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Measure your trailer's tongue weight with this easy-to-use scale. Connect the scale to either your trailer's ball coupler or to its 2" jack for a weight reading. Unlike other scales, blocks or wood are not needed for setup.
Features:
Specs:
Tongue weight (TW) refers to the weight that the fully loaded trailer exerts downward on the hitch ball of the tow vehicle. Tongue weight is typically 10 percent - and should not exceed 15 percent - of your gross trailer weight. For example, a 10,000-lb trailer should have a tongue weight between 1,000 lbs and 1,500 lbs. You can adjust the tongue weight of your trailer by removing or adding cargo, or by redistributing the load on the trailer. The tongue weight should not exceed the capacity of your tow vehicle, your hitch, or any of your towing components.
Simply put, too little tongue weight can cause trailer sway and too much tongue weight can cause the tow vehicle to perform poorly. You may have difficulty steering, gaining traction, or braking when driving a setup that has too much weight pushing down on the rear of the vehicle. Ultimately, towing with an improper tongue weight can cause you to lose control of your vehicle or cause your trailer to separate from the vehicle.
The etrailer tongue weight scale has 2 different configurations, which provides you with some nice flexibility when you're loading up your trailer. The standard configuration lets you measure your trailer's tongue weight at the coupler.
First, get set up on stable, level ground - like your driveway or a parking lot - to ensure that the scale will function properly. Position the scale right under your coupler so that the ball will fit into the coupler's socket. Lower your trailer down until its weight is fully supported by the scale and not the jack. Then use the scale's gauge to determine the tongue weight.
You can also use this scale at the trailer jack, without the hassle of having to disconnect and move your truck or trailer out of the way. Just attach the scale to your jack's 2" inner tube instead. To set up the scale, remove the pins and clips, pull out the center support tube, and replace it with just the top portion of the scale, which includes the gauge and hitch ball. The scale will sit upside down in the foot, with the ball on the bottom. Once it's in place, secure the scale to the foot with one of the pins.
To attach the scale to your jack, first crank the trailer jack until the footplate or wheel is about 8" off the ground. Then remove the footplate or wheel from the jack and replace it with the scale, pinning the scale in place. Lower the jack until the scale's footplate is sitting on the ground. Unlatch the coupler from the hitch ball and raise your trailer until it is supported entirely by the jack (and the scale). Then use the scale's gauge to determine the tongue weight.
Note: The etrailer tongue weight scale is not intended as a trailer support device. The scale should not be left on the jack during travel or storage.
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Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (677 Customer Reviews)
Measure your trailer's tongue weight with this easy-to-use scale. Connect the scale to either your trailer's ball coupler or to its 2" jack for a weight reading. Unlike other scales, blocks or wood are not needed for setup.It worked great the one time I used it when I bought it a year ago. It was very helpful to see my tongue weight was over 1,000 lbs. That knowledge helped me understand the suspension sag on my tow vehicle. Unfortunately, it no longer registers any weight even with full tongue weight applied. I think the seal has leaked hydraulic fluid because the outside is very oily. Sadly it's now useless.
The etrailer Tongue Weight Scale is a very handy tool. I have a Hensley CUB hitch on my trailer which added a considerable amount of weight to the tongue. I need to compensate for this weight with redistribution of where I put items in the trailer. The maximum tongue weight that my vehicle will carry per the vehicle manufacturer's guidelines is 500#. Not a problem getting there, but I feel having 500# at the low end of the etrailer scale reduces the accuracy of the unit, as I have found it is more prone to weight fluctuation readings with the same weight being applied and then re-applied to it. I take and average several readings of the tongue to arrive at a final. I have found it's better to be mid-range on any scale when measuring. I feel it would be great if etrailer's Tongue Weight Scale had a model with a 1,000 pound maximum which would put tongue weights of smaller trailers more mid-scale, thus providing greater accuracy. And it would earn etrailer a 5-star rating from me.
In my review of the tongue scale, in the following pictures, you can see in the picture the scale in action with the tongue weight is 2,000 lbs. after all the weight is removed off the tongue jack. The dry weight of the Toyhauler is 10,926 lbs. and the GVWR is 16,000 lbs. I built a box with padding to protect the scale from damage. The reason I purchased this scale is to know what the tongue weight is when the weight with and without a UTV/Side by Side is inside the Toyhauler trailer. The garage is 17 feet long and the total payload capacity of the trailer is 5,074 lbs. If you but have a 14 ft. long or 12 ft. long toy and drive it into the trailer, were you place the toy inside the trailer the 17 ft. long garage. It can have a big effect on tongue weight if the toy is centered over the triple axle or is farther forward or the toy is closer to the loading ramp. The weight of a 2,500 lb. toy can move a lot of weight around and inside the trailer when you have 3 or 5 ft. of space to achieve the correct loading to stay within the (1,600 to 2400 lbs. when fully loaded) or 10% to 15% rule on the bumper pull tongue weight guidelines. The total tongue weight is 2,000 lbs. with the trailer almost down to the dry weight rating. Because there is no toy inside the trailer to counterbalance the nose weight of the Toyhauler the trailer tongue weight is higher than it should be so a weight distribution hitch is critical.
