tongue weight

[dblagsvedt]

OK, As a first time owner of any RV, picking up my Escape 19 tomorrow. what kind of scales are out there to measure tongue weight in your home environment?

[gbaglo]

I'm very happy with my Sherline scale. It is accurate to 2% in the middle of the range. For that reason the gauge you want is 1,000 lb., not 2,000 lb. It will also be easier to read.
It should not be stored on its side ( as shown here ).

[JeffreyG]

I have a scale that I got on Amazon. It's a digital scale designed for use by morbidly obese people and it is capable of measuring up to 550 lbs and only cost me around $50.

Worked fine for me on my loaded E-19 (525 lbs without water, 495 lbs with water), but obviously I didn't have a lot of room to the scale capacity.

But ultimately I wanted a pretty good idea of my tongue weight in general, but that's something I won't need to weigh more than a handful of time. I was a lot happier getting it done for the $50 range.

Plus, if I gain 400 lbs, I still have a bathroom scale.

[gbaglo]

'Tis true. You will use the scale a few times and then, because you pretty much load the trailer the same way, you'll not go to the trouble. Tongue weight on my 17B generally falls between 320 and 340 lbs.
I try to keep heavy items over the single axle and carry cases of beer that i can move forward, if it's necessary to add weight to the tongue.

[Vermilye]

While I generally calculate my tongue weight from a double weighing at a CAT scale, I carry a Tow Ball Nose Weight Scale.

[Eggscape]

This works fine.
Our 2018 19 runs about 420 lbs without the front storage box.

[DanK]

Eggscape , you wouldn't happen to know the brand name on that scale ? Princess auto doesn't sell/ship in the u.s. and I can't find it online offered by any u.s. retailer

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by DanK

Eggscape , you wouldn't happen to know the brand name on that scale ? Princess auto doesn't sell/ship in the u.s. and I can't find it online offered by any u.s. retailer

It is the one I linked to in the post above Eggscape's. Appears it is no longer available from Amazon, but eBay has them for $46.99 or less.

All the ones I've found give weight in Kgs, so you will need to convert to pounds...

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I'm very happy with my Sherline scale. It is accurate to 2% in the middle of the range. For that reason the gauge you want is 1,000 lb., not 2,000 lb. It will also be easier to read.
It should not be stored on its side ( as shown here ).

Actually, if one were to store a Sherline scale on its side, as the manufacturer recommends not doing, this is an excellent arrangement! The plastic container will serve to contain the oil that leaks out of the scale, and the accompanying paperwork will serve to absorb a portion of it!

[gbaglo]

Well, after reading the instructions, which I always advise, I store the scale upright. The paperwork and 2,000 lb. scale keep it in place. Same instructions with a bottle jack.

[DanK]

Thanks Vermilye, just ordered one . $46 delivered.

[Eggscape]

Sorry for the delay but it looks like you were well taken care of…it was our daughters birthday yesterday.

There are no names on the unit and I think Princess Auto has their Power Fist logo put on the box.

For anyone else that can’t get one or just wants a cheap way to find out your tongue weight, you can use a bathroom scale.

Most bathroom scales only go up to aprox 300 lbs but you can easily double that by using a board and two blocks. We have been doing this arrangement on each wheel of our Square Drop trailer build to make sure we are on our goal weight and distribution. However using this method on an Escape tongue jack will get you in the weight ballpark.

Our 2018 19 has a loaded tongue weight of 420 lbs that falls within the 600 lb range of our bathroom scale using the doubler board. If I was to use the scale as pictured it would read 210 lbs as the jack placed exactly in the middle of the board would distribute 210 lbs to the scale and 210 lbs to the block.

It is important that the jack is in the middle and that the blocks are centered equally apart.

As with taking any tongue measurements the most important thing is to think things out and be safe. This includes making sure the trailer is on level ground and you have all wheels well blocked. With the rear stabilizers up and the front down you can raise the tongue jack and place the unit under it, lowering it to find the weight.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Well, after reading the instructions, which I always advise, I store the scale upright. The paperwork and 2,000 lb. scale keep it in place. Same instructions with a bottle jack.

