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I got two different total CAT scale weights today with our travel trailer in tow. The measurements were taken within 10 minutes of each other and nothing was added or taken out of the truck or trailer. Pass 1 had the WD Bars enabled, pass 2 without.
Pass 2 had a total weight of 120lb more than the first. I asked why this was, and was told it was most likely the wind. There was a bit of a wind, but not much.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is a small variance normal?
I have weighed mine several times. Only once have I have seen a variance of more than 20 lbs. when getting the weights of the truck and trailer together, with and without the weight distribution bars attached. That one time I went back for a reweigh and it came back to the exact weight I expected. No clue why it happened. I didn't gripe at the truck stop people because it only cost me $2 for the extra weigh. I expect they would laugh at a complaint of a 100 lb. error when they are usually weighing 80,000 lb. trucks.
Every weight I have ever seen on the tickets is a multiple of 20 lbs. This leads me to think that the resolution on the scales is 20 lbs.
One thing might happen to some. If you have to step out of the truck to push the button on the speaker, they might weigh your rig before you can get back in the truck. I carry a broomstick into the truck with me to push the squawkbox button.
Anyway, if my total truck and trailer weights on the two passes don't agree within 20 lbs., I go back through again.
Last edited by atwowheelguy; 07-11-2017 at 01:20 AM.
It would be helpful to get the third pass with the truck only. That will tell you how much weight is lifted off the front when the tongue is set down on the hitch ball before the WD bars are attached. It will also tell you how much the tongue weight is. I put the bars in the back of the truck near the tailgate on the pass without the WD bars attached. I take the WD hitch and the WD bars OFF when I weigh the truck only. That way the hitch gets included in the tongue weight.
I did do the third pass that same day, here are the specs:
Just the truck (all passengers and cargo the same as before) with the hitch and bars loaded in the back of the truck. I didn't want them included in the tongue weight.
Front axle: 3300lb
Rear axle: 2640lb
I still don't know (and will never I guess until I do a re-weigh) where to add/subtract the 120lb variance from the first and second scale pass... This makes it hard to know how much weight is being returned to the front axel.
As a result of the all three passes I have increased my tongue weight to just over 700lb. Nothing replaces having actual weight numbers when tuning your rig
07-10-2017, 11:23 PM
CAT Scale Weight Variance
