OK, weight experts here is a goody - Montana Owners Club

Exnavydiver · 10-05-2008, 04:06 PM

On the way home from the Rally we went north through MI. to the UP. On the way we fueled at a station with a CAT scale and I decided to get a weight on the rig and truck. Now here is the rub, I think they had me out of position on the scale as these are the numbers. Front Axle= 4520, Drive axle= 12,220, trailer axle= 6020, Gross weight= 22,670...
My main question is did they have my drive axle and the front axle of the trailer on the same scale? I know I don't have 12K on my hitch. The lady at the counter had no clue and had me pull the cab door even with the speaker and was too busy afterward to answer my questions. We didn't have time to drop the rig and reweigh the truck so I will find a CAT scale around here and do it all over. Does my question make sense. Oh, before I get asked the obvious question, 06 Duramax 2500.. Dave

rogue · 10-05-2008, 04:32 PM

Dave, sounds like you took on a lot of fuel at that stop to get that weight

Only kidding.
Bob

bsmeaton · 10-05-2008, 04:52 PM

Dave, I think what you were thinking was probably right, the drive axle may have been sharing a pad with the front axle of the trailer.

If you assume the front axle weighed in close to the rear on the trailer, you could just subtract 6020 from that 12,220, to figure you're about 6,200 on the rear of the truck.

kmh3212 · 10-05-2008, 04:56 PM

If you take a look at the concrete sections on the scale they weigh your rig as a tractor trailer. You had parked you rig on the sections that weighed it to get the weight you got. The trailer wheel need to be on one segment of concrete and the front and rear of the truck on the first two concrete segments. Sounds complicated until you picture what a tractor trailer looks like. Your gross weight was right and all the others were right but it is up to you to put your truck in the right spot. The people at the truck stop just don't care.

Exnavydiver · 10-05-2008, 05:50 PM

kmh3212, as it was the first time I ever weighed anything like this I had no clue what to look for. I Asked before I got on the scale so I just ASSUMED they would steer me straight..

exav8tr · 10-06-2008, 02:47 AM

Dave, out of those numbers, the only one I would actually believe is the total weight. Maybe the front axle of truck. Your trailer axles should be around 12k and pin weight around 2500. Your truck drive axle weight will probably be over the 9200 stated for your truck. Last year my trailer axles were 12,000 and pin weight was 2,800 and truck payload was around 10,300, hence my purchase of 3500 dually...

Waynem · 10-06-2008, 07:37 AM

Dave,
Sounds like to me that you are a little heavy. Next time get out and let Betsy drive it on the scale. Think diet!!!

Exnavydiver · 10-06-2008, 11:37 AM

How can she drive it on the scales, I told her that YOUR wife was on the roof washing it so she should do the same. She got mose of the tree sap off by the time I hit the Mackinaw bridge. I had to holler REAL loud a couple times so she could duck and clear the over passes. But she did a really good job

. Only lost two buckets and a half dozen swabs (mops for those civilians out there). She said she may lose one more before the next trip, I didn't think we had anymore... Dave P.S. good thing they had near freezing temps in the U.P., she didn't have that many bugs to pick out of her teeth...

labmom · 10-06-2008, 11:42 AM

I'm going to lose some buckets and mops you know where.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Betsy

KathyandDave · 10-06-2008, 12:00 PM

We drove over an empty scale that could weigh the whole 55 feet in one shot, going on and off axle by axle. Here are our numbers, solemnly recorded by the pen of DW:
Front: 2,200kg (4,849lbs)
Front + duallies: 5,500kg (12,122lbs)
All: 10,860kg (23,935lbs)
Duallies + Monty axles: 8,650kg (19,064lbs)
Monty axles: 5,365kg (11,824lbs)

By subtraction, the weight on the duallies was about 3,300kg (7273lbs). The limit on the door for the duallies is 3720kg(8,200lbs).

I think you're right - the front axle of the Monty was probably on the same plate as the rear axle of the TV. If so, your rear axle weight was 6,200lbs. Edit: I just noticed that bsmeaton said the same thing.

Exnavydiver · 10-06-2008, 12:34 PM

Correlating back from those numbers then the back axle should have about 4000 on it without the rig and the rig should be about 2200 which is all within the ball park. We will be near a salvage yard tomorrow and I will see if I can weigh the truck, that should give me what I want for figuring purposes and until I find another CAT scale. This time I will get out and look where the seams on the scales are..

sailer · 10-06-2008, 03:28 PM

Dave i weighed my monta axels seperate as the rear axel is hauling a lot more than the front axel ,, that was on the 3000rk 2006 the front was 1000 lbs lite than the rear axel ,, if you watch the scales they can do anything you want and a reweigh is only about 2.00 or so so split the trail 1ce and then get the truck split a 2nd time it tells a real story ,, thats why the 3000rk today has 6000 lb axels as the rear holds 5800 lbs ,,, sailer its a lot warmer in asheville than that cold spot you are in

KathyandDave · 10-07-2008, 02:13 AM

Sailer, does this mean that the tandem axles carry different loads? I didn't know that! I'll have to check the separate weights. As for the scale, it was an older one that weighs one thing at a time. There is another old one closer to home that weighs one axle at a time. They are government scales, but are not manned all the time, so we just go in when nobody's around. I've been on the scales you describe in Quebec - the officer walked out and handed me a computer print out.

exnavydiver, I don't think that you can calculate separate weights of truck and trailer pin at the rear axle without weighing one or the other separately at that same time.

