Re: [A/S] Re: Overload Devices On Tow Vehicles

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Harvey,
  AWWG weighs every tire on your rig, after weighing your truck by 
itself. It's well worthwhile to get it done; they're at many of the 
larger RV rallies.

Previously, I had weighed my rig at the local stone quarry. I pull into 
their lot, off to the side a bit, and remove the spring bars. Then, I 
pull onto the full-length truck scale (deck is probably 80' long, to 
handle what we call "Michigan Trains"). As I roll down the deck, I watch 
the digital readout at the end of the scale and quickly note it on a 
scrap of paper. The truck rolls off the end of the deck and I stop, 
leaving just the trailer. The operator gives me the weight slip (charge 
is $2.00), I pull off the scale out of the way, and reinstall the bars.

At home, I get out my Sherline tongue scale and get the hitch weight. I 
now have a pretty good idea of how my rig is configured, weight wise.

Like you, I have a truck that's plenty big enough. Although I hauled our 
1968 GlobeTrotter w/o spring bars, the tongue weight on that was <500# 
and the trailer weighed just 4000#. This Avion is half-again the weight, 
in both hitch and gross. The truck could no doubt handle it w/o the 
bars, but having them makes the entire rig work more as a unit. It'll 
ride and handle better with the bars, properly adjusted, than without.

When all else fails, and I still have questions, I look at how the 
experts do it. Nearly every single TT on the road has a WD hitch: there 
must be a reason. That gives me great incentive to use one myself.

                             <<Jim>>