How to weigh axles on a scale that only gives you gross weight?

If I’m that close, I try to figure how many miles I am to my first (possibly open) weigh station. I know that my fuel weight goes down approximately a pound every mile (diesel fuel weighs around 7 lbs a gallon, I get around 7 mpg). Unless it’s really close, I don’t sweat it.

 

If you were over on the drives with everything forward and only 41,000 on, your truck and trailer is very heavy, or the individual loading you is inexperienced and or messed with you.

Look at how you are loaded and have an idea how you want the it dispersed. Some don’t know or don’t care how they load. I use to ask if it is not going to be a front to rear load before anything goes on.

Consider also, if your steer empty is close to 12,000, your drive axles weigh more than your trailer axles. (Both those rear ends are heavy, unless you have a 6x2 setup). So, you might have to bias a thousand pounds or so towards the rear.

 

most stuff at mills pays by the ton or 100 weight, the more weight you haul the more money you make

You T a water filled pressure guage into the suspension on the truck and the trailer, you can get to within 300 pounds without ever having to cross a scale

 

Which way I did it depended on the slope of the approach and departure to the scale. It was usually easier to do going on, especially if there was a weight display, but I've done both.

 

You are company driver correct?

 

I freaking hope so!

 

Trucks with air ride suspension, that has air bags, you can put a pressure gauge in line. Some trucks have them from the factory. The more weight on the truck and trailer the more air pressure in the air bags. You can use the pressure gauge to very accurately tell how heavy you are.

I've loaded thousands of loads of grain in a hopper bottom pretty darn accurately just using air pressure gauge

 

I do this all the time. Most scales have a digital sign that you can’t see after you pull the cab off the scale, so I do it as already described:

1. pull the steers onto the scale, get steer weight.

2. pull forward so that the drives are on scale. Subtract the steer weight and you have the drive axle weight.

3. pull forward so that all your wheels are on the scale. Subtract the weight of the steer and drives and you have the rear tandem weight.

If you aren’t good at on-the-fly calculating, just jot them all down and do the math after you’re off the scale.