Weighing the RV the easy way with the Weigh my Truck App | How and why to weigh your RV or Motorhome

In this video we talk about weighing our RV. We take it to a CAT scale and show you how simple it is to use the weigh my Truck app to get a weight on your trailer or motorhome.
Read The Article About Why This Is Important: www.mortonsonthemove.com/rv-w...
We wanted to get a base weight on our Truck and RV full of everything before adding solar and getting rid of a few things. Weighing your RV is important so you know that you are within your weight limits and are safe on the road. Weigh stations on the highway are not for personal vehicles and you should not pull into them with your RV. If you want to know your weight go to a private scale to get weighed. You can find many scales that will weigh you at landfills, sand and gravel places, or the easiest are usually truck stops. In this video we are using a CAT scale and the weigh my truck app.
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We are the Mortons On The Move and we live full-time in our fifth-wheel RV and travel the country. We blog, vlog, and share our journey on social media. We'd love for you to join us!
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[@stevekelliking9541]

Happiness is... another mortons on the move vlog! GREAT JOB as always, Thanks for sharing this.

[@rolloverriderpgr]

Best app I found as a trucker! That waste of time parking and going into the store is a PITA and costs us time off the log book. NOW LISTEN to him @ 1:25 as that is very important to RVs! Those overweight tickets and yes RVs CAN be given overweight tickets are very expensive! Trust me! The ONLY OW ticket I got in 34 years of trucking was for being 385 pounds over on an axle. The cost was over $500! As a trucker and RVer I know the importance of those axle and gross weights! That was an expensive lesson! The BEST way to know what your weight is: Have all the supplies and people you plan to have with you in your class A, B or C RVs, fill up with water and fuel to the BRIM, the black and grey tanks??? I actually let them get filled up one time and then filled with fuel, water and supplies and toys, then weighed, then for an additional $1.50 go dump and reweigh which will actually give you more information on how those weights add and get distributed on the axles. Poo and grey water sure does weigh more than water! 35 gallons of poo and stuff? Lets just say 493 pounds for both tanks that day! Don't think the DOT can't pull you over after running across a WIM (Weigh in motion) scale which you see about a mile from the scales with a pole next to the road with more sensors on it? They can for several reasons. That's the first part of a DOT scale at work. It reads the PrePass device you can see in many trucks stuck to the windshield. BUT that's not the only thing it does. It also gets your speed, your following distance which many truckers can't remember and if to close to the guy in front they get to visit the scale. Some of the newer scales take pictures of the truck and driver and the DOT numbers on the truck at the pole and WIM section. If pulled into a scale just follow the lighted arrows and have fun! But knowing those weights and then comparing them to that sticker in the door of the RV or the manual for all your axle and gross weights is one of the most important things you can know about your rig! You save money in fines and gas mileage, you prevent overweight damages to the suspension and tires, and your ride after getting the axles below their gross will be smoother by moving things around in the RV to "balance" it out. Also know your height and width for those low bridges such as the 11'8" bridge I know we have all watched on YT! Blue Sky's and Safe Journeys!

[@SSandtheRVCats]

Great to see a new video from you two! I love how informative your videos are. You have a way of giving the facts that I really like.

[@sykesc2]

Thanks so much for this info! Getting weights has always been a pain. We went and tried the Weigh My Truck today and it was amazingly easy!! This will make our life so much easier in the future! Thanks again and safe travels. :D

[@rodneymathews5885]

Thanks for showing how easy this is. I just downloaded and created my account so I'm all set. Safe travels!

[@tjf1531]

Just completed my first time doing this and followed your instructions and was easy experience. Thank you

[@jamessommers6608]

Thanks for posting this! Downloaded the app and got weighed today. Couldn't have been any easier. Comforting to know we're within our limits too.

[@DnSAdventures]

Awesome advice as usual! Going to have to give that app a try, thanks for sharing!

[@DuetJustusFam]

Awesome info guys! Thank you! We’ve tried quite a few times to weigh the RV but haven’t really found anyone helpful enough to let us in on how it’s done. We tried to go to one of those weigh stations on the highway once but couldn’t really decipher it. I’m pretty sure we were around 9,800 lbs if we read it right but again, it was all very confusing. I think we’re going to have to get it done before we head out on our next full time trip. Much appreciated!

[@stormpodorg9729]

Very nice. Makes it so easy.

[@TravelingRobert]

Thant's good to know that there is an app. Thank you!

[@camelothis]

Very helpful, thanks very much.

[@yambor44]

Perfect! Thank you.

[@DanJen]

Thanks for that. Going in, paying at the weigh counter and all that is a pain. Didn't know the app made it so simple. Going to download it now.

[@MortonsontheMove]

Dan & Jen Nevada yea that's primarily why we mad the video. It's sooo much better and seems to work great.

