Caravan weight scales

revemike · Senior Member

Caravan weight scales

Ron-D · Guru

I would like to have a set but $300 dollars your better off taking it to a weigh bridge...

CC Bear · Senior Member

Yes can go over a lot of weigh bridges for that price

revemike · Senior Member

Ron-D and CC Bear, I certainly take your point regarding the cost and the fact that it would be cheaper to use a weigh bridge. I still think the convenience of having one may still convince me to take a good look at one.

macka17 · Guru

Hmm.
Local dump scales are NORMALLY free.
You'd get a lot of them too for $300.

2weis · Senior Member

if you read the instructions on how to use the scales you will find they are not "just put on the ground and run over them"
I have read of people having to make a frame for them
they cant be used on gravel type surface properly
tou cant get ball weight (from memory)
if you read some of the reviews and are prepared to make the frames etc they can come in handy
but once you have done your weights and worked out where to move items then redo your weights
I think the will sit in the corner of the garage or van and only be used for a neighbour or friend
brian

revemike · Senior Member

2weis wrote:
if you read the instructions on how to use the scales you will find they are not "just put on the ground and run over them"
I have read of people having to make a frame for them
they cant be used on gravel type surface properly
tou cant get ball weight (from memory)
if you read some of the reviews and are prepared to make the frames etc they can come in handy
but once you have done your weights and worked out where to move items then redo your weights
I think the will sit in the corner of the garage or van and only be used for a neighbour or friend
brian

You may well be right Brian. If I do purchase the unit I will certainly be building the jig that a member of a different Forum posted. (edit: image removed to avoid confusion and incorrect use)

I have several friends with caravans so it may well be a case of others getting use out of it too. If it helps them to make sure they are not overloaded (or incorrectly loaded) then I will be happy.

I must admit that I am a bit paranoid over weight of van and tug.

-- Edited by revemike on Monday 16th of January 2017 01:39:27 PM

revemike · Senior Member

macka17 wrote:
Hmm.
Local dump scales are NORMALLY free.
You'd get a lot of them too for $300.

sadly, the one that is close to me is not free. The last time I took a van to have it weighed it cost me $$$$$$

mr glassies · Guru

They work gr8 I got a set

Dibs

mr glassies · Guru

If you got. Awheel and run it over that jig you would see yourself getting the wrong reading the timber needs to be at least 50 ml away from the sides of the scales .

Dibs

revemike · Senior Member

mr glassies wrote:
If you got. Awheel and run it over that jig you would see yourself getting the wrong reading the timber needs to be at least 50 ml away from the sides of the scales .

Dibs

Hi Dibs,

Thanks for the comments. I have just spent 20 mins on the phone with Steve from Sunbusters. He said the same. He suggested using two cut down fence palings on either side of the scale. He said that this prevented the scales from sliding and giving an incorrect reading. I have now placed my order (yes, I realise that it is cheaper to go to a weigh bridge smile smile but the convenience of this unit is an attraction to me).

I would be interested in hearing about your technique in using them and if you record your results in a log book.

Mobi Condo · Guru

Hm! Very interesting & thankyou for the post.

Would like to go ahead & will look at the funds.

My concern is that I am very careful with weights and the detailed inventory we keep, BUT should I get it wrong then between home and the weigh bridge I am still stung - hence a home weigh is preferable.

revemike · Senior Member

Mobi Condo wrote:
Hm! Very interesting & thankyou for the post.

Would like to go ahead & will look at the funds.

My concern is that I am very careful with weights and the detailed inventory we keep, BUT should I get it wrong then between home and the weigh bridge I am still stung - hence a home weigh is preferable.

I agree. It is the convenience of this device that is the main attraction to me. Remember though, you need a firm base to measure weight.

macka17 · Guru

Gawd.
I just wish people wouldn't always load to the hilt.
Then have to worry about getting picked for overloading.

WITH NO INSURANCE COVER BECAUSE OF..

Just remember. if you have accident. and you done for overweight.
Cops get you for several things.
Plus YOU have to pay all of other persons damage.
As well as your own.. etc. (Could financially break you)

Most if not all would have a minimum of 20% truly.

ALL unused..

Stuff they've never. HONESTLY used if they checked.
"One of these days". 'Maybe'. "Just in case".

If everybody was to "just once"
Empty out of their van\car.
All the stuff that's in there now.
AND NEVER BEEN USED. Then weigh
eweigh yourself.

I'd bet that a lot would be nicely under limits..