That's what I anticipated when you originally posted the photo.

I actually looked into adding a pressure gauge to one of my bottle jacks; it would then serve as a scale by converting the gauge reading based on the diameter of the piston. However, I didn't have the ability to easily drill and tap the jack, and I figured the gauge might be vulnerable to being knocked loose and leave me without a jack one day. So I opted to just buy the Sherline. However, for the ambitious and/or frugal this approach could provide two tools in one, and even save a few pounds of payload.

As mentioned by others, I don't weigh the tongue very often anymore as I now have a good sense of what the weight is when we load consistently. Also, our choice of beverage is higher proof, so provides much less opportunity for trimming the load.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

.....

All the ones I've found give weight in Kgs, so you will need to convert to pounds...

kg x 2.2 = pounds

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

I actually looked into adding a pressure gauge to one of my bottle jacks; it would then serve as a scale by converting the gauge reading based on the diameter of the piston. However, I didn't have the ability to easily drill and tap the jack, and I figured the gauge might be vulnerable to being knocked loose and leave me without a jack one day. So I opted to just buy the Sherline. However, for the ambitious and/or frugal this approach could provide two tools in one, and even save a few pounds of payload.

I used a hydraulic cylinder from a body jack set, and screwed together an adapter to connect a pressure gauge to the hose port. It works, and the cylinder is unmodified.

I've never traveled with this, although it would be easy to carry, and of course I wouldn't travel with the hydraulic body jack kit.

[dblagsvedt]

xThanks every body for your replies. I am fascinated with the idea of using a board on a bathroom scale to double the capacity.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

This works fine.
(Princess style scale)

hah, I found that same scale. popular in Canada and Australia, where they take tongue weight seriously.

I found my 2014 Escape 21 could be light in front if I had 100 lbs of e-bicycles on the rear hitch, so I've tried to move the heavier stuff forward. when the hitch weight was around 400-420 lbs, the trailer felt a bit 'light' while towing with the f250, but it hardly mattered. it feels a little more 'settled' if I keep the tongue weight closer to 450-500 lbs by moving heavy cargo like beverages forward.

[cpaharley2008]

As John points out, judicious loading of items will make a more enjoyable towing experience.

[Chasing Trials]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

Sorry for the delay but it looks like you were well taken care of…it was our daughters birthday yesterday.

There are no names on the unit and I think Princess Auto has their Power Fist logo put on the box.

For anyone else that can’t get one or just wants a cheap way to find out your tongue weight, you can use a bathroom scale.

Most bathroom scales only go up to aprox 300 lbs but you can easily double that by using a board and two blocks. We have been doing this arrangement on each wheel of our Square Drop trailer build to make sure we are on our goal weight and distribution. However using this method on an Escape tongue jack will get you in the weight ballpark.

Our 2018 19 has a loaded tongue weight of 420 lbs that falls within the 600 lb range of our bathroom scale using the doubler board. If I was to use the scale as pictured it would read 210 lbs as the jack placed exactly in the middle of the board would distribute 210 lbs to the scale and 210 lbs to the block.

It is important that the jack is in the middle and that the blocks are centered equally apart.

As with taking any tongue measurements the most important thing is to think things out and be safe. This includes making sure the trailer is on level ground and you have all wheels well blocked. With the rear stabilizers up and the front down you can raise the tongue jack and place the unit under it, lowering it to find the weight.

Love this, Now only to get a bathroom scale............ Picked up a beauty glass & brushed steel Brookstone from Goodwill up state NY. Drag it down here, finally put batteries in it......It's Canadian, KG!

[WCoaster]

Originally Posted by Chasing Trials

Love this, Now only to get a bathroom scale............ Picked up a beauty glass & brushed steel Brookstone from Goodwill up state NY. Drag it down here, finally put batteries in it......It's Canadian, KG!

We have a similar glass and steel scale. Ours has a switch on the bottom to change the scale, with 3 options: kg, pounds, and stone! I guess it's sold in the UK also. ( I don't use the shiny scale for the trailer, but I too use a Goodwill find.)