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02-21-2016, 11:07 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: no fixed address, California
Trailer: 2017-21' Escape (sold) Casita 17' (sold)
Posts: 1,348
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Sturdy inexpensive support for a trailer tongue weight scale?
Hi all
The title says it all
Any clever suggestions for what I can use for a sturdy inexpensive support, for a trailer tongue weight scale?
I would be using it in our driveway.... The trailer wheels would be chocked, and it is flat, so no stability issues. I just need a really sturdy support for the Sherline LM 1000 I plan on buying.
I will crank up the tongue enough to get the support and scale into place, then lower it down.
It would need to be just a bit lower than our tug's hitch height.
To account for the height of the LM 1000
(Mid size SUV ..... Guess I had better measure this height)
Weatherproof would be great ... I could keep it outside, near the tongue.
Needs to easily support 600 lbs... Just for a safety margin.
Any suggestions ?
Thanks.
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02-21-2016, 11:25 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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I use my Lynx Leveler blocks. Weatherproof and useful for under stabilizers, jack, wheels.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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02-21-2016, 11:26 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Denison, Texas
Trailer: 2015 21'; 2011 19' sold; 4Runner; ph ninezero3 327-27ninefour
Posts: 5,136
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We just pile up blocks and boards. You have to have the right height so one item will not do it unless maybe you custom make it.
__________________
Cathy. Floating Cloud
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.... "
Emerson
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02-22-2016, 12:02 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: no fixed address, California
Trailer: 2017-21' Escape (sold) Casita 17' (sold)
Posts: 1,348
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo
I use my Lynx Leveler blocks. Weatherproof and useful for under stabilizers, jack, wheels.
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Good idea.... I own two sets (2 x 10) of the Lynx Levelers.....
Do you just stack them straight up, in a single column?
and
maybe a "Lynx Cap" would be good, to make a flat surface?
Robot Check
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02-22-2016, 12:26 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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I just stack single, but a Lynx Cap would be a good idea. I think I'll get one, or a chunk of plywood.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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02-22-2016, 12:28 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: no fixed address, California
Trailer: 2017-21' Escape (sold) Casita 17' (sold)
Posts: 1,348
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Just checked on the Lynx (Levelers) website - and they specifically say do not use a stack more than 5" high....
I'd need maybe 12" high.... guessing.... gotta measure the hitch ball height sometime
Hmmmmm...... ;-/
wondering.... about if a taller-than-5"-stack would be ok....
Lynx Levelers Instructions | Tri Lynx Corporation
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02-22-2016, 01:09 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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Depends what you are doing, I would think.
If you are properly chocked and if the trailer and the blocks are on level ground, I don't see a problem. Or, I've not seen a problem.
I wouldn't do this again though ( pic ).
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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02-22-2016, 01:16 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Denison, Texas
Trailer: 2015 21'; 2011 19' sold; 4Runner; ph ninezero3 327-27ninefour
Posts: 5,136
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They mean 5" under wheels probably. But we use boards too and they work at the bottom on gravel better. Often a problem with gravel to get the scale right.
__________________
Cathy. Floating Cloud
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.... "
Emerson
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02-22-2016, 01:25 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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There is another method described in the Sherline Towing Guide.
You would have the hitch on the tow vehicle ball, but without the latch engaged.
You then place the Sherline scale under the jack and jack it up until the hitch comes off the ball ( I hope you chocked the trailer !! ). If you measure once with the Sherline under the hitch and then under the jack, there is a formula you can use to just measure with the jack from then on.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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02-22-2016, 05:55 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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I use a cinder block. Remember with the Sherline you must reset between readings, you have to allow it to return to zero before adding any weight again.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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02-22-2016, 08:09 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Jeromesville, Ohio
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21' pulled with 2014 Silverado Crewcab
Posts: 853
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I use a roll around floor jack. Works great by sitting Sherline on the cup and jacking it up into the coupler. I put a piece of wood on the cup to make a flat for the Sherline to sit on. You can also see the effect of not having trailer level as you play with the height.
