# Weighing Your RV



## mailfire99 (Nov 16, 2007)

Has anyone officially weighed their RV / camper at a public scale?

I wouldnt mind weighing mine when I have a full load, but not sure where you would go. I dont think they will let me in the 18 wheeler weigh stations


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## cassiem (Nov 16, 2007)

Hmm, thats an interesting one. I wouldnt imagine they would let you in on the interstate  but I bet there are some places that have scales that you could weigh on. Whether they would charge you or not would be another qestion.


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## billyj (Feb 1, 2008)

There are usually scales at contractor rental places, for heavy equipment/trucks. You can also check in the yellow pages, their should be some listings in your area in there as well.


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## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

mailfire99 said:


> Has anyone officially weighed their RV / camper at a public scale?
> 
> I wouldnt mind weighing mine when I have a full load, but not sure where you would go. I dont think they will let me in the 18 wheeler weigh stations


Actually, you can weigh your trailer at any of the commercial truck weighing stations. Here is a picture of mine being weighed http://he-ruide.smugmug.com/gallery/3508065_XtwRB#196446876

To find the nearest scale go to this web page http://www.bigrigjobs.com/Truck-Scales

Hope this helps

Ruide


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## mailfire99 (Nov 16, 2007)

Thanks for the info Ruide, I had no idea you could do that. Did they charge you to weigh it? Nice rig by the way, that looks really nice!


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## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

Mailfire99, Thank you very much. Yes the Cat Scales charged me $8.50. I paid an extra dollar since I wanted to weigh with it unhitched (i.e, so I could get the axle and tongue weights) as well as it hitched. It would have been a couple more dollars if I wanted a certified weight, but that was not necessary. If I recall correctly, I could have gone back within 24 hours for a re-weigh.

Ruide


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## ctfortner (Nov 16, 2007)

Thats good info Ruide. I would like to get the packed weight of mine also. That is a nice rig, I agree. Do you haul anything on it, 4 wheeler or motorcycle?


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## glfortner (Nov 16, 2007)

Hello heruide! So just out of curiosity-how much did it weigh?


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## l2l (Jan 27, 2008)

Scrap Metal Yards also have weigh scales they may let you weigh your rig there too


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## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

ctfortner said:


> Thats good info Ruide. I would like to get the packed weight of mine also. That is a nice rig, I agree. Do you haul anything on it, 4 wheeler or motorcycle?


Thanks Ctfortner. I did have a 750 BMW but my dear wife gave it away since I wasn't riding it. So now we make do with two mountain bikes . 

But I do haul a lot of other stuff on the deck.... a tool box, generator, gas & water cans plus gray water tote. Here is what it looks like fully loaded http://he-ruide.smugmug.com/gallery/3489359_sWfTk#196539661

Ruide


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## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

glfortner said:


> Hello heruide! So just out of curiosity-how much did it weigh?


Glfortner, The last time I weighed it fully loaded with water and gas, the total weight was 4140 pounds.

Ruide


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## cassiem (Nov 16, 2007)

Very nice, very nice. I really like that storage on the front. We are still looking into campers, may get one this year or next, but I do like that storage area. I guess you could tow that with about any vehicle to, since its fairly light.


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## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

cassiem said:


> Very nice, very nice. I really like that storage on the front. We are still looking into campers, may get one this year or next, but I do like that storage area. I guess you could tow that with about any vehicle to, since its fairly light.


Cassiem, Well light is relative. The limiting factor can be the tongue weight and corresponding hitch especially if you haul a four wheeler. The tongue weight can be in the 800 to 1,000 pound range and hence you are looking at a full size pickup with a Class IV hitch with a weight distribution system.

Ruide


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## mailfire99 (Nov 16, 2007)

I was talking a friend about a Truck Scale weigh station. He lives in a small town and said that he has actually used the scales at their county dump station. They didnt charge him to do it either.

Something maybe worth checking out if you have one near you.


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## haroldj (Jan 31, 2008)

Thats interesting mailfire... I knew you could weigh them at some interstate scales, but havent heard about the dump stations before.

Very good point Ruide. You definitely have to be aware of your tongue weight and what class hitch your towing with. 

If you were hauling a camper and thats it, the specs will be on the camper, or in the manual, and you can determine what type of vehicle hitch you have and if it can handle it.


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## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

haroldj said:


> If you were hauling a camper and thats it, the specs will be on the camper, or in the manual, and you can determine what type of vehicle hitch you have and if it can handle it.


Harold, As you shared you have to be cautious with what else you might be hauling. The weight that is listed on the camper is just the dry weight of the camper when it leaves the factory. However, it does not include the dealer added options (e.g., battery, AC, or propane) or all the stuff you might add yourself (e.g. generator, TV, cooking utensils, fresh, gray or black water). All these can add up and if you are not careful you might actually exceed the maximum trailer weight (GVWR).

This is why it is always advisable to weigh the trailer and I applaud Mailfire99 for raising the topic as only 5% of the trailers on the road today have been weighed after leaving the factory.

Ruide


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## terryt (May 4, 2011)

if you live close to a farm community the local grain elevator will probably let you weigh for a small fee


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## Gerry (Jan 24, 2011)

*weighing your RV*

I'm a strong believer in knowing what my RV weighs and how my rig is balanced. To me it's a matter of safety knowing I'm not exceeding my gross and overloading my truck axles. Here in Oregon we are fortunate because we can use most any public scale not open with the readout always on. If I lived in a state without this feature I would gladly pay a few bucks to know what I was towing. Most of our rigs don't vary that much in weight when outfitted to our liking except maybe carrying a full fresh water tank from time to time but that's easy to weigh too.


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## artmart (Sep 21, 2010)

Where I live there is a moving and storage location where I go to get my rig weighed. The scale is there because they weigh moving trucks, then pick up a load, then weigh again and the difference is what they charge the customer. Professional moving trucks charge by the pound and this is how they calculate your particular weight.

I have taken my rig there, weighed the whole thing, one axle at a time to know the weight at each axle and then one side of the axle to know what each side at each wheel weighs too. I also weighed with just no weight, with the truck loaded up for an RV trip (wife, passengers, gear, pets), then also with the fifth wheel so I know what the pin and each tire of the axle weighs.

I am like Gerry and want to ensure I am not overweight. Things break enough while you are within your weight ratings, why would anyone want to make it worse. Plus, the liability if you damage or hurt someone else because of it. I have heard of folks losing everything if they were found to be overweight and their insurance did NOT cover them because of it. There's just too much to lose if you are not compliant.


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## RVCamper (Sep 15, 2018)

Yeah a lot of scales at gas stations or weigh stations on the highways will work. 

I was surprised how much lighter our rig was after we renovated it and took out a lot of excess weighing furniture.


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