[@TheBackRoads1]

Thanks for the info! Always wondered if I could use that for personal weighs.

[@stevefloydmusic4life]

Wow! This is a great help. I had no idea. I have a CAT scale a few miles from my house. I can finally get a ‘real’ weight. Can’t wait to see how close my numbers are🤙. Thank you!!

[@MortonsontheMove]

Glad it was helpful!

[@joefriday950]

Great video. Thanks

[@JodysJourney]

Great info. Thanks!

[@magprob]

Great info. Thanks

[@WheelingwiththeWheelers]

Thanks very helpful...

[@LetsRVtv]

That was great. I always wondered how the app worked.

[@takayama1638]

Another solar video, good!! I'll get that Cat scale app...

[@curtisandelaine4197]

Go Mortons!

[@Windkisssed]

That was PERFECT!!!! It was exactly the information I was looking for!! Particularly the tip about using the app! You description was very informative - accurate terminology. Thank you very much for taking the time to put this together. Lauri

[@grandlakephil]

Good job Tom. I’m a truck driver and do this several times a week. See ya on the DRV Owners Group

[@spressne1]

Awesome video, great help - this will help us newbies be safe with our camper!

[@APHATMOUSE]

This is an excellent tip\video!

[@MortonsontheMove]

Thank you!

[@PaddyWagonTravels]

Great video guys! This was very helpful. Thank you.

[@robertboener]

Nice rig...

[@pcrose5163]

Tom and Cait, I tried to search your channel for a video on payload without success. Have you done one on tow vehicle (tv) payload? If not would you please? We plan to upgrade our tv. We found we cannot rely on manufacturer specifications. We run payload calculations and find we need to lose a lot of weight. Our search has us looking at door stickers and VINs, but even then we have learned those can be unreliable. We may have the salesman let us take the tv to a scale to be sure the quoted numbers are correct. I know you are busy and about to get busier with RV Nomads, but you have earned our trust with technical mechanical aspects of RV life.

[@weezerfan999]

You’re right about the commercial vehicle aspect, I drive a semi for a living, another place that has more sensitive scales for lighter trucks and campers if you are in the Midwest. Grain fillers, Midwest people are nice and usually will let you use their scale. Most gas station can tell you where they are.

[@MortonsontheMove]

Ahh yes I forgot about grain elevators !

[@orange281gt]

I know it's an old video, but to possibly prevent someone from being confused. Front axle is steer axle, and rear axle is drive. In the vid you call the front the drive axle as well. That is false, unless you are in 4wd all the time.

[@pcrose5163]

Tom and Cait, I tried to search your channel for a video on payload without success. Have you done one on tow vehicle (tv) payload? If not would you please? We plan to upgrade our tv. We found we cannot rely on manufacturer specifications. We run payload calculations and find we need to lose a lot of weight. Our search has us looking at door stickers and VINs, but even then we have found those can be off by as much as 500 pounds or your entire tongue weight. We may have the salesman let us take the tv to a scale to be sure the quoted numbers are correct. I know you are busy and about to get busier with RV Nomads, but you have earned our trust with technical mechanical aspects of RV life.

[@donmeyer1621]

I am on a scale every day! 154,000 gross 57,000 empty...Happy Thanksgiving!!

[@keving530]

GreT video. Curious how much fresh water you travel with?

[@patbullard9276]

A couple of days ago I watched a video that tried to make the point that it was a bad idea to use the cat scales and suggested that the only way for an RV to weigh was the one done by the Escapees RV club. But my thinking is that I’ve never been around anywhere that this was offered and it’s better to at least use the cat scales for just the reasons that you have stated. Thanks for your video. I have been using the cat scales and it’s better to have that information than none, and be traveling seriously overloaded.

[@MortonsontheMove]

Thanks for watching! We've never had an issue weighing at weigh stations. We go into more detail about RV weight on our blog as well: mortonsonthemove.com/rv-weight/

[@takeitallin6882]

Tom, like you guys (normally) we have a 5th wheel. I've never weighed my rig before. Can you explain the "weigh/reweigh" process? Thx and safe travels with ther truck camper. bg

[@JeffinTD]

If you just got a weight, and find you are overloaded and move axles or load, you can go over the same scale again at a lower cost (like $2). Not sure what the time limit is.

[@fasteddie51]

So, the GVWR is the weight of the trailer while attached to the tow vehicle and not the trailer on a scale by itself. I’ve done both and I can assure the trailer on a scale by itself is way more. I’m trying to find the legal definition and correct method of determining GVWR. Thanks for all of your great videos. Loved the going North series.

[@MortonsontheMove]

GVWR applies to both the vehicle and trailer, they each have their own. GCWR (gross combined weight) is the weight of the vehicle and its trailer. Dont drop a trailer on the scale, but you can drop the trailer elsewhere and reweigh the vehicle alone to get the two weights .

