Surprised that there are no trailer hitches with tongue weight indicators

[nknelsen]

Many scales use transducers that convert the mechanical force on a sensor into an electrical signal. The measurable electrical signal is then translated into weight units and displayed. I'm surprised there aren't trailer hitch mounts that have a similar sensor that'll give a reading of the tongue weight. A rectangular sensor inserted into the structural steel of the hitch can measure compression on the bottom and expansion on the top and output the readings to a display on the tongue. Tongue weight is an important safety aspect of towing and I'm surprised none of the big manufacturers implemented something similar.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk...

The Ford F150 has a tongue weight/load sensor and display option. It won't tell you the weight exactly, it uses the 4 vertical brakes lights to guage the weight on the rear of the truck. It's handy when loading a tractor onto a trailer as it effectively displays tongue weight increase as you move the tractor forward and backwards.

 

[troverman]

^^It does, but you can also gauge tongue weight by watching the rear of the truck squat as you push more weight on the trailer forward.

 

[LouNY]

^^It does, but you can also gauge tongue weight by watching the rear of the truck squat as you push more weight on the trailer forward.

Doesn't work worth a dang on my 1500 with the 4 corner air suspension.

 

[JRTJH]

I was lead to believe that you should approximately 10% of the load as tongue weight up to rated max of tongue. Is there value in knowing tongue weight if you don’t the know the load weight?

Other posters have moved into some of the "why it's important to know "based on trailer loading".... It's also important to know for safety/mechanical protection for the tow vehicle. If you look at the receiver under the tow vehicle it will have a decal stating maximum tongue weight/trailer weight for "ball mounted towing" and for "weight distribution towing"... There will be a SIGNIFICANT difference between those two ratings. Even the "larger receivers" especially on half ton trucks, will have a maximum ball weight of around 500/5000 pounds unless you use a weight distribution hitch, and using one will increase the tongue weight capacity to around double or even triple that 500 pound rating...

Does it really matter ??? If you consider that an empty 14' flatbed trailer probably has a 150-250 pound tongue weight, just putting six 80 pound bags of cement (480 pounds) on the front of the trailer can cause a tongue weight of around 600 pounds, overloading the receiver on the truck. Just moving those 6 bags to sit over the trailer axles will eliminate that potential, but the "value of knowing what the tongue will weigh is important, even with small loads that don't look like they could overload the truck....

So, yes, there's great value in knowing the tongue weight, not only when considering the trailer equipment, but also knowing the potential it has to overload the truck equipment/components, even with what might seem to be "no cargo at all"...

 

[mjonesnh]

Pulled trailer with tractor for years. Loaded tractor in same place everytime. Bought a new hitch with scale last year from Amazon. Started experimenting with location and found if I moved the tractor back just 2" truck squatted a little less and truck seem to track just a little better. Amazing what roughly 100-150 lb less tongue weight made. Had tried moving tractor forward and backward before but always returned to original location. Scale showed 14-15% tongue weight vs 12% just 2" back. For me and current setup this works lots better

 

[grsthegreat]

i pull with a diesel F350, and i can honestly say ive only had one time with the truck acting squirrelly, and that was that time i had to load tractor backwards with generator at rear of trailer. every other time loading and hauling, ive never seen any issued if tractor was moved a few inches forward or backwards. ive never measured tongue weight.

 

[KennyG]

i pull with a diesel F350, and i can honestly say ive only had one time with the truck acting squirrelly, and that was that time i had to load tractor backwards with generator at rear of trailer. every other time loading and hauling, ive never seen any issued if tractor was moved a few inches forward or backwards. ive never measured tongue weight.

With your 350, 1000 lb or more tongue weight is probably no big deal. Those of us with 1/2 ton trucks need to be a little more careful.

 

[grsthegreat]

With your 350, 1000 lb or more tongue weight is probably no big deal. Those of us with 1/2 ton trucks need to be a little more careful.

Ya, i can see that. I have a new f150. But i probably wont be towing much with that truck. Heck, i had to install air suspension just to support the bed slide with my generator repair equipment.

 

[BigBlue1]

I've seen the mechanical ones. They're too expensive and bulky for casual towing. Still surprised that there's no electronic solution for this.

Bulky? My Weigh Safe is exactly the same size as any aluminum adjustable drop hitch? Expensive? Weigh Safe is within $80-100 of a similar aluminum drop hitch.

What would electronics do to improve things? Seems to me it would just be more prone to failures. I have a lot of electronic devices that go to hell and become useless within a couple years. Like tire pressure gauges, digital caliper, etc.

 

[bigtiller]

The only complaint I have with my Weight Safe hitch is my eyes. I can't get them close enough to read the scale. The phone camera in my pocket solves that problem.