__________________
Carl,
"Isn't it amazing how much stuff we get done the day before vacation?"
Zig Ziglar
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02-22-2016, 02:34 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skiman
I use a roll around floor jack.
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In case you can't see it clearly in Carl's photo: floor jack images, as suggested by Sherline. That makes a lot of sense to me, but not everyone happens to have a floor jack.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
Remember with the Sherline you must reset between readings, you have to allow it to return to zero before adding any weight again.
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Not really; there is nothing in a Sherline scale to reset, which is simply a hydraulic cylinder with a pressure gauge. It really only matters (for repeatability) that you approach the reading by increasing load. That means you can relieve some of the load and re-apply, without needing to completely remove the load.
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02-22-2016, 03:02 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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I believe you have to allow the gauge to reset itself to -0- in order to get an accurate reading. IMBW but I believe those instructions are in the manual.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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02-22-2016, 03:13 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: no fixed address, California
Trailer: 2017-21' Escape (sold) Casita 17' (sold)
Posts: 1,348
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
I believe you have to allow the gauge to reset itself to -0- in order to get an accurate reading. IMBW but I believe those instructions are in the manual.
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The manual is here.
For anyone who wants to check, specifically.
http://www.sherline.com/lmbook2.pdf
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02-22-2016, 03:25 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Denison, Texas
Trailer: 2015 21'; 2011 19' sold; 4Runner; ph ninezero3 327-27ninefour
Posts: 5,136
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We have a button on our Sherline that pushes in to reset.
__________________
Cathy. Floating Cloud
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.... "
Emerson
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02-22-2016, 03:31 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
I believe you have to allow the gauge to reset itself to -0- in order to get an accurate reading. IMBW but I believe those instructions are in the manual.
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Yes, that's what I've been told the manual says, but it makes no sense and conflicts with meticulous objective measurements. I assume they just put it that way because it is easy for readers to understand and ensures that the reading is taken while the load is changing in a consistent direction (increasing) which is important for repeatability. Lift the load right off if it makes you feel better, but there is no physical reason to do so.
There is nothing special about the gauge on a Sherline, other than the markings ("pounds" instead of "PSI") - that's why they say you can replace it with another one if you would like a different range. Taking the pressure to zero is not required by the gauge, or the hydraulic cylinder.
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02-22-2016, 03:47 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by float5
We have a button on our Sherline that pushes in to reset.
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A reset button on a pressure gauge would presumably just be a valve to hold the reading until it is released (tire pressure gauges often have one of these). The manual doesn't mention this button - it doesn't contain the either of the words "button" or "reset" at all, and doesn't describe any hold feature or reset action. The diagram in the manual and photos online don't show a button, either. There is a rubber plug in the gauge housing which looks a little bit like a button, but that doesn't do anything. You may have an oddball gauge - do you have a photo?
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02-22-2016, 03:51 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Denison, Texas
Trailer: 2015 21'; 2011 19' sold; 4Runner; ph ninezero3 327-27ninefour
Posts: 5,136
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My husband must think the rubber piece is a reset button. Guess not! We won't worry about it next time then.
__________________
Cathy. Floating Cloud
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.... "
Emerson
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02-22-2016, 03:52 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
I believe you have to allow the gauge to reset itself to -0- in order to get an accurate reading. IMBW but I believe those instructions are in the manual.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Losangeles
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Thanks. I've read it before, but of course don't recall every detail.
I just read and re-read the instructions in this manual (which is actually mostly about loading trailers, not operation of the gauge itself). I don't see any indication in the Instructions for Use of the Sherline Scale section (pages 10 through 12) saying anything about resetting, or completely removing load. It just says to "Raise the tongue jack until the full weight of the hitch is on the scale and read the weight in pounds directly from the gauge".
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02-22-2016, 03:54 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by float5
We won't worry about it next time then.
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Less to worry about is always a good thing!
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