Trailer Tongue Scale

[HangOutdoors]

I just picked up one of these below and it was just delivered. Seems a lot smaller that it should be, it is the size of a can. Hopefully I didn't throw the money away. Since we have been taking longer trips I have been putting stuff in and out of the boat more than the SUV since I have to take more of the kids friends. Wanted to see what loading things in different areas of the boat does exactly to the tongue weight.

It had good reviews and was a decent price.

Amazon.com: Sherline LM 2000 - Trailer Tongue Weight Scale 2000lb: Home Improvement

Buy Sherline LM 2000 - Trailer Tongue Weight Scale 2000lb: Automotive - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[Scottintexas]

We had one being passed around, you might could search to see that model

 

[Elliott]

Sherline is a reputable scale; it is very popular with RVers (an RV forum that I visit has numerous discussions about it).

There are a couple of things to take note of: the angle of the trailer (low, level or high) impacts the reading (so you want it to be as close to rigged height including any tow vehicle squat), any side load or uneven engagement with the scale's head will cause erratic readings and using a weight distribution hitch (not likely with a Yamaha boat) makes the reading less meaningful.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Thanks for the info. I have a 2017 Expedition. I have been using a 2" drop which put the trailer level when I first brought it home. Now it seems like it is dipping a bit. I noticed this visually after last trip. Can't level in drive, since drive is sloped off to the right and down a bit. Had packed alot differently this last time. Since then we took it out once and I had another 1" rise my garage. Figured I would try it and just level at a parking lot somewhere. Of course I forgot and was too tired after outing, but it towed differently and was tugging a bit.

Anyhow plan on finding some level ground and checking tongue weight and how it is sitting on the hitch on the SUV. I have a funny feeling the boat may have moved on the trailer a bit forward. I noticed that when I did the 5 mph stop to snug the boat on the last trip that the front bar moved a bit. Since we are not going out this weekend that is plan. Sort it all out.

I did check all the bunks when the boat was off and everything looked in order.

Also probably will clean and wax the whole boat and Regex.

 

[Sotally Tober]

I have a Weigh Safe Hitch... Works great and built like a tank.

Weigh Safe Trailer Hitches - Towing Peace of Mind

Award-winning products for towing peace of mind. Weigh Safe's flagship drop hitch features a built-in tongue weight scale for improved towing performance.

www.weigh-safe.com

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Sotally Tober I was looking at those, wasn't sure how solid they were. Good to hear, will revisit.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Sotally Tober I was looking at possibly the WS-2, 4" drop Hitch. If I understand it correctly I can use it as a drop or flip it around for rise. Depending on the model you have, can you confirm this?

I am thinking about returning the scale I got and just going this way. Of course depending one what I am towing and the wheel height I may need a rise or a drop and it looks like this handles both.

Amazon.com: Weigh Safe WS4-2, 4" Drop Hitch w/ 2" Shank/Shaft, Adjustable Aluminum Trailer Hitch & Ball Mount w/ Built-in Scale, 2 Stainless Steel Balls (2" & 2-5/16") and a Double-pin Key Lock: Automotive

Buy Weigh Safe WS4-2, 4" Drop Hitch w/ 2" Shank/Shaft, Adjustable Aluminum Trailer Hitch & Ball Mount w/ Built-in Scale, 2 Stainless Steel Balls (2" & 2-5/16") and a Double-pin Key Lock: Weight Distributing Hitches - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[cgcaraway]

You can also use truck weigh scales, these give you total weight, weight at axles, and tongue weight. We pull a travel trailer and use the scales all the time to make sure we are within our total weight. It cost less than $20 to use.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Where do you find these scales at the weigh stations along the freeway? Sorry I don't know.

 

[cgcaraway]

Where do you find these scales at the weigh stations along the freeway? Sorry I don't know.

Yes exactly, the truck stops on the highways will have them. There are many youtube videos on how to measure weight and tongue weight in regards to trailers.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I have weighed trailers and tongue before. There was a uhaul that had a scale for total weight and tongue weight, but the have since closed and the other one's don't have this in the area. This happened about a month ago. Weighed everything out when I got the boat. But that was before mods, kid stuff, coolers, boards, racks, Ark XO Trailer jack (don't drop on foot), etc. So figured I would be a bit more self reliant.

 

[WildCatFan54]

@Sotally Tober , I notice that we have the same year/model boat and I also just invested in a WS hitch about 2 weeks ago. I got the 2" x 6 " drop model. You are correct in saying they are a very solid unit. I am very impressed with the design. However , I have no faith in the accuracy of their scale ?? I'm towing with a 2018 Chevy Tahoe and just 2 weeks ago pulled it back to the dealer for a firmware / software update on the Connex. I had most of my accessories out of the boat. Only thing in it were both batteries (maybe 150lbs.) and about 35-40 gallons of fuel (plus or minus 300lbs.). Guess my total towing weight would have been about 5500 lbs. ?? The tongue scale read 250 lbs. ? I thought something MUST be wrong so contacted Weigh Safe support. They were very prompt to call me back and the tech was super friendly but he recommended that I try to "balance" my load. It was all I could do to keep from laughing at him ? Not sure how I would move two 1.8L engines , the fuel tank , and batteries forward of the trailer axle ?? What does your scale indicate for tongue weight at the 4 and 6 inch drop point ? Just curious? Are our boats really that back heavy or could my scales be off ?

