Practical way to weigh a trailer

I made a trailer and want to get it weighed. Went to a truck stop, but my trailer was too light for their scales. Any other suggestions?

i
Reply to
Ignoramus18738
Loading thread data ...

Two bathroom scales.

Reply to
Roy

Actually, you would need three: each wheel and the tongue. When I weigh my car, I use a scale under each wheel, and add them all up for a total weight. You might also try a moving company. They often have large scales for weighing vehicles. ALthough they might be using the same scales as the truck stop. Drive on with truck and trailer and check weight. Remove trailer, weigh truck alone.

Reply to
.boB

Even my small Hybrid trailer weighs about 5,000lbs loaded. I do not know very many bathroom scales rated to 1666lbs each.

Reply to
miles

They are at Denny's house.

Reply to
Roy

Others have suggested using bathroom scales. However, weighing wheel weight directly with a bathroom scale may be problematic, depending on the capacity of the scale and the weight of the trailer. As an example, my all-steel tandem-axle car trailer weighs approximately 1500 pounds, with most of that weight on the axles. For the sake of discussion, we can discount the tongue weight as being nearly zero, relative to the axle weight. That puts 750# per side on each side of the trailer, divided between the front and rear axles... about 375# per wheel. Most bathroom scales don't go over about

300#. With the equalizers between the front and rear axles, I can't just weigh at one wheel -- I have to weigh both wheels (on one side) at the same time.

How to do it? Archimedes (and his lever) to the rescue! Use your bathroom scale with strong piece(s) of lumber and a fulcrum. Place a fulcrum at one end of the lumber and your scale at the other end (see images here:

formatting link
and here:
formatting link
Note the scale reading (or zero the scale if it has that capability). Place the trailer tire on top of the lumber 1/3 of the distance between the center of the fulcrum and scale. Your scale reading is now one half of the true weight. If you have a tandem-axle trailer, you will have to use a second piece of lumber, in order to support both tires at the same time. Still too much weight for the scale? Place the tire(s) closer to the fulcrum -- the scaling factor is the ratio of the distances between the tire(s) and the two other points. The longer the board, the easier it is to adjust the ratio. Of course, you'll need to choose a wood beam that can handle the weight w/o breaking.

Bryan

Reply to
Bryan

if he's got a small utility trailer 3 300lb bathroom scales could do the job. we don't know what size trailer he's trying to weigh. but since its so light that it wont show on a truck scale I would guess that its a small utility trailer or 4 wheeler trailer something of that sort.

Reply to
Chris Thompson

I do not know if the bathroom scale comment was meant to be humorous, but my trailer weighs, according to my projections and estimates,

1,500-1,700 lbs. i
Reply to
Ignoramus18738

My guess is that it is about 1,700 lbs. I want to know for sure how much it weighs.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus18738

Weigh the truck and trailer as a combo and then weigh the truck only. Subtract one from the other and voila!

Mike

Reply to
Mike Simmons

If you want a real answer to your problem ask me not this guy as he is just a troll. There is a simple solution. Go the any farmers grainer/mill that accepts grain. They will have scalles that can easily weight it. I have one near here that can weigh anything from a few hunderd pounds to 100,000 lbs and it is rated plus or minus 20 pounds around 4K. I use it to weigh vehicles and front and rear axle weights. Truck stop scales are generaly not as flexible.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

Check with the guys that haul your scrap. The local yard has a very accurate truck scale. It accurately weighs my 195 pounds! Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Ya know when I answered this in jest I figured anybody would weigh the combined and then reweigh the truck. Guess I was way wrong.

Reply to
Roy

It is okay Idiot, you have no credibility here at this group.

Reply to
Roy

You are a riot! You can keep you head in the sand if you want as the choice is yours.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

This will work but if you want to measure axle load on trailer, you need to weigh trailer axle only with it hitched up or with tongue on a stand off of scale with axle still on it. (I do this A LOT)

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

Oh look, the emperor has new clothes!

Reply to
aarcuda69062

He did not indicate that he did.

Another answer to an unasked question.

Reply to
aarcuda69062

text from first post

I made a trailer and want to get it weighed. Went to a truck stop, but my trailer was too light for their scales. Any other suggestions?

I

his reply to my comment on not knowing the size of the trailer.

My guess is that it is about 1,700 lbs. I want to know for sure how much it weighs.

I

now with these two pieces of information I have some honest info to suggest on....all kidding aside if your local truck stop's scale cant determine a diff of 1700 lbs in your rig (the truck and the trailer minus the trucks weight is the weight of the trailer) then there is something seriously wrong with the accuracy of their scale. I would try to find another scale, whether its at another truck stop, scrap yard, shipping center, land fill (oh yea no one's thought of this one have they?) or where ever. if a truck scale cant tell the diff in nearly 2,000 lbs then I question the scale and/or the operator of their accuracy.

now also if I may ask. are you wanting to know the weight of the trailer for your own curiosity or because of loading considerations? what kind of trailer did you build? (to satisfy my own curiosity at this point)

I hope that is of some actual help.

Reply to
Chris Thompson

You also type a lot with constant spelling errors, gramatical errors, spout off a lot of B.S. and hardly ever, if ever answer a question that is posted. Questions such as "Where is the knock sensor on the Dodge V-1?" or like my question I posted in the Chevy group about replacing my cats. Instead of answering it, or ignoring it, you attempted to "educate me" on them.

Reply to
azwiley1

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.