Exnavydiver · 10-07-2008, 03:47 AM

John, it isn't that bad here at the moment. Only got down to 43 last night. It isn't due to hit the 30s till next week but we hope to be out of here by then and in northern Ill. for a week or so before we head to Delaine and Lindy's for the winter. There dozens of CAT scales down there to play on and I plan on getting individual axle and wheel weights after I get to northern Ill. If I can find a DOT weight cop I will buy him a meal and give him a beer for a wheel weigh... Dave

up2nogood · 10-07-2008, 06:48 AM

Maybe a little easier way to do it, is how I did it. I weighted the truck first prior to weighing the 5ver or even having it with me. I weighted the front axle and the back axle then the entire truck and for whatever reasons the total was 40 lbs different than the front and back totaled.The truck was loaded full tank, hitch etc.When I got the chance which was two weeks ago I weighted the 5ver and the truck. First I pulled on the scales with front axle of truck to see if there was much difference in weight with the 5ver there was not,next I pulled the entire truck on the scales leaving the 5ver axles off of the scales .The difference between the trucks total weight which I already had, and the weight of the pin sitting on it gave me my pin weight. Truck was 7880 with the weight of the pin on it 10300 pin weight 2420. Next I pulled the entire rig on the scales for a total weight of 20620 . 7880 for the truck and 12740 for 5ver. I was not interested in individual axle weights on the 5ver, being in the neighborhood of 10k for both. Hope this helps

bsmeaton · 10-07-2008, 07:07 AM

Different weights on the axle are directly related to the angle of dangle

.

If the Monty is perfectly level, both axles should carry identical loads, as the center equalizer bar on the springs will distribute the load evenly. (this is not true side to side). If you're a little high or low in the nose, the weight can transfer to the axles on the lower end. I became concious of that when putting ours in storage - if I leave the nose way up when disconnected, the rear axle ends up carrying most of the load. It's evident from the squat on the tires. I now level it out so I'm not overloading the rear axle.

billhoover · 10-07-2008, 01:08 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by exav8tr

Dave, out of those numbers, the only one I would actually believe is the total weight. Maybe the front axle of truck. Your trailer axles should be around 12k and pin weight around 2500. Your truck drive axle weight will probably be over the 9200 stated for your truck. Last year my trailer axles were 12,000 and pin weight was 2,800 and truck payload was around 10,300, hence my purchase of 3500 dually...

Same here...realized my 3/4 was not enough truck for a 3400 (much less a BS) and got a dually.

greener · 10-08-2008, 05:03 AM

You definitely were not on the scale correctly! We weighed ours on the way home after delivery and the total weight was 20,700 with 10,000# plus on the trailer axle. I`m trying to find our Cat scale paper and will let you know the truck axle weights if I can.

up2nogood · 10-08-2008, 05:56 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by exav8tr

Dave, out of those numbers, the only one I would actually believe is the total weight. Maybe the front axle of truck. Your trailer axles should be around 12k and pin weight around 2500. Your truck drive axle weight will probably be over the 9200 stated for your truck. Last year my trailer axles were 12,000 and pin weight was 2,800 and truck payload was around 10,300, hence my purchase of 3500 dually...

How did you arrive at 10300 payload. I am surprised to see 2800 on a pin weight for a 3400 you must travel with alot more than what I do. I have a fair amount loaded , plus the Onan generator. Naturally the farther back the weight is in the basement the more some of that weight goes to the trailer axles, where as most of the weight in the bedroom goes to the pin.Just curious. My pin weight is nearly 400 lbs less than yours. I know the weight can add up in a hurry. With you saying your trailer axles are 12,000 that puts the trailer weight at 14,800, where as mine is 12,740 loaded. If I was to go by my dry weight, which most say is not very accurate, but in my case I would think it was pretty close at 11800 which puts me at about 1000 lbs of gear. Regardless of dry weight you are still 2k heavier than I am. Thats alot of difference in basically the same trailer different year. I can't imagine what I would haul to get 2k more

snfexpress · 10-09-2008, 04:31 PM

Dave,

Load up you, your wife, a full load of fuel, the pets, the snacks, the 5er with water in it for the "pee stops" and take all to a CAT scale. For about eight bucks, you will get weights for your TV front axle, TV rear axle, and your double 5er axles. Then, go home and have a beer. The next day (you have 24 hours with CAT), load up yourself, your wife and your snacks (without the 5er) and return to the CAT scales. Weigh your tow vehicle (it costs an additional one dollar).

Once you have these figures, repost and many of us can give you the math.

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