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Help me choose a tongue/pin weight scale


shooter51

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I want to carry a hydraulic scale to check trailer pin / tongue weight. Shearline offers 3 weight ranges 0-1000, 0-2000, 0-5000 lbs.  I normally tow a Rockwood 8242 SS 26 foot 5th wheel and a 32 foot tag enclosed dragster trailer (6200 Lbs) with a WDH.

https://www.sherline.com/product/sherline-trailer-tongue-weight-scale/

 

 

My question is which weight range do I want, and why? thanks

Edited by shooter51

If it turns $$$$$$$ dollars into smoke and noise, I'm there.

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A ballpark pin weight & tongue weight of your trailers will help and give you a baseline to work with. Too large of range on the scale and the needle may not move enough to be as accurate as you'd like, and of course too small of range on the scale will be useless. If the scale is indicating a weight that is near midpoint within the range, not exact of course but in the region, then this could provide the accuracy you seek.

     Spot

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I have no way to scale my enclosed trailer or the 5th wheel. Having trouble finding even a ballpark number for the Rockwood. I was hoping to look up the 5er on the Rockwood site, no joy yet. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Paul in Venice

If it turns $$$$$$$ dollars into smoke and noise, I'm there.

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My 36' fifth wheel has a tongue weight of about 3000 lbs.  So, I would recommend going with the 5000 option.   2000 might not be enough. 

Are  you certain this scale works with a fifth wheel not just bumper pulls?  Personally,  I just go by the rear axle weigh at truck stops.  Cheap and easy.  Just subtract your non-hauling weight. 

- Ken

RVing since 1983. Now Full-timing.

5er: 2010 Dutchmen Grand Junction 340RL

PV: 2014 Dodge 3500 Diesel 4x4 SRW

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1 hour ago, shooter51 said:

I have no way to scale my enclosed trailer or the 5th wheel. Having trouble finding even a ballpark number for the Rockwood. I was hoping to look up the 5er on the Rockwood site, no joy yet. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Paul in Venice

Truck scales. Rear axle with the trailer, second pass without the trailer. Math works. 

I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 

2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication
2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet
2007 32.5' Fleetwood Quantum


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2 hours ago, shooter51 said:

I have no way to scale my enclosed trailer or the 5th wheel. Having trouble finding even a ballpark number for the Rockwood. I was hoping to look up the 5er on the Rockwood site, no joy yet. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Paul in Venice

Trailers have a sticker with the weight information, although yours may be gone. That could be rough, not knowing your trailer's GVWR. If you do know it though, a ballpark weight figure to use could be 20% of the GVWR. This could help determine what size Sherline to get regarding the 5er. For your other trailer, 12% of the GVWR could be a workable figure, again just to determine what size Sherline to get. Also do a search on how to obtain tongue weight with a bathroom scale for the trailer. Some use this method alone to determine tongue weight, never getting a Sherline Scale. These percentages above are guidelines that some use for proper weight distribution (20% - 25% of 5er weight for pin weight & 10% - 15% of trailer weight for tongue weight). Another way would be as just mentioned, if you can, get to a CAT Scale or similar with truck alone and then with trailer(s) attached (don't make separate trips, just disconnect in a good spot in the lot, so two trips I guess) and the difference in rear axle weight would be tongue weight and pin weight, and would help determine what size Sherline to get. I hope these options are helpful for you.

     Spot

edit: I was just wondering if RV Trader or some other source that sells RVs would include the weight information within the listing for a particular RV. Maybe looking for your model for sale could help in getting weights.

Edited by $Spot
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