Do “Right Weigh” Scales Really Work?

80000
- 34000 Trailer removed from platform scale by backing off until that axle group is off. Read resulting lighter weight...

= 46000

Continue to back off platform scale until your drives are off. What is left should be your steers weight. Subtract that against the 46000 pounds to double check that those drives are 34000 and under.

Or you can do the same thing driving forward off a platform scale.

If you come up with very close readings with the truck and trailer sensors then you are in the ball park, but always cat the load at shipper or near there, and make sure your airbag suspension amount gauge does not exceed a known 34000 pound PSI.

The steers will just have to take care of themselves.

 

Either of the places you mentioned would be fine. All our truck had gauges in them from the factory. Most of the gauges on our trailers came from Tractor Supply. It's just a simple standard air gauge, like what would be used on a air compressor, or a portable air tank.

 

Single goes 6" behind center light to favor the trailer if you pull a spread. Hard to be over on a spread if your under gross if you keep the drives close but not over 60 lbs
2 coils still go in the middle with heaviest to the rear center light splitting them.
3 coils heaviest dead center 2nd heaviest just behind it and 3rd just in front.
All fit under 1 taro no reason to split them up any further. LOL
That's how I do it anyhow.
I have never used a cat scale.
And last but not least, when in doubt go around. LOL

 

Well not everyone is so concerned about gross. But I for one will never ever put two of 3 coils in center of trailer. To hard on trailer. Don't know why companies teach driver this.

 

Can't say I'm all that worried about gross either but this thread is about "Right Weigh" scales.
3 15k coils in the center is a lot better than 1 45k in the middle.
I'm not sure why they teach it since I've never drove for anybody but myself. But the reason I do it is because I'm to lazy to fold 2 or 3 tarps instead of 1. And I bought a trailer (MAC with 72k beams) that can hold 1 or 3 in the middle with least amount of harm.

 

I guess, I just would rather put a 40k in the front and a 40k in the rear. But I run a side kit with tarp.

 

That's how I started out. To much trouble these days. Mills won't load you with something else already on, transfer yards are all gone, csa keeping score card now. I would load different if I ran sides, when I'm over 50 yrs old (2 years) I'm throwing the tarps out and putting up a kit. At least that's what I keep telling the wife.

 

That may be the "safe" way to load, but it isn't the best way. The light is the center of the trailer, which differs from the load center. To find the load center, it's the mid point between the kingpin and the center of the spread. For a single coil, I'll place the front timber of the coil rack at the load center, and that usually balances my axle weights fairly close. If I'm going to be nearly 80K, I might move the coil back slightly just to be "safe" ...but I prefer to be 33-34K on my drives when fully loaded. It rides like crap, fights you in the turns, more likely to get stuck, and is just a hard pulling load when you're 38-40K on the spread and only 28K on your drives. Even if I'm under 80K, I'd rather be heavier on my drives. 30-34K on the drives with a 15-20K trailer spread pulls much better than a 15-20K drives with 30-34K on the spread.

Just because you CAN run 40K on the trailer doesn't mean you SHOULD!

 

Your right and its the difference between carrying the weight and pulling the weight. When you have a set of doubles most of the time your just pulling, with a spread you carry it. Put straight treads on drives like XZE's great with a spread, No beuno with doubles.

 

Do it now not later trust me.