Last Updated on September 26, 2023 by
It’s important to know the weight of your travel trailer since you have to move to various places, and you need to understand how much weight you are carrying. This can affect the fuel economy as well the physical maintenance of the vehicle, despite the fact that discovering where you can weigh your trailer won’t be that simple as you will hardly find a spot somewhere near you.
It is useful for you to realize that gauging an RV or a trailer may be difficult. You’ll likely have the option to weigh your trailer without help from anyone else. You will need to understand a few things about this by reading our article, which provides the exact info needed for weighing big vehicles.
There are four major ways to weigh a travel trailer,
- Weighing at RVSEF
- CAT Weighing at Truckstops
- CAT scales at service stations
- Local gauging and weight points
Discovering any of these in your local area just for RV’s can be hard. But it is still not impossible. Trailers should be weighed regularly, and that is the reason you need to search one-stop for yourself. We see each of the weighing processes in little detail here.
1. Weighing A Travel Trailer at RVSEF
RVSEF is actually a non-profit organization that develops technology to evaluate and measure tire manufacturers, car manufacturers, and other teams/industry employees. The reason that the weight depending on the position of the wheels, is a well-established method is to indicate the weight that each wheel will support.
This is the best way to determine the pressure (psi) required for the tire and the weight required for distribution. Using RVSEF to measure will give you the size of each wheel, which is very useful. You can get a full report on all overweight for travel trailers. However, RVSEF lacks heavy density in many areas. They have a schedule and a way to measure an RV; that’s a problem.
2. CAT Weighting At Truck Stations
The easiest way to measure one travel trailer is to use a weighing machine. You will find truck stations on the road everywhere. Many parking lots are available for them. These trucks are certified from the CAT weighting level, and their drivers should only be considered at the certification level or CAT.
It means “RV certified.” It is a good idea to balance RVs and trailers at the truck station, as long as the driver allows. In many places, this is good. You can find a truck station nearby where they allow the weighting of travel trailers, and you can determine the gross weight of your vehicle.
You can locate the nearby CAT Scale here: https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/
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SHOP NOW3. CAT Scales At Gas Stations
There are some gas stations that also allow weighing your vehicle. Most of the stations love the visitors who want to weigh their trucks or trailers at their spot. They may charge a price for weighting the trailer, but at least you get the idea about the weight that you are pulling along.
You just have to inform the weight master about the RV model or the trailer that you have and begin the process of placing your vehicle on the spot where it will be weighted. Wait for your results as long as the process takes.
4. Local Spots for Weighing
In case you don’t have any of these spots nearby your location and you are unable to weigh your trailer, then the other local spots where you can find weighing scales is either a concrete company or gravel. You can try to convince the manager to weigh your trailer and get the readings for yourself in case you get lucky.
5. Weighing Your Travel Trailer At Home
Now is the time to order your stuff at home in case you are not willing to go places in search of a weighing machine. You don’t have to pull your trailer to your local spots or any station. You can do things all by yourself if you have the tool. It can save you a lot of headaches if you want. But the good thing about it is that you can measure your trailer’s weight easily.
This is recommended for small trailer trailers but will only work if you know how to handle things. In case you are willing to set it up properly. Let’s see an easy way to measure the weight of your RV or trailer at home.
Bathroom Scale Technique
Your trailer can be measured by your own bathroom. It may surprise you, but it is possible that some configuration is included. Most RV operators use the bathroom to measure only the tongue of their trailer, which is about 10% – 15% of the weight of your vehicle. This is also an important number to determine your hitch. This way, you can observe the weight of your trailer.
Other Ways to Calculate The Weight
- Trailer axle weight
- Total weight of trailer only
- The combined weight of your trailer and vehicle
- Weight of your vehicle only
- Trailer tongue or pin weight
Do the weighing process with the vehicle and trailer stacked as they are intended for ordinary travel. That implies all travellers, fuel, water, gear, and propane, and everything else available in their ordinary spots, both truck, and trailer.
Understanding Your Travel Trailer’s Weight
In case you’re new to the RV world, you might be having a befuddled outlook on travel trailer weight. Going to an RV dealer without realizing how much your vehicle can tow can be a great problem in case that you wind up bringing a heavy trailer home. In case it is excessively weighty for your vehicle, you might cause damage to your vehicle. You can understand the weight in the following terms.
1. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
This is the greatest suitable load of a completely stacked trailer, including freight, fluids, travellers, stuff, and the tongue weight of any vehicle that tows. This is the weight you will need to know prior to leaving on your first set up a camp outing with your new travel trailer. It is the most a trailer can make an appearance complete, as dictated by the trailer manufacturer.
2. Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR)
GCWR is the most extreme load of your vehicle with a trailer combined, as dictated by the vehicle manufacturer. This implies the heaviness of both the tow vehicle and the trailer together. It additionally incorporates any freight or burden put in one or the other vehicle. So you need to be cautious in choosing a heavy vehicle and a heavy trailer.
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SHOP NOW3. Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW)
UVW represents the weight of the RV manufactured by the manufacturer at the factory. Do not include freshwater, propane gas, cargo weight, equipment stuff, etc. This is the weight of the trailer with nothing added and what you need to know when buying a new trailer. It depends on the base and the structure of the trailer.
4. Hitch Weight (HW)
HW, also known as tongue weight, is the weight of the trailer-mounted on the towbar. You need to know this weight when buying the right drawbar. Hitch is determined by traction and tongue weight. This type of weight also plays a crucial role for a travel trailer or an RV.
5. Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
GAWR is the maximum weight allowed that each axle unit is designed to support. It’s important to know that, depending on how you personally load your RV, it can fall below your GVWR and exceed your axle values.
Portable RV Scale
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Apparently, there are companies that offer portable scaling services. That actually means you can call them and see where they are now. It’s very convenient and can be found online. Also, make sure you find the one closest to you. If you are too far from the weighing station, overloading can damage your vehicle.
Portable axle scales are affordable, but you need to know that you only measure the load that puts pressure on the front or rear axles. Therefore, weigh as soon as possible. Finally, you can buy your own scale. However, remember that it is too expensive.
Conclusion
This was a discussion about where you can weigh your travel trailer or an RV near you, and we discussed the spots and the ways in which you can weigh your vehicle or the trailer. For more detailed information on this, you can read our FAQ section.
FAQ
How do you determine the weight of a trailer?
The heaviness of your trailer can be sorted out by checking out the VIN sticker situated on the casing of your trailer. Look for the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) on the sticker. The GVWR is the unfilled load of the trailer in addition to the limit that the trailer is evaluated.
How would I weigh my trailer tongue weight?
To gauge RV tongue weight, place the tongue of the trailer on a tongue weight scale. The TW can likewise be found by weighing your tow vehicle on a vehicle scale without help from anyone else and contrasting it with the vehicle weight when the trailer is coupled.
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