Unfortunately.. It'll never happen. WHY. Mainly...

The Woman... She always wants everything with her.
Regardless.
I've gone round the world on a 2 months trip with a shoulder bag
and passport. at 70 yrs old.

And round Aust on a dirt bike with w'proof sailbag on rear pannier.
and a 8x5 tarp. For 6 months. (A little younger)

When WE go.
It's 2 full sized cases. BULGING. with two carry ons. Her bag. And I normally get stuck with another one too.
And that's before we start buying presents\souvenirs

They have a LOT to answer for. for the pleasure? they give us.
(I think)

revemike · Senior Member

macka17 wrote:
Gawd.
I just wish people wouldn't always load to the hilt.
Then have to worry about getting picked for overloading.

WITH NO INSURANCE COVER BECAUSE OF..

Just remember. if you have accident. and you done for overweight.
Cops get you for several things.
Plus YOU have to pay all of other persons damage.
As well as your own.. etc. (Could financially break you)
__________________________________________________________________________

This is precisely why I am interested in this scale. I am VERY careful about what I have in my van. I seldom take full tanks of water with me and pots and pans and food are at a bare minimum. I do not take things like my beloved coffee machine or other such items. This scale (I hope) will tell me more precisely then a guestamate) what the actual van weight is.

I do all I can to keep 'legal' HOWEVER, the problem most of us have is one that we have little control over and that is the crazy way vans are weighed for compliance plates.
For example: the tare weight on my van's compliance plate is 1928kg., however, the tare weight on my initial registration certificate that was on the van when I picked it up from the dealer has a tare of 2336kg - this is clear evidence that the factory tare is way below what it in in reality (it must have been weighed before gas bottles, some water, spare tyre, and who knows what else were added).
Manufacturers HAVE to get real and and give us correct weights to work with.
If the rego tare is correct (and I have no cause to doubt it) then I am screwed before I even start. By this I mean, compliance plate tare plus my allowed payload of 300kg equals 2228kg - this is just a little less than the tare weight on the rego sticker so in reality I can only add around 100kg of items to the van I took delivery of. This is frustrating, to say the least!!!
I am basing my weight calculation on the tare on the compliance plate and adding my allowed 300kg although I really don't know what the powers that be would say if I were pulled over and weighed... would they use the compliance plate or the rego tare as the base weight of my van?

wasn_me · Guru

Once you're on the road the only figure that matters is your ATM on the compliance plate. Yours is plated at 2610kg. Once you've added gas, water, clothes or tucker you can't measure the TARE any more. Cheers Pete

revemike · Senior Member

wasn_me wrote:
Once you're on the road the only figure that matters is your ATM on the compliance plate. Yours is plated at 2610kg. Once you've added gas, water, clothes or tucker you can't measure the TARE any more. Cheers Pete

Thanks.

macka17 · Guru

If you go to MFG's.

That "axle group rating is "2500"
Add that to drawbar and that's your gross combined.

If you a Tandem. and have 10in hubs on brakes.
2500 is limit. you need the 12in brakes and more robust tubing to update.
(Federal law I believe)

It'd be against ALL laws to plate any veh\trailer. for MORE than it's axle\s rating.

THAT... Is "normally" stamped on main beam somewhere.

Simplicity is stamped on outside of Spring rocker plate.
R\H side outside, of van from memory. (had 3 of 'em)

That plate says you can go from 1928. to 2670.
Minus the 170 drawbar. = 572 internal load max.
But neither you, nor anybody else can go past that 2500 Axle.
without a LOT of engineering. rebuilding and fresh cert's.

They "sometimes" put 3200 chassis on top of 2500 susp. BUT not often.

They all rated. chassis. susp, rims. tyres. Drawbar. and ball sizes.

And have All to be mated together to suit whatever.

I'd be shush about the rego Tare. That gives you less carrying cap.
(my last one was 1927 plated. actually, over scales. 2247 shhhh.)
Luckily 3200 chassis.
So I paid for 3500 susp and got replated 3200 (chassis max).

YOU need to go to weightbridge.
With completely EMPTY van. Water. gas bottles HWS tank, Annexe?.
and put over scales.Pots, pans everything

Subtract est, weight of roll out
And that'll give you actual tare.

Then reload all.
Plus what YOU going to take, BUT water tanks empty
You can fill at other end.Just a coupla water bottles in car for brewing.

Reweigh at scales.
then figure out if you have the right van or the wrong load\tug.

