We recently posted a story & video about a mobile weighing service called Weight Safe – based on the Fraser Coast in QLD.
They’re also part of a national mobile weighing service called MobileWeighbridges.com.au.
They measured Ken Wilson’s rig – you know the Truck Friendly program bloke – and gave us all a LOT of things to think about with regard to caravan and car weights.
They also wanted to make sure we all understood the difference between measuring a tow-ball weight and a jockey wheel weight and what’s the difference and why some people don’t quite understand – here’s Jason Fothergill from WeightSafe to explain…
PREFER TO READ?.... Text version here
TRANSCRIPTION:
So what we're doing is just an experiment.
The tow ball weight was 370 kilos... now a lot of people at home if they haven't got the equipment that we've got they can still measure their tow-ball weight with the spring-loaded scales that you can buy from Super Cheap or any auto store but anyone else hasn't got the capacity to accurately measure where the weight actually is.
So they measure it under their jockey wheel using something like kitchen scales.
So what we're trying to do is just show you that there is a difference between measuring under the jockey wheel and actually measuring where the weight is imposed on the vehicle via the towball.
Jason and Brendan then unhitched Ken's caravan to demonstrate how dramatically different the results can be.
After unhitching the car, they need to make sure the height is exactly the same as when it's being towed for the most accurate measurement.
The results are tallied and the difference between the weights tested on the jockey wheel compared to the tow ball are dramatically different.
The weight via the jockey wheel is 420kg and via the tow ball hitch it was 370kg so that's a 50 kilos difference which is huge! - There's more weight there because of weighing closer to the water tanks that are full as the water tanks in this case are forward of the axles.
So just a take home message for everyone... it's imperative that you measure your tow ball weight under the tow ball hitch!