[@sherylshupel]

can you use the app to go and get a second weigh--one without your trailer attached, so you can determine the tongue weight?

[@mannygomez7208]

Sheryl Shupel m e 0 w z z z z

[@gachitadamunga2403]

You should drive on the scale at about half the speed that he is driving in the video. Some scale operators WILL chew you out for not hitting the scale at walk speed.

[@rogerballard3587]

In Sacramento, there's the 49er truck stop. $11 for private weigh. Very handy.. And I did notice a roll up Tonneau cover on your truck. Do you like it? What brand? I'm looking to get one .

[@MortonsontheMove]

Truxedo, just a basic one but 3 years later its holding up great and still waterproof!

[@katiesbluesi]

Roger Ballard. Thank for the 49er info. I'm in sac and need to weigh my truck today. And didnt really know where to look. It's just 15 min away from me.

[@rollinwiththelynchs1782]

So I am clear, even though it's all hooked up. The 3rd plate weight is what the weight of the trailer is?

[@MortonsontheMove]

Its what the weight of the trailer axles are, you would have to know the weight of the truck to figure out the whole trailer weight and you can do that with a second weigh, drop the trailer and just weigh the truck.

[@kitchensalive]

I think what is most, commonly, overlooked is the weight on the drive axle. People with bumper pull campers should pay close attention to this. Especially in a 1/2 ton. 700 lbs tongue weight, a bunch of stuff in the bed and a full cab of people can easily put most 1/2 tons over the payload of the truck not to mention over The limits of the drive axle.

[@MortonsontheMove]

Yes this is very true,axle weights are actually more important than GVWR because they are a physical limit.

[@PlaneSaddles]

What are your truck and camper's individual GVWR? Also some livestock feed stores have scales.

[@MortonsontheMove]

Matt Hillman 26k GCW on the truck. 17k GVW on trailer.

[@PlaneSaddles]

Mortons on the Move if you don't be have a class A license be careful in Texas, DPS adds the GVWR of the truck and trailer together to determine which side of 26k applies to you despite what the actual weight is. Driving a 3/4 ton with 10k GVWR and an empty flatbed rated at 20k with a class C or B can still be ticketed for driving without a license.

[@nonrevhogan8938]

So with the app on did they know inside not too bother starting to ask you questions. Like like knew you were using app when pulling on?

[@TheSOHO92]

The scale is technically owned by CAT, if im not mistaken. They do make some money when their staff operates the scales, but not much. They operate them as a loss leader. Like someone stops to weigh, fuel, and grab a bite to eat. Kinda like how business and malls have those free EV vehicle chargers. Even if the customer comes in and buys very little, it costs them pennies in electricity at commercial rates, and they make money on the sale. It's also possible that Cat may even pay them to have the scale on their property. Ever wonder why you can park in private lots for free for 30 minutes, especially when you get your parking validated at a local business? The businesses and the parking lot have a profit sharing contract.

[@ChristinaColoradoan]

Curious about side to side, i.e. balance info-is this info an option?

[@MortonsontheMove]

Christina Coloradoan not with most scales, escapees does the "smart weigh" to weigh each wheel but that's only at their rally's and campgrounds i think. Not sure where else you could get that done.

[@rolloverriderpgr]

About the only way to get "side to side" weights are: Find a DOT officer that has portable scales with him and ask his IF he would weigh you OR go to the Cat or any Grain scale and pull off to the side of the platform with only one side on the scale. You'll see how to do it as some have trucks parked next to it but you can still get the problem side on. Just remember it's $11.50 first weigh and $1.50 for each reweigh at Cat scales and every darn scale nationwide follows their lead! Blue Sky's and Safe Journeys!

[@LibertyRoots]

Is there an app or website to use to get the pin weight and actual camper weight and not just the combined weight?

[@MortonsontheMove]

Haul guage estimates it... But you can get it by doing a second weigh of just the truck and do the math.

[@TrzCharlie]

Great information. Except, I cannot locate that app on the play store? I will continue looking and thanks for this, I need to weigh my motor home.

[@MortonsontheMove]

Really? I just searched for it in the play store and apple app store and easily found it. Search for "Weigh My Truck"

[@jamessommers6608]

Trz Charlie Here ya go.... play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.catscale.weighmytruck

[@RussG]

Good video as far as it goes, but isn't one aspect missing? People towing a 5th wheel RV need to know how much just the RV weighs by itself which cannot be determined when it is hitched to a pickup because you don't know how much weight of the RV is on the kingpin and hitch in the truck. So, a second weighing of just the truck itself needs to be made. Then you can compare the weight on the drive axle of the truck from the two weighings. The difference should be added to the weight of the RV from the first weighing in order to determine the total weight of the RV. Do I have that right?