That 2.5 ton puts you at MAX end of most utes. and looking at Patrols
Toyota's,
From Safety point of view.

And Insurance "unfriendly" if things go whoopsy.

ANYTHING mismatched. weight wise. or overloaded. YOUR back pocket pays for any consequences.

A lot don't YET seem to realise that.
But it's coming...

gazbee · Member

what is this jig you refer to for the scale to work properly ? is there a link ? must say it is frustrating to get it to weigh consistently

revemike · Senior Member

gazbee wrote:
what is this jig you refer to for the scale to work properly ? is there a link ? must say it is frustrating to get it to weigh consistently

The jig I mentioned is not suitable (I have been told this by the distributor). He recommended two pieces of fence paling placed either side of the scale for the wheel to run up on and thereby reducing the likelihood of the scale sliding along the ground. I am yet to receive my scales so I have not yet tried this.

gazbee · Member

thanks for that , will have a play on weekend

revemike · Senior Member

gazbee wrote:
thanks for that , will have a play on weekend

I will be interested in hearing how you get on. I too will be experimenting as I hope to have my set by the end of the week

Ubif · Veteran Member

I did Buy one of these followed the instructions and tried them a couple of times
found to be within 20 odd kg each time.
I use mine not to prove I am legal but to give me an idea of where I stand.
if my readings are way above ATM then I look at it again
to me a little peace of mind. Money spent on van / car/additions helps
me sleep easy.
regards Mark

revemike · Senior Member

Ubif wrote:
I did Buy one of these followed the instructions and tried them a couple of times
found to be within 20 odd kg each time.
I use mine not to prove I am legal but to give me an idea of where I stand.
if my readings are way above ATM then I look at it again
to me a little peace of mind. Money spent on van / car/additions helps
me sleep easy.
regards Mark

thanks for your input Mark. This sounds like a very good use of the product.

PeterD · Guru

revemike wrote:
gazbee wrote:
what is this jig you refer to for the scale to work properly ? is there a link ? must say it is frustrating to get it to weigh consistently
The jig I mentioned is not suitable (I have been told this by the distributor). He recommended two pieces of fence paling placed either side of the scale for the wheel to run up on and thereby reducing the likelihood of the scale sliding along the ground. I am yet to receive my scales so I have not yet tried this.

Go to this page and download the two tests of the product. They explain what goes on with the weighing variations.

revemike · Senior Member

PeterD wrote:
revemike wrote:
gazbee wrote:
what is this jig you refer to for the scale to work properly ? is there a link ? must say it is frustrating to get it to weigh consistently
The jig I mentioned is not suitable (I have been told this by the distributor). He recommended two pieces of fence paling placed either side of the scale for the wheel to run up on and thereby reducing the likelihood of the scale sliding along the ground. I am yet to receive my scales so I have not yet tried this.
Go to this page and download the two tests of the product. They explain what goes on with the weighing variations.

Thanks. I have downloaded both and will read. The delivery company used by the distributor let us down and the item did not arrive as expected. I contacted Steve and he rang me within an hour of my email to say that the item was sitting in a delivery van and had failed to be delivered. Hopefully Monday....

-- Edited by revemike on Saturday 21st of January 2017 10:31:14 AM

gazbee · Member

my driveway is pebbled concrete and appears to be the reason for inconsistent readings - I have sheets of treated timber big enough to handle rolling a tandem across so with a bit of mucking around I am now getting consistent readings - my next step to run it down to a weighbridge and compare for accuracy.

revemike · Senior Member

gazbee wrote:
my driveway is pebbled concrete and appears to be the reason for inconsistent readings - I have sheets of treated timber big enough to handle rolling a tandem across so with a bit of mucking around I am now getting consistent readings - my next step to run it down to a weighbridge and compare for accuracy.

excellent.

Mine arrived unannounced on my front door step on Saturday night around 8.PM. After failing to receive the goods by Friday evening I sent an email to the distributor. This was not to complain about his services but just to let him know that the couriers he uses are not doing the right thing by him. After investigating the matter he found that the item was sitting in a delivery van where it had been since Wednesday. He was NOT happy and contacted the courier and it seems he got through to them. Tracking information confirmed that it was in fact in the van and ready for delivery on Wednesday. There was no time where we were home and even if there had been they would have left a 'failed to deliver' card. No, it was just poor service....

After all that... I now have it and have made a few test runs with it. So far so good. I plan to do some more trials when it cools down outside and I catch up on a backlog of work....