How should you weigh your 5th wheel?

[kcv67]

Do you have to un hook your 5th to get an accurate weight or can you stay hooked up?

 

[rfcom]

For the best accuracy, you should unhook. However, if you already knew the weight of your truck, you can leave it hooked up. Weigh the truck with the 5er on it, then just the 5er (still hooked up) Then add the 2 weights and subtract the weight of the truck. Of course, if the scale was big enough, weigh the whole outfit and subtract the truck.



Jim

 

[Casey Balvert]

If you are stating from scratch, with the trailer hooked up:



Weight the front axle of the truck. Then the whole truck, then the whole rig, then both trailer axles, then the rear axle of the trailer



Unhook and:

then the truck alone. Then you will be able to calculate the:



weight of the truck alone

the truck front axle weight towing

the truck rear axle weight towing

the Gross Combine Weight

the pin weight

the trailer weights for each axle

the gross trailer weight



Just about everything you wanted to know. And then sit on the curb and cry because you never in your wildest dreams thought it was THAT heavy.

 

[y-knot]

Truth is everyone should weigh there fifth wheel and goose neck trailers. Many times the weight is much higher than expected, and it may influence your driving style if you know the true weight. But the number one reason to find out the true weight of your trailer is for the LAW. ANY trailer over 10,000lbs you are required to have a CDL. This is the law, and where I live on I-75 they enforce it. There is a huge fine, minimum is 2700. 00, and they impound the truck/trailer till some shows up with a CDL to drive it. I live only a few miles from the weigh station, and trust me they have vehicles in there impound area everyday. Remember, ignorance is no excuse, and once they pull you over, they go over the whole truck/trailer rig. The fines just keep going up as they find violations. I ask them a couple times what the most common ones were. Dead or no brake-away battery, Trailer overloaded, Truck payload over stated amount, Truck over gcwr, Missing or not working required lighting. This was a funny one, some are just bad lamps on the trailers marker lights. But the number one violations was 3/4 ton trucks pulling a trailer over 80" wide. The DOT regs state that anything over 80" wide needs to have proper clearance lights, that is why 3500 series trucks have the roof lights and tailgate lights. But 2500 (3/4) trucks do not come with them, because they are not over 80" wide. But if you hook to a trailer that is, then they are required. You will have to go to court in many cases to get your truck and license back. Al thought most people avoid jail, the average fine with court cost and impound fees is over 5,000. 00. With a slow economy and shrinking budgets, more and more county and state police officers are enforcing the DOT regulations, it has become a great way to overcome budget deficits.

 

[Eric_77]

Hold your horses Y-Knot you do NOT need a CDL with trailer over 10,000#s. You need a CDL in two instances if Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (the truck and all trailers licensed/specified or actual whatever is higher added together) is over 26,000 pounds or you haul hazardous material.



The 10,000 trailer thing is if the trailer in a rig over 26,000 the trailer is over 10k then you need a Class A licnese.





Other issue totally seperate is if GCVW is over 10,000 pounds you must have DOT numbers, log books, **** tests, motor vehicel authority then at 26,000 if diesel then you must keep mileage and fuel recipts for each state, along with purchasing a federal motor carrier something or another (another $1000 tax) IF the vehicle is used in a commercial enterprise, ie anything that is business related (hobby fair vendors, racing, and service vehicles are the number 1 violater USDOT agent told me)

 

[Eric_77]

Here is link to USDOT http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/

you can wade through yourself or easier call the local office for your area and they can walk you through what you need.





P. S. there is no "RV exemption" ther is only the commercial requiremnt so if you use a motorhome to haul a snow cone trailer you must comply.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Eric is right, and in addition, your tractor does not need clearance lights unless it is over 80" wide. 393. 11 of federal motor carrier safety regs.

 

[BigMike]

Just in case y-knot is right, I think I'll steer clear of Kentucky. Never wanted to go there anyway.

 

[robertyoke]

true you need a cdl for 26001lbs and up gcw and trailers it tow 10001lbs up need to weigh but the sad thing is none of that matters if the vehicle is classified as recreational vehicle

 

[y-knot]

I am not a legal expert, all I can tell you is they pull people over, they have an impound lot, which contains trucks with fifth wheel and goose neck trailer (some times tag trailers), and I can read in our "Town Carrier" section of the news paper, people have court dates and pay large fines.



Maybe there are certain issues that I am un-aware of, this is certainly possible. I know many of the problems people have are related to safety issues, like no break a-way system. And it is also true that I see many more open Goose neck type trailers pulled over, then anything else. I suspect it has to do with overloading? We have a weigh station on 74 as you leave Indiana and enter Ohio. There is also one on 75 right after the 71-75 merge, and another on 71, right after it splits from 75. If you have any doubts about your load, I would stay away from these three stations.

 

[DHoleman]

Back to the original question, go to a C. A. T Scale at an advertising truck stop and weigh the rig dry and wet . They have the different axle pads . It only cost about $8. 00,a lot cheaper then a fine.



I drive a big truck for a living, and live and run just south of the I75 scale in Ky and the only time i campers go through the scale is when they are commercial toters, and they have DOT numbers, and Federal Fuel stickers on. The scales on I74 at the In/Oh state lines is the same way. If it is not posted, saying something like

"All Vehichles Pulling Trailers Must Enter Scale" in witch the state of Iowa, one that iknow for sure does don't worry about the scales and keep on trucken.

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by y-knot

I am not a legal expert, all I can tell you is they pull people over, they have an impound lot, which contains trucks with fifth wheel and goose neck trailer (some times tag trailers), and I can read in our "Town Carrier" section of the news paper, people have court dates and pay large fines.

If I were a betting man, I'd suspect that the 5th wheels are those being towed from the Elkhart, Indiana factories to dealers by commercial RV transport companies. I've towed our 5th wheel RV in quite a few states (including Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas) and haven't had to stop at any scales yet - I have a feeling that it's coming, though! Too many overweight rigs running around.

 

[RMcCulloch]

Originally posted by RustyJC

If I were a betting man, I'd suspect that the 5th wheels are those being towed from the Elkhart, Indiana factories to dealers by commercial RV transport companies. I've towed our 5th wheel RV in quite a few states (including Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas) and haven't had to stop at any scales yet - I have a feeling that it's coming, though! Too many overweight rigs running around.

Both your bet and your feeling are "sure things".



On a recent trip up I-29 with our 5er we found one of those "All Vehicles" weight stations.



'Sa good thing that we'd weighed ours at a CAT scale before starting out - we'd unpacked a few things to insure legality.