitch receiver.

Ultimately, the actual weight from the trailer tongue frame doesn't increase or decrease with a WDH, it is only redistributed. To be totally correct, a WDH doesn't redistribute just "tongue" weight, it redistributes weight, period. If the trailer load was perfectly balanced such that the weight from the tongue frame was zero and a WDH was engaged, it would still remove weight from the tow vehicle's rear axle.

 
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The Big 7 Misconceptions About Weight Distribution Hitches - Ask The RV Engineer

If you’ve read my article on the hidden danger of a weight-distribution hitch, you might be wondering what else you thought you knew that isn’t true! I’m a big fan of weight-distribution hitches. If you’re towing with a half-ton truck, I’m 99.5 percent positive you either need or could benefit...
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If two guys carry a box of rocks, does the box weigh less than when only one guy carries it? Of course not. But the distribution of how/where that weight is carried changes. When the second guy picks up part of the load, the first guy thinks "now it's lighter", but that's just his perception of the part that is relevant to him.
 
Think of a piece of spring steel like the springs on a car, turned over so that the ends rest on the ground. Put a 10-pound weight on top of it and the two ends will move away from each other as the spring flattens. Now put a heavy brick at each end pushed up against, but not actually on, the spring. Now put the weight back on the top. The spring tries to flatten, but because the bricks are in the way it can't move as far. The weight still weighs 10 pounds, the spring it still holding up 10 pounds, but the bricks are now taking up some of the load.
 
No worries, just go weigh it. If the GVW of the TV doesn’t change when the the WDH is engaged and then disengaged then the tongue weight ( metric of the force bearing down on the hitch ball ) hasn’t changed. It’s really that simple, really.
 
My TT is actually a toy hauler. The reason I was interested in the "Haul Gauge" is because my trailer can have substantially different weights, depending on if I'm carrying 0, 1, or 2 ATV's in the back. This is also new to me as I just got this set up this year. I towed the trailer from the dealer for 7 hours to get home and the harmonics driving on concrete roads almost rattled our teeth out. I installed a WDH, and went for a test drive (no ATV's loaded) and it drove like a dream. I took one camping trip with the ATV's loaded and I had noticeable sway for the entire trip. I did stop and loosen (add) one link on the chains for the WDH and that seemed to help. Going that route though just ends up being trial and error. The $40 price tag on the Haul Gauge is very appealing - if the gadget actually works.
We are still adding and loading all the necessities we will want/need in the camper and trying to front load as much as we can. This will help offset the weight of the ATV's in the rear, so hopefully as we get fully stocked, weight distribution will improve.
 
DouglasB12 said:
My TT is actually a toy hauler. The reason I was interested in the "Haul Gauge" is because my trailer can have substantially different weights, depending on if I'm carrying 0, 1, or 2 ATV's in the back. This is also new to me as I just got this set up this year. I towed the trailer from the dealer for 7 hours to get home and the harmonics driving on concrete roads almost rattled our teeth out. I installed a WDH, and went for a test drive (no ATV's loaded) and it drove like a dream. I took one camping trip with the ATV's loaded and I had noticeable sway for the entire trip. I did stop and loosen (add) one link on the chains for the WDH and that seemed to help. Going that route though just ends up being trial and error. The $40 price tag on the Haul Gauge is very appealing - if the gadget actually works.
We are still adding and loading all the necessities we will want/need in the camper and trying to front load as much as we can. This will help offset the weight of the ATV's in the rear, so hopefully as we get fully stocked, weight distribution will improve.
Click to expand...
Yep, you’ll have to monitor your TW with that dynamic behind the axles. When you reduced the degree of torque produced by the WDH (added a link) your sway went away because you increased the amount of force bearing down on the ball. That’s a lot cheaper than some of the other gadgets for determining TW.
 
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