Weighing the teardrop

[Cosmo]

I am located in NY NJ area. I would like to weigh the trailer. Can I pull into a highway truck weigh station - weight the car and trailer, then unhitch and weigh just the car to figure out the weight?

Or are the weigh stations for trucks only?

Any other suggestions on ways to weigh the trailer?

Thanks
Cosmo

[pjo129]

Do you have a truck stop near you? Flying J, Pilot, Love's, TA, etc. That would be best. Try not to go when they are busy. Saturday morning might be a great time. The DOT highway truck inspection stations would not be a good idea.

[GerryS]

You might also want to try a transfer station....trash dump or quarry. Places that buy/sell by weight bulk items.

[fm-usa]

Get friendly with your closest scrap yard, most have outdoor scales.
Only need to weigh the 2 wheels, your home scale can handle the tongue weight.

[Cosmo]

Thanks for the help. Many good sugestions.

You can get away just weighing the back 2 wheels?
Then what add the tongue weight?

Thanks
Cosmo

[fm-usa]

Thanks for the help. Many good sugestions.

You can get away just weighing the back 2 wheels?
Then what add the tongue weight?

Thanks
Cosmo

Yup, add all 3.
Trailers can have a little more weight on one side, hence weight each wheel if you can't do it all at once.

[gudmund]

here in Washington State our weight scales in the out laying area's close down in the after hours and they leave the scales on in for most of them. So if you are driving by say, on the freeway - look in and you will probably see a digital readout lite up showing -0000- left on in the arch way above the truck lane which means it is left on. I go in after hours and use them all of the time - and on weekends they are on also when the scales are not open. I know this does you no good in New Jersey but for those reading this from Washington, go for it. The first time I went when they were open and I asked - they let me weight my trailer than but I had to move though with the trucks and was not allowed to stop - you had to read you weight ###'s as you moved which is a real hassle trying to remember them on each axle. After hours allows you to write them down as you pass over them along with stopping on each axle and letting the scale stabilize in it's weight reading read out - I have found our scales here in Washington read out in 20 lb. increments and do some jumping around (+/- 20 lb.) when moving/passing over them. I've used Oregon State's scales after hours also but they, for the most part read out in 50 lb. increments.

[fm-usa]

Most home scales read up to around 350 Lbs. plus some.
They're not real accurate but will be fairly close.
Be sure that scale is on something flat and does not rock, it throws off the measurement.
Weigh each wheel and tongue, then add.
Most little trailers empty will be well under 700Lbs. (350 x 2 plus tongue weight)
If you're needing near exact measurements, place an equivalent thickness under the opposite wheel for levelness. Shake the trailer a little to find the weights consistent weight.

I've read someone used 2 scales and a chunk of wood to bridge across the 2 scales. Total weight measurable, ~700 Lbs. each wheel, 1400 Lbs total.

GOOD LUCK

[rowerwet]

My local scrap yard was happy to weigh my trailer on a slow day, I'm a regular there so it gave them something to talk about.

[booyah]

I pulled past a gas station that had a "Certified CAT Scale" and got a weight for $10

860 while hooked up to the car and loaded for war.

Car was 2860 with me and the 11y.o. in it.