Weighing a trailer with a portable scale

[Mike Lewis]

In Jon Vermilye's photos of the Quartzsite gathering this year there are photos of someone weighing trailers with a portable scale, one wheel at a time. How is the total weight of the trailer calculated from this?


Sorry I missed Quartzsite this year. Maybe I can go next year.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

In Jon Vermilye's photos of the Quartzsite gathering this year there are photos of someone weighing trailers with a portable scale, one wheel at a time. How is the total weight of the trailer calculated from this?


Sorry I missed Quartzsite this year. Maybe I can go next year.

He actually weighs one axle at a time - I only showed one side. As long as the trailer is level, and the front & rear tires are on the same plane, weighing by axle works.

[Mike G]

How did they load an Escape onto a plane? Was it a cargo transport? (just kidding)


For the sake of discussion, you have me wondering: if only one side could be weighed at a time, wouldn't the reading be pretty accurate if the other side were raised the same amount (say, by driving it up onto blocks)?

[Donna D.]

Frederick's pic, weighing at Quartzsite.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Mike G

For the sake of discussion, you have me wondering: if only one side could be weighed at a time, wouldn't the reading be pretty accurate if the other side were raised the same amount (say, by driving it up onto blocks)?

Yes it would work, but these scales come in sets (typically used for cars), and it's so much easier to weigh at least a pair of wheels at a time that I would be surprised to see anyone using just one.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Mike G

How did they load an Escape onto a plane? Was it a cargo transport? (just kidding)


For the sake of discussion, you have me wondering: if only one side could be weighed at a time, wouldn't the reading be pretty accurate if the other side were raised the same amount (say, by driving it up onto blocks)?

As long as you weigh each side, ie you can't weigh one side & double it. It is possible, even likely that one side will weigh more than the other due to the weight of the stuff in the trailer.

The trailer in the photo I took weighed 100 pounds more on the passenger side than the driver's side.

With dual axle trailers, as long as both wheels/axles are on the same plane, you can double the axle weight of one axle to get the total trailer weight.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

With dual axle trailers, as long as both wheels/axles are on the same plane, you can double the axle weight of one axle to get the total trailer weight.

Only if both tires are on the same plane, and the frame is parallel to that plane, and the tires are equally inflated, and the suspension rubber is equally degraded on both... so weigh each one.