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Old 12-06-2010, 06:48 AM   #21
mecicon
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Originally Posted by Bill View Post
By the way, Mr. Adventure, when we weighed in New Mexico, pushing the button was impossible, since it was about 9 feet off the ground! The girl inside warned us, and she was right. She said she would watch us out her window, and when she saw me wave, she would push the PRINT button. I did, she did, and we were happy.

Bill
I used the bar from my WDH to push the button...
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Old 12-06-2010, 07:05 AM   #22
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I used the bar from my WDH to push the button...
Creative and effective, except that you need the WDH bar on the hitch at least some of the time for these weighings. But, you see what I meant about entertaining the truckers.
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Old 12-06-2010, 08:28 AM   #23
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Creative and effective, except that you need the WDH bar on the hitch at least some of the time for these weighings. But, you see what I meant about entertaining the truckers.
The bar used to apply the tension to the chains.
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'22 Keystone Cougar 32BHS 5er (Mellencamper)
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Old 12-06-2010, 11:42 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by mecicon View Post
The bar used to apply the tension to the chains.
You still get points for creativity. I bet that piece of steel tubing has other uses too.
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Old 12-17-2011, 11:58 AM   #25
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Help! We are fairly new at this trailering thing. We are trying to get the weights needed to determine if we need a WDH. We went to CAT Scales in our town (Knoxville, TN) a couple of months ago, but failed to get one important weight. We did not get the front axle of the TV, rear axle of the TV and trailer axle. We hitched up again yesterday and went back to get these weights. We were told that our trailer is not long enough and that they can only weigh our vehicle (one weight) and the trailer. We called today to clarify what we needed and were told that "if they couldn't do it yesterday, we can't do it today": Called a second CAT scale and were told the same thing. It seems others have been able to get these three weights. What are we doing wrong? We have a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2006 2720. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Jere & Paula

2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee w/Tow package
2006 TM 2720.
For those TM owners that don’t have a CAT scale place handy - I sure don’t. I called (Pioneer Landscaping materials) which is 10 minutes from my home and asked them if I took my trailer over would they weight it, they said yes for $5.00. I think that is fair. I am sure most people here have a local stone/gravel place local. They have to do weight on deliverers and those trucks are very large. Hope this helps. I really have to get this done, just so I know and not guessing.

Dave
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Old 12-17-2011, 05:12 PM   #26
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Dave -

An excellent example of "getting it done". I first got my rig weighed at the local dump - er, landfill - er, waste transfer station. I reasoned that I have to buy a sticker from the town every year to be able to get in the gate. And then I have to weigh my truck before and after I dump something, so that they can subtract and charge me for every pound I dumped.

I chatted up the scale attendant, and he said, "Sure, as long as you are a resident, and you're not dumping anything, go ahead and weigh as many times as you like, as long as there is no one waiting in line. No charge." So I did.

Worked for me ...

Bill
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Old 06-07-2013, 07:18 AM   #27
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Default Yet one more data point

When my wife and I started our twice-a-year cross-country trips 12 years ago, we looked like Steinbeck's Joad family escaping the Oklahoma dust bowl in the 1930s. We had everything with us - bikes, kayaks, tools, my antique anvil collection - and we weighed like it. As the years went on, we got smarter, gradually reducing the amount of stuff we carried. This year, we thought we reached an all-time low weight, and we were pretty proud of ourselves, until we stopped at a CAT scale on I-84 in Ontario, Oregon. The results were almost identical to the readings three years ago.
  • Tow vehicle front axle 2700 pounds
  • Tow vehicle rear axle 3760 pounds
  • Trailer axle 3340 pounds
  • Total 9800 pounds
Conditions for this weighing were:
  • WDH springbars snapped up
  • One full, one empty propane tank
  • Water heater full (6 gallons)
  • No other water
I wish I had weighed again with the springbars disconnected and the tongue jack down. I imagine that the actual weight of the trailer would have been at least 15% higher than the axle weight shown on the scale. In other words, at least 3900 pounds. Once again, it suggests to me that a 3500-pound-rated vehicle is pretty iffy proposition, especially if you load up the tow vehicle with stuff in the wayback (which generally reduces the tow rating pound-for-pound).

And once again, I am exceeding the rear axle weight rating (GVWR-R) of my Explorer. Not good. And considering that the Explorer is a reasonably sturdy vehicle, it makes me even more nervous about smaller vehicles.

Conclusion: We really thought we were doing better. But this shows that good intentions are not enough. "Packing light" is subjective, and simply convincing yourself that you are doing it isn't reliable. A few bucks for a scale reading is an investment well made.

Bill
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Old 06-07-2013, 11:44 AM   #28
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All right, Bill, I can't stand it. You posted three years apart that you have an empty propane tank. Why not fill it at home before you leave, where it will be cheaper than on the road?

Inquiring minds need to know! (With tongue in cheek)

Paul
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Old 10-30-2014, 07:21 PM   #29
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Default And yet one more data point

We do a cross-country trip every six months, closing one house and opening the other. As a result, we take a lot of stuff with us beyond normal camping stuff, so I try to be aware of our weight. In previous years, the extra stuff has been divided between the trailer and the tow vehicle, and the weight of the trailer got pretty high. This year we have a different tow vehicle, and we could pack all of this stuff into the truck. Sionce we have had a number of tire failures on the TM over the years, we aggressively packed the truck and unpacked the TM.

During this year's trip from Maine to Arzona, we stopped at a CAT scale in PA.

Our TM is a 2720SL. The heavy options are air conditioner and awning.
At the time of weighing, our conditions were these.
  • Two people in the front seat of the truck, totalling about 400 pounds - no other passengers
  • Spring bars snapped up
  • One empty propane tank, one half full tank
  • Fresh water tank - empty
  • Gray tank - empty
  • Toilet - empty
  • Water heater - full (6 gallons is about 50 pounds)

The scale showed:
Truck front axle 3460 lb
Truck back axle 3960 lb
Trailer axle 3380
Total 10,800 pounds.

I did not reweigh without the spring bars, and I did not reweigh the trailer or hitch weight alone. Wish I had. But if I run through the math that describes a WDH operation, it tells me that the Gross Trailer Weight is between 3800 and 4000 pounds. This is the minimum "tow rating" that our vehicle should have, and our truck does.

It also tells me that about 270 pounds remains on the hitch ball after the springbars are snapped up. Without the WDH, this would have been over 500 pounds, so this shows the value of a WDH.

The take-away from all this? Even lightly packed, our trailer weight was around 3800 pounds. And a WDH is needed.

Bill
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Old 10-30-2014, 08:02 PM   #30
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I am very interested in this conversation. Our 3023 TM, in 1995, had two blowouts but no serious towing problems, except a few, which are not relevant to this thread.
We are now rehabbing our TM so I am following this very closely and appreciate the info.

Thanks again,

John
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