CAT Scale?

[432bartman]

Weighed my rig today with the truck. The CAT scale app is great, only $12.00. Just load it onto your phone, roll up onto the scales and it's all automated with your results provided on your phone and in an email.

So here is my attached printout and my door sticker on my truck. Am I reading this right? Steer axle weight was 4960lbs. My truck says 5600lbs for the front, so that gives me 650 lbs. The drive axle weight was 6580, sticker says 6600lbs, so only 20lbs in the clear. Trailer axle was 10980lbs. and the total axle weight was 22500 lbs. This weigh-in was without my wife 135 lbs. and the dog 80 lbs.

If I'm reading it right, I am going to be over on the drive axle weight. Wife, dog, and food were not in this equation, but other than than the trailer is fully loaded and the truck had a full tank of fuel and DEF was topped off.

[AZ Traveler]

Robert,

It is not clear if you had water in your tank. If not, it would be interesting to see how much a full tank would change your rear axle weight. The water tank is behind the rig cg and should reduce weight on the pin.

[432bartman]

Zack, I know the water heater is probably full, the gray and black tanks are empty, but the fresh water tank is the unknown for me.

[mhs4771]

You are also over your Truck's GVWR approx 150 Lbs with out the DW and Dog.
Also check the ratings on your Tires and make sure you're not exceeding them also.
Plus you needed to make a second pass on the scales with the Truck only so you could subtract the truck only weight from the truck weight with trailer to determine you actual pin weight, which is probably over by approx 1000 Lbs.

[Montana Man]

If I read this right, the total weight of the truck is 11520. The gvwr is 11350. That is 170 over plus wife and dog makes it 385 over gvwr. Not a whole lot. Perhaps some weight to the rear of the trailer would help.

[432bartman]

In hindsight, had I understood pin weight before buying my 2500, I would have definitely bought the 3500. Thank you for the replies. As soon as I get my replacement tire for my trailer, I will weigh the truck separately. Michelle/Ann, my tires have a weight rating of 4,080 lbs.

[Montana Man]

We are on a trip right now and just got the CAT app. I'll be doing what you just did here. (except for getting a flat tire)

[432bartman]

Originally Posted by Montana Man

We are on a trip right now and just got the CAT app. I'll be doing what you just did here. (except for getting a flat tire)

Yeah......I could have done without that.

[432bartman]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

You are also over your Truck's GVWR approx 150 Lbs with out the DW and Dog.
Also check the ratings on your Tires and make sure you're not exceeding them also.
Plus you needed to make a second pass on the scales with the Truck only so you could subtract the truck only weight from the truck weight with trailer to determine you actual pin weight, which is probably over by approx 1000 Lbs.

I went back to the CAT scale, which is only like 7 miles from my house and re-weighed just my truck. Front axle was the same weight at 4940lbs. and the rear axle was an even 3500lbs. With the trailer on the truck, the weight over the rear axle was 6580 lbs. which means my PIN weight is 3,080lbs. with my truck having a max cargo weight of 3182lbs. This did not include my wife or dog. My truck shows with a trailer GCWR of 27500lbs. and on the scales with the trailer the max weight combined was 22,500lbs. Am I reading this all correctly?

[Montana Man]

I believe the numbers that matter (in addition to axle and tire ratings) are gvwr minus truck weight. So gvwr of 11350 minus 8440 truck weight leaves 2910 for payload minus extra bodies and misc.

[432bartman]

Going to the scales has been a good experience to see exactly what you have.

[RMcNeal]

The real trick with the CAT Scales is positioning your truck and trailer on the scales correctly. When I did mine I had to get out twice to make sure my front and rear axles were on separate scales. The length of the trailer made that part easy.

[432bartman]

Originally Posted by RMcNeal

The real trick with the CAT Scales is positioning your truck and trailer on the scales correctly. When I did mine I had to get out twice to make sure my front and rear axles were on separate scales. The length of the trailer made that part easy.

We have a trip planned April 1st. Since now I know my truck weight, I'm gonna hit the scale, which is on the way to see exactly how much fully loaded I am. It does add up quickly. The CAT app works excellent. I was always intimidated to take my stuff to a scale amongst all the other big rigs, but it was no big deal, and the truckers who saw me, gave me a thumbs up.

[BiggarView]

while you are under CGVWR you are over on rear axle. to unload this weight you will have to move weight aft. Filling your FW tank will not be enough. since is it close behind your trailer CG each 100 lbs of water will only take about 20lbs off your pin weight. Now drop 500 lbs on a cargo carrier on the back will do the job of off loading pin weight but now you have a new problem to deal with. Will the carrier be able to support it.

Balancing RV weight is akin to how they managed to stuff DC3s during the Berlin airlift.

Orrrrrr, you could just not take the wife and toss all her clothes to lighten the pin weight to account for the dog. If that is even an option. LOL

[432bartman]

Originally Posted by BiggarView

while you are under CGVWR you are over on rear axle. to unload this weight you will have to move weight aft. Filling your FW tank will not be enough. since is it close behind your trailer CG each 100 lbs of water will only take about 20lbs off your pin weight. Now drop 500 lbs on a cargo carrier on the back will do the job of off loading pin weight but now you have a new problem to deal with. Will the carrier be able to support it.

Balancing RV weight is akin to how they managed to stuff DC3s during the Berlin airlift.

Orrrrrr, you could just not take the wife and toss all her clothes to lighten the pin weight to account for the dog. If that is even an option. LOL

I could lower my pin weight considerably by tossing all my wife's shoes out

[AZMont]

I just did the same CAT scale exercise you did and discovered my 2015 Ram 2500 was #1200 over cargo weight with my 2015 RL 3100. I sold the truck and bought a 2020 Ram 3500 Diesel SRW 4x4 Megacab to correct the cargo weight problem. I like the app suggestion. I had to go inside the Flying J to pay and get the print out. Will definitely use the app the next time.

[vipermanden]

For safety, I just bought the RAM 3500 long bed dually. The other thing I would look out for, since I have read stories on this forum, and SOB forums about water tanks falling out with people towing when totally full. Think about how many pounds that is in a plastic tank bouncing around these crazy highways.

[vipermanden]

Dumb question. Is the $12 fee just for the App, and then every time you go to a CAT Scale, it just bills to your credit card, or is it a one time fee, or?

[432bartman]

The app I think is free. Your first weigh is $12.00 and if you return within 24 hours, your re-weigh is only $2.00. When you roll up on the scale, you enter in the CAT scale number of the specific scale your at, then the app will connect with their system. And within a minute or so, you'll get a read out on your phone, and they send a printable result onto your email.......pretty sweet system.

[Todd727]

Nice job weighing the rig and figuring this out. It really is simple.

As a couple others have pointed out, don't worry about the yellow payload sticker. They put that there as a best guess for people who won't do the real work of weighing.

As you see, your actual margin between the empty truck and GVWR is usually less than what that sticker says anyway, unless you've removed some equipment, spare tire, bed, etc.