How to Measure Trailer Tongue Weight

Towing with a vehicle is safe if you do it right

Pulling a trailer is not difficult as long as you have the proper tow vehicle, the correct overall weight, and the right amount of tongue weight. Too much or too little weight on the tongue greatly influences the way your load handles. If you haul the same load all the time, you only need to calculate the weight once. However, if you carry different loads on flatbeds, cargo or recreational trailers, you need to calculate your tongue weight each time you load up.

Things You'll Need

• Bathroom scale
• Brick
• Two 1-inch pipes, 2 feet long
• 2 x 6-inch board, 4 feet long

Instructions

1. Load your trailer. Make sure that your overall load is within the towing capabilities of your vehicle. Every vehicle has the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) posted on the inside of the driver's door or in the manual. The GVWR is not only the trailer and the load. The GVWR is the total weight of the trailer, the cargo and the tow vehicle itself. Never overload your tow vehicle. Your load should be evenly distributed and well secured to prevent shifting while underway that might create a serious strain on the tow vehicle.

2. Find a level surface. Place a bathroom scale and a brick on the ground, 3 feet apart. Lay a 1-inch pipe top to bottom on both the scale and the brick.

3. Lay the 2 x 6-inch board across the pipes. Position the tongue of the trailer 1 foot off-center toward the brick. When you lay the tongue, or the tongue jack, on the board, there must be 2 feet of space between the tongue and the scale pipe and only 1 foot of space between the tongue and the brick pipe.

4. Multiply the number reading on the scale by 3 (the distance between the scale and the brick) to achieve your tongue weight.

References

• Curt Manufacturing: Tongue Weight
• Metro Trailer Sales: Safety Tips - Important Information on Towing