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How to Weigh a Trailer at Home

Whether you have a travel trailer, a boat trailer, or a utility trailer, it’s important to know its weight. Knowing your trailer weight is important for registration purposes, as well as making sure you don’t overload your rig for a safe trip, similar to a roof rack or an SUV

Your trailer should have a capacity plate, typically on the tongue or somewhere on the frame. It should list the Maximum Capacity, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), and Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). 

To find the weight of the trailer, simply subtract the trailer’s maximum capacity from the GVWR and you're left with the weight of the trailer. If you’re unable to find the plate or are skeptical of the info on it, you can weigh it to be certain of the exact weight. 

The simplest and fastest way to weigh a trailer is to take it to a truck scale. Locations capable of weighing trucks and boat trailers may include but are not be limited to:  

  • Truck stops 
  • Weigh stations
  • Junk yards 
  • Landfills 
  • Gravel yards 
  • Freight yards 
  • Grain elevators 
  • Grain and feed stores 
  • CAT scales 
  • RV lots

If you don’t have the time or a convenient location to take your trailer to weigh it, you can weigh your trailer at home.  

 

How to Weigh Your Trailer at Home

Weighing your trailer at home may seem like a feat, but it’s simple enough with the right tools and know-how. Mechanical Elements has a helpful guide and videos on how to weigh large items at home without an industrial scale, including a utility trailer. The same process of weighing large appliances or furniture at home also applies to vehicles such as trailers and campers.  

Weigh Your Trailer with a Trailer Tongue Weight Scale

The easiest way to weigh a trailer at home (without purchasing a large industrial vehicle scale) is with a trailer tongue weight scale, such as this one from Sherline. Trailer tongue weight should be between 10-15 percent of gross trailer weight (GTW). For example, a 1000 lb trailer should have a tongue weight between 100 lbs and 150 lbs.

Average trailer tongue weight scale prices range from about $150-$350, depending on the scale and the seller.  

Weigh Your Trailer with a Bathroom Scale

If you can’t get a hold of a trailer tongue weight scale, you can measure it with a more common kind of scale.To measure the trailer, you’re going to need a bathroom scale. Then, take the following steps. 

Step 1. Level out the trailer

Being level is important when getting an accurate weight. Make sure that the wheels are chocked so the trailer cannot roll.

Step 2. Prepare the ground

  1. Take a reliable board, like a 2x4, and place it directly below the trailer’s tongue. The board needs to be at least 3.5 feet long for this to work. 
  2. Place the bathroom scale roughly 2 feet in either direction from the trailer tongue, and a block or brick about 1 foot from the trailer tongue the opposite end from the scale. You’ll want to protect the bathroom scale with a small piece of plywood or other material on the top.
  3. Insert two horizontal pipes between the 2×4 and scale/brick: one in the center of the bathroom scale and one in the center of the brick.

Step 3. Weigh it on the scale

  • Lower the trailer jack until the coupler is fully resting on a vertically-positioned pipe. 
  • Read the scale and multiply by 3. The average bathroom scale can’t do the entire weight, hence the multiplier. 
  • This is your trailer tongue weight, which is 10-15 percent of gross trailer weight. 

Average Trailer Weight by Trailer Type

If you have any doubts about your calculations, it helps to have a frame of reference to double check if your numbers are close. Below are the trailer weights and capacity by type according to Curt:

Trailer Type

Average Empty Weight (lbs.)

Empty Weight Range (lbs.)

GVWR (lbs.)

Average Load Capacity (lbs.)

