Want to know how to weigh at a CAT scale?

[ependydad]

I've shared this in the fifth wheel forum, but thought I'd also share it for Beginners. Here is a video that I made for weighing my fifth wheel at a truck stop CAT scale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oB68BKFB1s


Weighing a fifth wheel isn't much different than weighing a travel trailer. Fifth wheels just have 2 weighings:
#1. Truck + trailer
#2. Truck only

For a travel trailer, there's a third:
#1. Truck + trailer with weight distributing hitch (WDH) engaged
#2. Truck + trailer w/o the WDH bars connected (throw them in the truck bed)
#3. Truck only

The order doesn't matter of the weighings, just that you get them each done and get the results. And you pull off of the scale to make any changes. Parking in the truck spots is the hardest part for me.. I weigh on days where there isn't much truck traffic and you can just pull through a spot.

I hope this helps someone!

[ependydad]

Camper8251 wrote:
Thanks for the Great info! So how do you get your Tongue weight on a TT?

For TT's, you're encouraged to do 3 weights, though one is a bit superfluous:

1. Truck + trailer w/ WDH engaged
   
2. Truck + trailer w/o WDH engaged (throw the bars in the bed of the truck)
   
3. Truck only

Pull off of the scale to make each change (i.e. removing the WDH bars).

Then basically the tongue weight is the difference between weight #2 and weight #3.

You can use this calculator to calculate it:
http://towingplanner.com/ActualWeights/TravelTrailerCatScales

The first weight isn't entirely needed but you can compare it against #2 to see how your WDH is working at distributing the weight to the truck's axle and back to the trailer's axles.

[Camper8251]

Thanks for the Great info! So how do you get your Tongue weight on a TT?

[Edd505]

ependydad wrote:

I travel often but am still not great at backing in. I have a ton of respect for the professionals.

I only weigh on days I can pull thru spots and don’t often pull-thru between 2 trucks like I show in the video.

🙂 When I was going to start RVing wife picked a 40 footer with a CCLB. I looked at that length and said I need to learn to drive something that big. Took a 3 month CDL class at a community collage. :h

:C I have a CDL so I can drive and see stuff too!! A year in a company truck & another good idea, buy your own you'll make more $$.

750,000 miles later I had seen lots of highway.


Now the 35ft behind me is like driving a VW. :W

[ependydad]

Edd505 wrote:
Here's the phone app https://catscale.com/cat-scale-apps/

The hard parts parking between trucks??? If your talking turning in pull through style yep it can be tight. Back in and you shouldn't have an issue, watch one of the commercial guys back in 75-80ft rig.

I travel often but am still not great at backing in. I have a ton of respect for the professionals.

I only weigh on days I can pull thru spots and don’t often pull-thru between 2 trucks like I show in the video.

[Edd505]

Here's the phone app https://catscale.com/cat-scale-apps/

The hard parts parking between trucks??? If your talking turning in pull through style yep it can be tight. Back in and you shouldn't have an issue, watch one of the commercial guys back in 75-80ft rig.

[JKJavelin]

That app is way cool. I just signed up and can't wait til I try it out. No more trying to figure out what they said on that speaker. Thanks for the tip.
JK

[ependydad]

ependydad wrote:

gkainz wrote:
The second app you used and referenced TowingPlanner.com/ActualWeights results in an error 404 when I clicked your link ... looks interesting enough that I'll go chase it down. Just testing the root URL at towingplanner.com gives me a 403 Forbidden access error ... ???

UGH, let me look into it. My hosting company has been having issues lately.

This has been fixed and the site works again.

[ependydad]

gkainz wrote:
Thanks for the video. I was just going to say "a comment about really having to reach for the control panel when you pull up would be appropriate" and then you pop up an app I didn't know about! Good Job! 🙂

The app is AWESOME! No more stretching and no more running into the store to get the weight slip before rolling back around for the 2nd weighing.

gkainz wrote:
The second app you used and referenced TowingPlanner.com/ActualWeights results in an error 404 when I clicked your link ... looks interesting enough that I'll go chase it down. Just testing the root URL at towingplanner.com gives me a 403 Forbidden access error ... ???

UGH, let me look into it. My hosting company has been having issues lately.

[gkainz]

Thanks for the video. I was just going to say "a comment about really having to reach for the control panel when you pull up would be appropriate" and then you pop up an app I didn't know about! Good Job! 🙂
The second app you used and referenced TowingPlanner.com/ActualWeights results in an error 404 when I clicked your link ... looks interesting enough that I'll go chase it down. Just testing the root URL at towingplanner.com gives me a 403 Forbidden access error ... ???

[ependydad]

ken56 wrote:
You are correct that I did not click on the link and watch the video. I don't generally do that due to virus and security concerns, call me paranoid. I Know how to weigh and I had to learn also and I was not trying to be snarky here just pointing out there is a proper way to position on the scale which I myself screwed up the fiirst time I weighed my rig. I learned. I hope my comment only pointed out to actually look up the proper way to weigh. Thanks for pointing out an important aspect of safe towing though. I believe a lot of people don't do it and are actually over weight for their TV and push the limits of safety. Thanks again.

I appreciate the comment and extra input.

For the "virus and security concerns", you can simply look at the URL. If it's to YouTube, you have next to no concerns. If it's to, "MyScarySite.com" or a URL shortener like TinyURL or bit.ly, then perk your ears up.

[ependydad]

bucky wrote:
You don't travel light do you 🙂 Are you a full timer?

LOL, yep. Family of 4 fulltiming for the past 4.5 years. We are overpackers to start and now my wife has a vinyl cutting business- she's carrying 2 cutters and 2 heat presses at the moment (the little one is on the way out, but the big one is BIG) plus enough supplies to vinyl a small town!

We run heavy, really heavy!

You should see my truck bed... and this is missing the new Clam screen tent:

[twodownzero]

ken56 wrote:
You are correct that I did not click on the link and watch the video. I don't generally do that due to virus and security concerns, call me paranoid. I Know how to weigh and I had to learn also and I was not trying to be snarky here just pointing out there is a proper way to position on the scale which I myself screwed up the fiirst time I weighed my rig. I learned. I hope my comment only pointed out to actually look up the proper way to weigh. Thanks for pointing out an important aspect of safe towing though. I believe a lot of people don't do it and are actually over weight for their TV and push the limits of safety. Thanks again.

If you don't want to review the topic that the thread is about, then why are you commenting?

Also, if you genuinely think there are virus or security concerns with a youtube video, you probably shouldn't be on this forum, either.

[ken56]

You are correct that I did not click on the link and watch the video. I don't generally do that due to virus and security concerns, call me paranoid. I Know how to weigh and I had to learn also and I was not trying to be snarky here just pointing out there is a proper way to position on the scale which I myself screwed up the fiirst time I weighed my rig. I learned. I hope my comment only pointed out to actually look up the proper way to weigh. Thanks for pointing out an important aspect of safe towing though. I believe a lot of people don't do it and are actually over weight for their TV and push the limits of safety. Thanks again.

[bucky]

You don't travel light do you 🙂 Are you a full timer?