Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi everyone.Would like everyones input on how to get an accurate or as close to accurate weight of their TD without going to a truck scale.The reason for this question is on the form that I got for registration asks what the trailer weighs.Kind of a silly question to ask when you cant pull it legaly without registration or plates.
Thanks John

It may seem like a catch 22 but there are ways to legally get your trailer to the scale it's best to ask at the tag office. In TX, there were "Transport Tags" It allowed you to tow but you had to specify your destination and route.

There is a method of using a bathroom sacle and a lever. I've heard people using this as a way to setup the cornerweights on race cars.

First you lay a 2x4 on the ground with one side on a scale and the other side on the ground. If put your trailer tire half way up the weight on the scale will be 1/2 the total weight. If you put the tire 1/4 way up it will be 1/4 the total weight.

asianflava wrote:
First you lay a 2x4 on the ground with one side on a scale and the other side on the ground. If put your trailer tire half way up the weight on the scale will be 1/2 the total weight. If you put the tire 1/4 way up it will be 1/4 the total weight.

This sounds like a really interesting idea that should work in principal...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lever wrote:The force applied (at end points of the lever) is proportional to the ratio of the length of the lever arm measured between the fulcrum (pivoting point) and application point of the force applied at each end of the lever. Mathematically, this is expressed by M = Fd.

For the classical mechanics formulas to work, or to be a good approximation of real world applications, the lever must be made from a combination of rigid bodies, i.e. a beam and a rigid fulcrum. Any bending or other deformation must be negligible.

(link)

I would think that would completely destroy a home scale. I tried to weigh a bag with a home scale by weighing myself, and then weighing myself and the bag, and even this was too much weight for a home scale (about 280 lbs)

I would just tow it to a scale if it were me. I bought my Silver Shadow in June of 2008 and didn't register it until September (my bad). And I moved from IL to CO during that time (shhh).

A good alternative would be to weigh the tongue and then guestimate that weight to be somewhere around 7% or so of the trailers weight.

I took my 5x8 Generic Benroy in and it weighed 960 lbs empty.

If for some reason you were to get pulled over without tags, just explain to the officer that you are on your way to get it weighed, and that this is just part of the registration process. They'll understand. I've actually had mine out probably 6 times back and forth to Lowes, and to get weighed, without tags. A cop even followed me for a short time, but he didnt bother pulling me over.

Not exactly legal, but I plan to use a tag off my utility trailer to get the teardrop to a weigh station, so I can register it and get the teardrop its own tags.

aggie79 wrote:Not exactly legal, but I plan to use a tag off my utility trailer to get the teardrop to a weigh station, so I can register it and get the teardrop its own tags.

Hell I have been towing all 3 of mine on the same tag for years

At $40.00 a year per trailer Indiana exise tax forget them

I went so far as to have them thumb bolt and wing nut equipted. No tools required

A friend did not have current tags on his trailer. I lent him mine, with the registration.

Cop stopped him.

"It says here that the trailer is black."

"I painted it."

"Yea you did."

Next time it might be a week in Jail, but I doubt it.

dave

Rather than answer your question of how do I weigh the trailer, I would ask "What do you want it to weigh?"

With all the budget cuts I haven't seen a car labeled "Weight Police" in years. (';)')

Just my luck, I would get pulled over by a regular cop, who gets out of his car with a bathroom scale, some 2x4 and a calculator! ;)

BigAl wrote:Just my luck, I would get pulled over by a regular cop, who gets out of his car with a bathroom scale, some 2x4 and a calculator!

I added all the weights for the stuff I know I bought and guesstimated it at 1400#. Not accurate and if you go through a state that requires you to divert to the "weight police" they might care if they see the registration and cares.....

Ask the tag office. Btw mine is registered as a utility trailer. Don't know how I would prove I made it......... I mean who is going to believe me...

absolutsnwbrdr wrote:

BigAl wrote:Just my luck, I would get pulled over by a regular cop, who gets out of his car with a bathroom scale, some 2x4 and a calculator!

X2

They also want proof that I own the trailer so I have to have bills of sale for the material I used to build it with.This they say is to prove that I didnt steel the TD and I didnt steel the parts.
John