Determine tongue weight

[tcartwri]

good grief. how do you guys ever leave the house in the morning.

 

[newbury]

<<snip>
1 foot to the jack on the right, 2 feet to the jack on the left. mulitiply the reading on the bathroom scale by 3 to get actual tongue weight. (if you use equal dimentions ie 1 foot right 1 foot right, then you mulitply by 2 but for 800-900lbs tongue weight your bathroom scale doesnt go to 400 lbs so your SOL have to use x3)
<snip>

So be sure to ESTIMATE (WAG) your total weight before you put it on your scale. For instance with a 12,000 lb load on my trailer I'd need a scale that goes to 300lb and at least 3 feet between the tongue and the scale and 1 foot to the other support. If I put it on a short support I'd break the scale.

 

[joshuabardwell]

A second way is to estimate it based on "known quantities"... Open the gate of your truck and stack weight on it. Load it up to specific known amounts (300,400,500,600, etc)

Be careful if you do this, because my owner's manual says the tailgate is only rated for a few hundreds of pounds. Maybe 500 lbs? Dunno. But if you just start putting weight on it willy nilly, you may exceed whatever that rating is.

 

[schmism]

So be sure to ESTIMATE (WAG) your total weight before you put it on your scale. For instance with a 12,000 lb load on my trailer I'd need a scale that goes to 300lb and at least 3 feet between the tongue and the scale and 1 foot to the other support. If I put it on a short support I'd break the scale.

I suppose i should have added that as you screw the tongue jack "down" you watch the scale.... and if it starts to max out, adjust your load before going further.

 

[schmism]

good grief. how do you guys ever leave the house in the morning.

Cant speak for every one else but i have a doorway in my house though which i walk. You?

 

[meburdick]

Good info, SCHISM... detailed process we can all work from too.

Thanks!

To make sure my physics / geometry days aren't too far from my brain... The weight on the scale is multiplied by the distance from the scale to the fixed support and then divided by the distance from the trailer tongue to the fixed support (3' / 1', or 2' / 1' from your example)... right?

 

[meburdick]

Be careful if you do this, because my owner's manual says the tailgate is only rated for a few hundreds of pounds. Maybe 500 lbs? Dunno. But if you just start putting weight on it willy nilly, you may exceed whatever that rating is.

You'd think that if anyone was going to post that smart warning it would be me... The new Tundra's can pull a house off its foundation, but you can't put more than about 250 lbs on the gate when it's down!

 

[joshuabardwell]

good grief. how do you guys ever leave the house in the morning.

Trailering is serious business, mister!

 

[joshuabardwell]

Cant speak for every one else but i have a doorway in my house though which i walk. You?

But before I walk through it, I measure it to make sure it is correct width, and then measure myself to make sure I will fit through it, then inspect it for any structural defects. I also oil the hinges every ten times I go through the door, and replace the knob biannually. I know some people prefer to let the dealer do the knob replacement, but I hate having to take the door in and being without it for a week.

 

[meburdick]

But before I walk through it, I measure it to make sure it is correct width, and then measure myself to make sure I will fit through it, then inspect it for any structural defects. I also oil the hinges every ten times I go through the door, and replace the knob biannually. I know some people prefer to let the dealer do the knob replacement, but I hate having to take the door in and being without it for a week.

Are you out of your mind?!?!? You have to inspect the threshold to ensure it's not rotted and will support the weight! lol

 

[tcartwri]

But before I walk through it, I measure it to make sure it is correct width, and then measure myself to make sure I will fit through it, then inspect it for any structural defects. I also oil the hinges every ten times I go through the door, and replace the knob biannually. I know some people prefer to let the dealer do the knob replacement, but I hate having to take the door in and being without it for a week.

You forgot to ask your wife if it was ok....

 

[joshuabardwell]

Are you out of your mind?!?!? You have to inspect the threshold to ensure it's not rotted and will support the weight! lol

I replaced my thresholds with titanium some years ago, to avoid having to do this. I mean, really! Who wants to check their threshold EVERY time they go outside?

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Well who wants to go outside without checking the weather? Come on guys, if its not a perfect day outside, why bother?

 

[glkingar]

Oh GREAT! Now we are going to have to define a PERFECT day.

Am enjoying the discussion and the info.

Gerry

 

[texasjohn]

Well we could revisit the question considering a goose neck trailer tongue weight, associated weight measuring schemes, loading and tie down techniques and risks. Then, we could decide which is the perfect trailer for hauling the perfect tractor :drinkn a perfect day!

 

[wolfpack2]

We would also have to define the perfect truck.