Canoe / Kayak Trailer

200

100 to 400

200 to 800

200

Jet Ski Trailer

300

100 to 500

800 to 3,000

1,500

Motorcycle Trailer

500

300 to 800

1,300 to 3,500

1,900

Fishing Boat Trailer

600

200 to 1,100

900 to 6,000

2,700

Tow Dolly

600

400 to 800

3,000 to 5,000

3,400

Small Open Utility Trailer

700

300 to 1,100

1,000 to 3,000

1,800

Small Enclosed Utility Trailer

1,000

400 to 1,800

2,000 to 7,000

2,200

Teardrop Trailer

1,700

500 to 3,200

2,000 to 4,000

700

A-Frame Camper

1,700

1,200 to 2,300

2,500 to 3,600

1,200

Car Trailer

1,900

1,500 to 2,800

6,000 to 15,000

7,100

Large Boat Trailer

2,200

1,100 to 4,400

5,400 to 34,400

11,400

Pop Up Camper

2,300

1,400 to 3,000

2,700 to 4,000

1,100

Large Enclosed Utility Trailer

2,700

900 to 5,200

3,000 to 10,000

4,400

Small Travel Trailer

2,800

1,200 to 3,900

1,900 to 4,500

800

Small Horse Trailer

2,900

2,300 to 3,900

7,000 to 8,000

4,300

Large Flatbed Trailer

3,000

500 to 7,700

2,900 to 26,000

7,400

Dump Trailer

4,500

1,100 to 10,100

3,000 to 30,000

12,400

Large Travel Trailer

6,700

4,500 to 8,700

6,300 to 10,500

1,600

Gooseneck Flatbed Trailer

7,200

4,700 to 10,400

15,900 to 36,000

16,000

Large Livestock Trailer

7,300

4,200 to 10,900

14,000 to 24,000

11,400

Toy Hauler

7,600

3,600 to 11,400

14,700 to 22,500

10,300

5th Wheel Camper

12,700

5,000 to 16,000

17,000 to 20,000

6,000

Understanding Your Trailer’s Weights

You’d think that weight would be a simple concept, but when it comes to trailers’ capacity and vehicle’s towing capacity, there are a few important terms to know.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)

This is the maximum allowable weight of a fully-loaded trailer, including liquids, passengers, cargo, and the tongue weight of any towed vehicle (most travel trailers can’t tow an additional vehicle). This is the weight you will want to know before departing on your first camping trip with your new travel trailer. It is the most a trailer can weigh in total, as determined by the trailer manufacturer.

Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR)

GCWR is the maximum weight of your vehicle with a trailer attached. This means the weight of both the tow vehicle and the trailer together. It also includes any cargo or load placed in either vehicle. 

Dry Weight or Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW)

UVW means the weight of an RV as built at the factory, by the manufacturer. It does not include the weight of the cargo, freshwater, propane gas, occupants, etc. It is the weight of the trailer with nothing extra in it, and is the weight you should know when shopping for a new travel trailer!

Tongue Weight or Hitch Weight (HW)

Also known as tongue weight, HW is the amount of weight of the trailer that is carried on the hitch. You will need to know this weight when shopping for a proper hitch. Hitches are rated both by their towing capacity and their tongue weight.

Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)

GAWR is the maximum allowable weight each axle assembly is designed to carry. This is important to know, because it’s possible to be under the GVWR and still exceed an axle rating, depending on how you load the RV with your personal cargo.

Why Trailer Weight Matters

When it comes to towing a travel trailer, why might the weight of your rig matter? Besides wear and tear on your tow vehicle, there are other important factors when it comes to the weight of your travel trailer. Overloaded and improperly loaded vehicles are more prone to rollover accidents.

The weight inside your trailer matters for the overall health of your axles, frame, and suspension. If you fill your travel trailer with heavy objects, even if your tow vehicle can handle it, it might not be the best idea for the life of your trailer. 

Keeping the weight of your travel trailer down near the lower end of your tow vehicle’s towing capacity will ensure a long life for it, especially if you’re planning to tow over many mountain passes or other strenuous drives. 

While you’re on the topic of your trailer weight, you should also think about its safety on the road, and consider installing a backup camera. Camera Source has the backup cameras and front and side cameras that make loading, hitching, hauling, and parking your vehicle and trailer safer and easier. We have the tools and equipment to help you outfit your rig with whatever you need. Get in touch with us today!

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