Steve
2/28/2023
Great, I should have bought this scale first before I purchased my first hitch, the rule of thumb of 10 to 15 is a good wild guess but not true. The only way to know the trailer coupler tongue weights is to measure where the hitch ball connects to the tow vehicle. In my case, it was almost 20
This device is easy to use and easy to stow. Providing the gauge is accurate, it allows the user to move items in trailer to accommodate proper tongue weight. Much easier than going to a scale. And, if you change your load mid trip, you can easily check the tongue weight in a parking lot. I used it on a cross country trip with my 7x14 foot enclosed cargo trailer loaded with 3 motorcycles, tool boxes, and other totes. I was at maximum weight capacity for the trailer and wanted the weight distribution to be perfect for my trip. After estimating the weight distribution and checking with the tongue weight scale, I moved several heavy items to the back of the trailer and got the weight on the tongue correct. Felt great driving, knowing that I had my load proper for the truck and trailer combo. Worth the money!
This is something everyone should own! I was able to check the tongue weight of my trailer and found it was way higher than what the factory said. I installed lithium batteries which dropped my weight by 60lbs and relocated heavy items from my front storage to the rear to help balance my trailer.
Worked perfectly for our purpose. We have a ‘22 KZ Sportsmen SE 301BHKSE with a GVWR of 8000lbs, factory loaded weight of 6250lbs and factory loaded tongue weight of 810lbs.
We tow with a ‘14 Lincoln Navigator L with factory tow package that has a tow capacity of 8500lbs and 900lb hitch rating. The Navigator has all new KYB Strut-plus assemblies along with front and rear Hellwig swaybars.
We use an Equal-I-zer 10k weight distribution hitch. At 6 washers on our Equal-I-zer, we were bouncing off the bump stops and the rear was squatted 3” even after reaching the Equal-I-zer recommended front end drop. I moved to 7 washers and it felt better, though the rear was still squatted two and a half inches. I readjusted the hitch to 8 washers and the vehicle was squatted a half inch in front and 1 inch in rear.
I didn’t test drive it, but my instinct told me that something wasn’t right if I had to put THAT much weight distribution into play so I ordered the scale. Turns out our camper’s hitch was weighing in at 1150lbs and we had taken 2 trips that way! Removing all of our things from front storage brought us down to 1000lbs. After much weight shifting and learning a new packing method of our things (meaning NOTHING in our front storage compartments, all of our supplies and camp setup items behind the axle, and other items) we got our tongue weight down to 750-800 depending on propane tank load.
This scale has been a learning experience and should greatly enhance the towing experience. Now to go readjust our Equal-I-zer again, but now for the last time. We will now be able to get the tongue weight the same regardless of load and keep our camper pulling experience constant.
Ever towed an unbalanced trailer? Scary to say the least! This takes the guess work out of it, know exactly what your tongue weight is. This is a well built scale. Something you don’t use often but pays for itself the first time you do. Bought it for a large boat trailer and have used it on several friends trailers also.
works wonderfully. Fantastic delivery speed. Had product 2 days after ordering. Thank you.
David
4/25/2024
Still very happy with the product. Just used it again yesterday upon returning from snow-birding. I recently purchased an A-frame bike rack from e-trailer and discovered that I need to rearrange to get evenly distribute rv weight. Scale is a wonderful tool.
I have multiple trailers and I use my tongue weight scale all the time to keep my tongue weight between 10 - 15%. The etrailer scale works great. It’s accurate and doesn’t require batteries which I really like. It’s a great tool.
Thomas
11/21/2023
The scale works great. The only problem I have is the oil is leaking out of the gauge, very slowly. It’s been about a year and a half and about 12 the oil is out of the gauge. I wrap a rag around it to soak up the oil.
I now have piece of mind knowing the tongue weight of my boat, utility and cargo trailers and measurements repeated.
I also recently installed rear suspension airbags with onboard compressor. We're good to go!
Thanks for the quick turn from order placed to order received.
