How paranoid should I be about tongue weight?

Jay_and_Kat · July 2023

Heading out next week with the T@B400 Boondock and we'll have our bikes on the bike rack for the first time since we got the camper (Jackit Wing) Her bike is a Trek Townie GO (electric, ~45lbs) and mine is a Trek Marlin 5 (not electric, ~35lbs) so I know that's going to impact the tongue weight (along with everything that'll go in the camper.)

Last time out (no bikes,) our tongue scale gave us about a 400lb reading after load-up, my tow vehicle (Gladiator Sport S w/tow package) has a 600lb tongue rating, so I think we'll be OK, we just might need to shift some stuff back onto the bed for the drive to balance out. I know anything we put in the Jeep ALSO needs to be thought about, so far that's just going to be some lounger chairs and a short fiberglass ladder, possibly a cooler, and me.

So, should I be really paranoid and CAT Scale before we go? We're going to be cleaning the camper today / tomorrow and I was planning to load it up most of the way (no food,) to check the tongue weight with the bikes on the rack, as well as moving out of the drive into the street to see how level everything sits, but being a still fairly new tower, I'm a bit nervous (just got the camper last March, only towed it 6 times so far)

Sharon_is_SAM · July 2023

I think for the nominal cost of a CAT scale weight, you gain a lot of information and peace of mind. It will help with future packing decisions.

qhumberd · July 2023

You are smart to be aware of weight for your particular rig. A lot of folks are not. The major issues in my mind are the cargo capacity of your T@B. Mine is a little over 1000 lbs on the label. Where you store that cargo will impact your tongue weight. Also, any cargo in the Jeep that is over or behind the rear axle will also add to the tongue weight for the Jeep. The easiest is to make sure the combined weight for your rig is not over the limit, and that is where the CAT scale helps. You don't want to learn this after an accident, obviously. Good luck

Jay_and_Kat · July 2023

So, sounding like I'll need to eat crow and tell the wife we'll be heading to the CAT Scale a couple miles away...

Hopefully the stop won't be too busy so I don't tick off any truckers looking to weigh in.

Kind of makes me wonder what a set of the scales highway patrol have in some vehicles would run, to do the weigh-in at home...
Oh, gee, only $1k+ for a set of four, sure, that's pocket change!

kottum · July 2023

Don't worry about the truckers at the CAT scale, you'll pay your fee just like them. You can weigh three axles, Jeep front and rear, and the trailer at the same time. Then unhook for a second pass and weigh the Jeep's two axles. This will tell you a lot about where the weight is, and to ensure no axles are overloaded. Look for GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating), GAWR (gross axle weight rating), and GCWR (gross combined weight rating, or truck and trailer together), and compare these weights with your jeep and Tab spec's.

Load your heavy gear toward the front of the Jeep's bed and in the back seat area. Do not try to load your camper heavy in the back to offset the tongue weight, this can make your camper unstable. Load the heavy gear over/near the trailer axle for best stability.

Personally I think all the Tab 320 and 400 campers should have a mechanical anti-sway device as a safety measure. A simple, inexpensive ($100) adjustable friction sway bar is excellent. If you need to carry lots of heavy gear with your Jeep/Tab 400, then you should consider a weight distribution hitch.

I see these big, heavy camping rigs going down the road for a weekend and wonder if this is what camping is about. For safety and convenience, I like to travel as light as possible, as we have enjoyed doing for some 60 years.

JohninMissouri · July 2023

Yes, do the CAT Scales. Please tell us the results! Drive safe!

DaveC · July 2023

I used CAT scale a few times and then bit the bullet and bought a tongue scale.. I got this one for $100 at etrailer, but now it shows a higher price.
You might check for sales. Having it at home when loading is worth the price.
etrailer Tongue Weight Scale for Campers and Utility Trailers - 2,000-lb Capacity etrailer Tongue Weight Scale e99044

Jay_and_Kat · July 2023

@DaveC when we bought the camper, I bought a Sherline scale and we've used it a couple trips to check the tongue weight, we've not yet broken 450lbs, this trip might be the one, what with the bikes on the rack...

Marceline · July 2023

Jay_and_Kat said:

So, sounding like I'll need to eat crow and tell the wife we'll be heading to the CAT Scale a couple miles away...

Hopefully the stop won't be too busy so I don't tick off any truckers looking to weigh in.

Kind of makes me wonder what a set of the scales highway patrol have in some vehicles would run, to do the weigh-in at home...
Oh, gee, only $1k+ for a set of four, sure, that's pocket change!

I don't know how useful it is, but FWIW there's a "Weigh My Truck" app.

https://weighmytruck.com/

JohninMissouri · July 2023

I also have a tongue weight scale;

Sherline LM 1000 Trailer Tongue Weight Scale 1000 lb

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007REJTGI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not that I am overweight on the ball hitch, but that I get correct ratio of weight at hitch to trailer weight.

Mouseketab · July 2023

Marceline said:

Jay_and_Kat said:

So, sounding like I'll need to eat crow and tell the wife we'll be heading to the CAT Scale a couple miles away...

Hopefully the stop won't be too busy so I don't tick off any truckers looking to weigh in.

Kind of makes me wonder what a set of the scales highway patrol have in some vehicles would run, to do the weigh-in at home...
Oh, gee, only $1k+ for a set of four, sure, that's pocket change!

I don't know how useful it is, but FWIW there's a "Weigh My Truck" app.
https://weighmytruck.com/

I love the CAT Scale App. Don't even have to go into the store. Pull on the scale, pull up the app, confirm your location, and click on "weigh", then disconnect, and make sure your vehicle is totally on one plate, and your trailer is totally on another plate, and then click on "reweigh", hook back up and you are done. You get a pdf of the weights in your email. The difference in your vehicle weight hooked up and unhooked is your tongue weight. You hook up a debit or credit card to the app.

Jay_and_Kat · July 2023

So, we didn't scale out the rig tonight (we were tired and hungry) but we did get the tongue weight with a load of water and our bikes on the tongue rack and...

480lbs

After dumping about 2/3rds of the tank and re-weighing, we were down to about 440-460lbs...

So I'm thinking I might fill the water at the campsite, rather than at home...
But I'm also still planning to hit a CAT Scale on the way to the campground as well.

ChrisFix · July 2023

Jay_and_Kat said:

So, we didn't scale out the rig tonight (we were tired and hungry) but we did get the tongue weight with a load of water and our bikes on the tongue rack and...

480lbs

After dumping about 2/3rds of the tank and re-weighing, we were down to about 440-460lbs...

So I'm thinking I might fill the water at the campsite, rather than at home...
But I'm also still planning to hit a CAT Scale on the way to the campground as well.

I haven't ever weighed my 400 on a CAT Scale, but I've always read on this forum that filling the fresh tank results in slightly lower tongue weight due to its location behind the trailer axle.
Anecdotally, I have experienced a little sway with the fresh water tank full from what I perceived to be too little tongue weight, which resolved by dumping the fresh tank.

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How paranoid should I be about tongue weight?

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2019 T@B400 Boondock Lite "Todd"

Sherline LM 1000 Trailer Tongue Weight Scale 1000 lb