 

[212s]

@WildCatFan54 Might depend on the model. My 212s came tongue heavy at about 400 lbs. Shorelander specs the trailer at 5-7% for level ride (important with tandem axles for proper tire wear and even braking) and mine was 150+ lbs above minimum spec. I'm guessing Yamaha specs it higher, and I found the boat was pushing the rear end around as my SUV has a soft suspension. I also noticed the boat was not sitting flush on the trailer, it was too far forward when snug up against the winch tower. So I moved the tower back an inch so the transom is flush with the rear bunk per Shorelander spec, and then slid the axles forward about 6 inches to hit the min spec 5% target of 250 lbs. Truck and trailer ride much better and it should even out the tire wear.

 

[Markk]

Where do you find these scales at the weigh stations along the freeway? Sorry I don't know.

Search “CAT Scale”. Should be ample options near trucking routes.

 

[Sotally Tober]

@Sotally Tober I was looking at possibly the WS-2, 4" drop Hitch. If I understand it correctly I can use it as a drop or flip it around for rise. Depending on the model you have, can you confirm this?

I am thinking about returning the scale I got and just going this way. Of course depending one what I am towing and the wheel height I may need a rise or a drop and it looks like this handles both.

Amazon.com: Weigh Safe WS4-2, 4" Drop Hitch w/ 2" Shank/Shaft, Adjustable Aluminum Trailer Hitch & Ball Mount w/ Built-in Scale, 2 Stainless Steel Balls (2" & 2-5/16") and a Double-pin Key Lock: Automotive

Buy Weigh Safe WS4-2, 4" Drop Hitch w/ 2" Shank/Shaft, Adjustable Aluminum Trailer Hitch & Ball Mount w/ Built-in Scale, 2 Stainless Steel Balls (2" & 2-5/16") and a Double-pin Key Lock: Weight Distributing Hitches - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Yes. I believe you can use it as a drop or a flip up but I'd reach out to weigh safe just verify.

I only had the opportunity to use it once before I deployed a few months ago. I can tell you the scale did help me find the "sweet" spot on my 9inch drop hitch. Since my truck is lifted 6 inches I was able to move the tongue up/down and visually see the weight until I determined the perfect height.

I've had plenty of hitches over the years and this blows away all of them as far as build quality goes. It's also really easy to change out the hitch ball and it comes with built in locks to secure the hitch.

 

[Sotally Tober]

@Sotally Tober , I notice that we have the same year/model boat and I also just invested in a WS hitch about 2 weeks ago. I got the 2" x 6 " drop model. You are correct in saying they are a very solid unit. I am very impressed with the design. However , I have no faith in the accuracy of their scale ?? I'm towing with a 2018 Chevy Tahoe and just 2 weeks ago pulled it back to the dealer for a firmware / software update on the Connex. I had most of my accessories out of the boat. Only thing in it were both batteries (maybe 150lbs.) and about 35-40 gallons of fuel (plus or minus 300lbs.). Guess my total towing weight would have been about 5500 lbs. ?? The tongue scale read 250 lbs. ? I thought something MUST be wrong so contacted Weigh Safe support. They were very prompt to call me back and the tech was super friendly but he recommended that I try to "balance" my load. It was all I could do to keep from laughing at him ? Not sure how I would move two 1.8L engines , the fuel tank , and batteries forward of the trailer axle ?? What does your scale indicate for tongue weight at the 4 and 6 inch drop point ? Just curious? Are our boats really that back heavy or could my scales be off ?

I've only had the opportunity to use the hitch once before I deployed. I can tell you that I haven't had any issues with it so far. The scale seemed to work when I was adjusting the height of the tongue on the hitch. Made it very easy to find the sweet spot.

 

[Chief]

@Sotally Tober I was looking at possibly the WS-2, 4" drop Hitch. If I understand it correctly I can use it as a drop or flip it around for rise. Depending on the model you have, can you confirm this?

I am thinking about returning the scale I got and just going this way. Of course depending one what I am towing and the wheel height I may need a rise or a drop and it looks like this handles both.

Amazon.com: Weigh Safe WS4-2, 4" Drop Hitch w/ 2" Shank/Shaft, Adjustable Aluminum Trailer Hitch & Ball Mount w/ Built-in Scale, 2 Stainless Steel Balls (2" & 2-5/16") and a Double-pin Key Lock: Automotive

Buy Weigh Safe WS4-2, 4" Drop Hitch w/ 2" Shank/Shaft, Adjustable Aluminum Trailer Hitch & Ball Mount w/ Built-in Scale, 2 Stainless Steel Balls (2" & 2-5/16") and a Double-pin Key Lock: Weight Distributing Hitches - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I have the WS-2 and love it! Yes, you can flip it for a rise or a drop.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Ok leveled of the trailer, and got a tongue weight and reference on hitch height, this was after i pelled the boat back 4 inches that it slid forward. I think i am sitting at 10%. Just need to raise up hitch. Thoughts ?

 

[Neutron]

A bit heavy for the recommendation from Shorlandr. It is posted on their site that 5 to 7% is the target weight.
I even spoke to a service rep there and he said 7% is ideal and will tow perfectly.
Its been well reported here that these trailer/boat setups are way to heavy from the factory

 

[Neutron]

as far as the hitch receiver. Flip it over and you should be close