Weighing our rigs for setting air pressures

[Max Hubrich]

Everyone says to weigh your rig full of everything you need to travel-- then for overall weight. Easy enough.

Then, many say get individual wheel weights, ie: LF, RF, LR dual, RR dual (and if you have a tag axle the same applies). This is not so easy.

My question is this:

Can I pull my rig on the scale with just the right front wheel on it -- weigh it, then pull forward to have just the right rear on the scale and weigh it, turn the coach around and do the left side the same way? Would that be an accurate method?

I probably will have to pay $5 for each weight ticket (total of $25), but what the heck it's probably better than driving thousands of miles to find a scale that can weigh wheels individually.

The reason I ask is that we have a grain operation-- truck scale near me. The scale and ground are at the same level, with a wide road on one side of the scale.

This should work -- Right?

Thanks,

[Route 66]

That will work as long as the rig is level as you note it will be.

[FlyingDiver]

I've actually seen instructions on doing it that way, with a platform scale. I think it might have been in the Michelin brochure that has the required tire pressures wheel loading.

Remember that once you get your wheel weights, set ALL the tires on that axle to the pressure required for the heaviest wheel (on that axle).

joe

[tmar10]

Your system should work but you can verify by weighing front, rear and then both axles to confirm individual loads. I plan to hit the scales after I reload and/or remove all the priceless junk in basement storage.

[Fred and Bonnie]

Max, should work fine, don't forget, use the highest corner weight to determine the tire pressurers of each axle. Don't set each tire pressure individually.

Fred

[georgetown350]

You dont need to weigh both sides. Weigh the front axle then the rear axel, then the front right and rear right. Subtract to get the left weights.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I've never bothered to get individual wheel weights - just front & rear axle weights. Divide by two and add a fudge factor to allow for unequal side-to side loads. I usually just go to the next higher slot in the weight/inflation tables and feel confident that is enough to cover any imbalance on the axle.

[weighit]

If you talk to the people at Cat Scales they told me the reason they install poles or posts at the ends of the scales is to keep people from driving on the scale off center. They said that side stepping the scale to get side weights is not the way that scale was intended to be used. They also said it could damage the scale and getting repeatable numbers is normally not possible. Meaning that if you went through the steps to get your numbers, and then tried to do it again, all the numbers would be different. Just what I was told.

[comp-time]

I agree with Weighit’s coments. That is exactly what happened to me. I weighed the front axle and then weighed the right front and then the left front and tried to be on center of scale. That did not add up to total weight of axle. Then I tried it again but this time got different right and left weights. Very frustrating so tried it again and again got different weights for right and left. I gave up and used the following. Weigh front axle and write down weight, weigh left front tire and subtract that from front axle weight to arrive at right tire weight. Repeat for rear. I do not believe that this is the exact weights but it will do until I can get all four corners weighed individually. I was using a closed Washington State Highway scale that I assumed to be accurate.

[chasfm11]

Right after we picked up our RV, I contacted the Department of Public Safety (our State Police) about using their portable scales to get individual wheel weights. The officer that I spoke with was very cordial and directed me to a location where his team was conducting truck enforcement work for a couple of days. I loaded up every thing, drove to a CAT scale, weighed the axles and then drove directly to the enforcement location. The team there was kind enough to allow me to drive over the scales an axle at a time to get the individual weights. The total axle weights were very close to the CAT scale results so I was confident about both results.

Since then, I periodically check at CAT scales. Junk can quickly accumulate and I want to make sure that nothing has significantly changed.

[Ed-Sommers]

Weight is not static in an RV fresh/waste water levels, fuel, and other things.

SOOOOooo

Just two readings, front and rear is fine. Especially considering that for most of us, tires will have to be replaced because of age rather than wear.

Ed

[georgetown350]

If the weight of your front axle is 10,000 and you set your tires from the inflation tables according to 5,000 each on your steer tires, you are asking for big problems.

You might have 6000 on one side and 4000 on the other. If you inflate based on half of 10000 then you are 1000 lbs to heavy on one wheel.

So as already mentioned make sure you inflate a good buffer if you only weigh the axle.

Example..... if you front end weighs 10,000 then inflate both front tires based on 6,000 lbs each, or at least 5500.

[cvrvr]

As important as correct weights are, I have often wondered why places like Camping World and other RV service centers do not have portable platform scales.

George

[Max Hubrich]

Excellent point George. Maybe they do but are reclutant to advertise it.