Airstream CLASSIC TRAILER - Manual (Page 24)

B
TOWING
B - 10
WEIGHING YOUR TRAILER
The diagram shows how to weigh the trailer on scales.
The allowable personal cargo must be distributed in your trailer in such a manner that
the Gross Axle Weight Rating is not exceeded.
To determine this it is necessary to load all of your allowable personal cargo and
variable weights. Then hitch the trailer to the tow vehicle with load equalizing hitch
properly adjusted as shown on the following pages.
Place the trailer on a scale with both axles only on the scale (see 2). If the weight on
the axles exceeds the axle system GAWR then some of the personal cargo must be
redistributed forward in order to place some of this weight on the tongue.
The tongue weight should be in between 10% - 15% of the trailer’s total weight, but
must not exceed 1,000 lbs. Some tow vehicle manufacturers may restrict the amount of
tongue load to a lower value. To determine tongue load, unhitch tow vehicle and place
the tongue hitch post on a scale. The trailer must be properly loaded as determined
above, with your allowable personal cargo and variable weights.
Use a scale, such as a bathroom scale, that has a lower weight limit than your tongue
load to check the tongue weight by using the following method (see illustration).
Place a piece of wood of approximately the same thickness as the bathroom scales
on the ground in line with the trailer hitch jack as shown. It should be so spaced that
a short piece of pipe or other round piece will lay exactly one foot from the centerline
of the jack extension. Place the scales so that another round piece can be exactly two
feet from the centerline of the jack extension in the other direction. Place a 4 x 4 on the
two round pieces and screw the jack extension down on the top of the 4 x 4 until the
tongue of the trailer is supported by it. Multiply the scale reading by three. This will be
the tongue weight of your trailer. If you exceed the capacity of the bathroom scales,
increase the two-foot dimension to three or four more feet, but always multiply the
scale reading by the total number of feet between the wood and scales.
CAUTION: Be sure trailer is level when you read scales.
2 FT. 1 Ft.
Pipe
Pipe
Bathroom Scale Wood Support