[@MortonsontheMove]

Yes that would get you the RVs weight on its own. It is important to know the RVs weight so your within it's rating,but most importantly is the GCWR and axle weights which you can get in one weigh.

[@t4rfl]

what if you just want to know the weight of your trailer, would that be the trailer axle?

[@MortonsontheMove]

You need to do 2 weighs. One with the trailer and one with just the truck. Then you can figure the trailer and pin weights.

[@zraybroske2416]

Those weights are not important. What’s important is the axles ratings.

[@jonfarrell9053]

Do you have to have a CDL with that weight?

[@MortonsontheMove]

Depends on the state, it's kinda weird but most states allow RVs go be over the CDL limits without requirements. That's how it is our state FL.

[@jenniferappleton4944]

So with the app, you don’t have to speak to an attendant?

[@phishtacosfishingandstuff2677]

You should how shown how the axles were set on the scales, instead of just saying it too fast.

[@michaelsimi2397]

How do you get your pin weight? Or in my case a tongue weight? Just unhook and pull forward?

[@zraybroske2416]

You don’t need pin weight, you need to know how much weight is on your front truck axle, rear truck axle, and how much is on your trailer axles. If you are within the guidelines for truck and RV, you are safe.

[@chartle1]

Ok confused at 0:52 you say trucks scales are not for you go to landfills and the like and then at 2:10 you pull onto a truck scale. Are you saying don't use scales at a truck stop?

[@KJ-xx6xr]

He was talking about "weigh stations" and "port of entry"(wyoming lingo on that one) where its Commercial Vehicles only, you see those nifty signs on freeways and other roads that tell you commercial vehicles grossing XXXXXXlbs must go in if light flashing or on unless Prepass. That's what he's talking about first. Truck stops/Travel centers anyone can use the CAT scales, and should if you tow anything.

[@brandonj.williams4661]

One thing that was misleading is some highway scales will say like all vehicles over 8 ton must weigh. Commercial or not if it's open better go into weigh station

[@MortonsontheMove]

I have yet to see any RV pull into a commercial weigh station. We have set off many "Truck must weigh" lights and have never pulled off, probably happened 10 times and no cop has ever come after us and have not gotten any fines. If you are not commercial don't stop. If you are pulling as a commercial vehicle tho (dot registerd transport) then you should

[@brandonj.williams4661]

Mortons on the Move most people don't know to pull on to one. Just like if you rent a u haul that has dot number and don't. Dot can stop and weigh any vehicle commercial or not. Just to be sure not over loaded.

[@keithallen3119]

In Maryland on I-70 just outside Baltimore the weigh station sign clearly says ALL VEHICLES OVER 5 TONS MUST BE WEIGHED. I drive that route a lot and have seen the troopers pull over Motorhome Class A and C/Super C RV's for passing that station. Maybe they got off with a warning but better safe to stop and weigh.

[@brianbiggar144]

The way RVs are built and loaded out by their owners... each tire position on the RV should be weighed separately (ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE CLOSE TO AXLE RATINGS) A CAT Scale ticket will only report the total trailer weight being carried on your trailer axles. You could be under on axle weight but over on one side. The CAT scale does not know this. A 7,000lb axle rating does not mean 7000lbs on each axle end,. If, say, you loaded 4500lbs on one side and 2500 on the other, (yes that's extreme and is only demonstration) you would be 7000lbs legal but 1000lbs overloaded on the side with 4500lbs on it. You will kill bearings, tires and suspension components that way.

[@mruofacat]

I have read over and over about getting weights for Left Front, Right Front, Left Rear, Right Rear so you know what your tire pressures should be. I have never actually seen a scale that can do this. You can see from the video that CAT scales have a portal you must pull through.

[@zraybroske2416]

Mruofacat Your truck has a towing tire pressure recommendation. Follow that guideline.

[@michael712020]

I thought you said that you was weighing and RV? Not a Truck and Camper

[@LibertyRoots]

Michael Freeling a fifth wheel IS an RV.

[@zraybroske2416]

Recreational Vehicle. 5th wheel, class A, travel trailer. All RV’s.

[@deeohgee4574]

BS..most truck stops are just fine weighing your rv and tow vehicle. You WILL NOT be allowed to do is get a tongue weight, as that involves disconnecting the trailer. All your axle weights will show on the printout, costs about $10. This truck driver has waited for plenty of private vehicle weighs.

[@MortonsontheMove]

True, but in our travels we had 2 truck stops not wanting to weigh us, maybe that has changed but we just use the app now.

[@Monkeywrench542]

Just so you know, some states require that you pull into a weigh station if you are pulling a trailer of any type.

[@StartVisit]

Useless 😮