Works as expected. It's nice to confirm the trailer is properly loaded and not prone to jack-knifing.
Items packed well and delivered in good condition
Jem
11/20/2023
Product qorks as advertised
Definitely the simplest and safest way to measure tongue weight. Especially useful for utility trailers where it is so easy to overload with building material or junk for the landfill. Very pleased with ourchase.
It's not very accurate. I can weigh the trailer several times in a row and get different weights each time. Its okay for ballpark estimates. I have truck scales near my home I use those, weigh with trailer, then without.
We are using the tongue weight scale on boat trailers to set the boats in the proper position. This is exactly what I needed, so far we’ve only used it twice but we will be using it regularly when we lift boats off trailers for repairs.
Easy to use and was spot on in getting my load properly balanced. Removed the trailer sway issue I had because of improper tongue weight. This should be a standard safety item for anyone who owns a trailer.
I really loved this the one time (first 5 minutes) we used it. I appear to have the same problem the other reviewer had. We successfully weighed our tongue weight (approximately 650lbs) and then readjusted the cargo. Minutes later we then weighed again and this time the needle didn't move. We did notice a clear oily residue but was hoping that it was just a fluke. There was still oil in the display area. Fortunately our trailer hitch that we love from trailer has a crude scale. It's no where near as accurate as a tongue scale but since we were able to mark the cruse scale on the hitch we have a ballpark as to what our properly loaded trailer is. So we put it back on the shelf until we had time to deal with it. When we reached out to etrailer we were referred to a phone number. When we were finally able to connect with the contact person we spoke to he was very friendly and professional. However he did redirect us back to etrailer. So back on the shelf it went until I had more time to deal with it. Now, I was able to get a different representative this time and they at least offered to send the information to send it back for "repair and replacement" if it is a common problem and if James and I both got a bad batch then I was hoping that the return shipping would be covered in this case and hopefully we won't be delayed as we prepare a new travel to tow. The good news if you're looking to buy, it is now much cheaper than when I purchased and hopefully the one you get will work more than once. We love all of our other etrailer products like our Truma Cooler/Freezer or GenZ hitch mentioned above and our CargoSmart systems just to name a few so unfortunately this is our only disappointment.
The product dose what it says and it's great tool to have. If you don't have one your kind of just guessing on how full you can load your trailer full of dirt or rocks. I would recommend this to anyone with a trailer. I think spending the $100 on it isn't much at all it's better then pooping burning out tires all the time. Yes, I would recommend it anyone one with a trailer.
I regularly will reorganize my trailer and this is comfort medicine knowing exactly what my tongue weight is. IMO, well worth the purchase simply for that peace of mind.
The etrailer Tongue Weight Scale was exactly what I was needing when setting up my hitch and weight distribution system. Great product.
Works great! I have several trailers, but I bought this specifically for my twin axle flat bed trailer. For decades I tended to just eyeball the load based on how the truck was sitting. When I saw this advertised, I decided it would be nice to see the actual tung weight.... Simple and it works great!
Super fast and professional. I always order all my trailer RVing equipment from E-Trailer. They have the best prices and products. People are super friendly and love the educational videos.
I really like this scale. It really puts my mind at ease knowing that I have the proper amount of tongue weight. It is a well thought out design and I like how you can use it in different configurations. Last week it was a great deal at $XXX plus tax, glad I ordered it then.
Paul
11/3/2023
After a year of using it, I did have one problem with it. the fluid in the sight glass leaked out. Im not sure why it leaked out, but E-Trailer had me send it back in and they warrantied it for me.
I was concerned my weight was to heavy for my tow vehicles capacity. With the tongue weight scale I was able to know my exact weight and gave me the peace of mind in knowing I was within my limits and keeping my family and others safe.
Patrick S.
8/22/2023
This product is a must have for those who pull anything with weight on your hitch. Safety is not a guessing game to be played with. This product takes the guessing away and gives you the assurance of your tongue weight. Great product.
This is very easy to use and helps double check your weights. Shipping was a bit problematic in that I paid extra to get it a bit earlier and it came a few days later than the free shipping would have delivered it.
Jeff
4/1/2024
A year later I can say that this scale performs great. I primarily use it on my travel trailer to check load distribution but Ill still pull it out to check my smaller utility trailer that I load a variety of things and it has been very useful double-checking distribution.
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Katrina D.
8/10/2023
I have gotten in contact with quality control and they have confirmed that this issue has been brought to our attention in the past. Unfortunately, it was determined to be a manufacturer defect. I am sending your information over to our customer service department for them to get a replacement sent out to you.