How to Figure Out the Weight of a Trailer Tongue

It is important to include the weight of the tongue on a trailer when considering the overall weight of the unit. Unfortunately, without detaching the tongue itself, this can be a problematic item to measure. There are special tools and scales that can be purchased to figure out the exact weight, but you can achieve the same results with just a few common items on your own. In the process, you will save a little money.

Things You'll Need

• Piece of wooden lumber, 4 feet in length
• Two metal pipe segments
• Bathroom scale (reads at least up to 250 pounds)
• Coupler
• Bricks

Instructions

1. Place the coupler vertically under the tongue to balance it at the normal towing height.

2. Lay the board flat underneath the coupler, and stagger about 2.5 feet on one side and 1.5 on the other.

3. Place the scale underneath the longer end of the board. Use a pipe in between the scale and the board to balance it exactly 2 feet from the coupler. Place the brick on the board's shorter side, exactly 1 foot from the coupler, and use the other pipe in between them to balance in the same fashion.

4. Check the reading on the scale. Multiply this number by 3 to determine the tongue's weight (because the two points of contact are exactly 3 feet apart).

   Example: If the scale reads 225 pounds, the tongue's weight is 675 pounds. 225 x 3 = 675

References

• Tongue Weight
• Tongue Weight Scale

Resources

• Trailer Loading and Towing Guide