trailer weight

lostinwmbg

Cadet
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Messages
11
Hi folks. Need some advice. I'm trying to register my boat trailer with the DMV. They want to know the empty and gross weight of the trailer. It's a home made trailer just big enough for my ten foot plastic john boat. Do I really need to get this thing weighed? Can I just make up some numbers? I can't take it on the road (to a scale) until i get it registered. Thanks all.
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: trailer weight

Most bathroom scales read well over 200 pounds. Put one wheel on the scale, then the other, then the tongue. Add the three and you have the empty weight. For gross weight, you use the lesser number of 1) spring rate, 2) tires maximum capacity, or spindle capacity. The weakest link is the gross trailer weight (trailer weight, boat, motor, gear, battery and gas). Unless you used peanut butter for the frame, the spindles will be either 1-inch, 1-1/16 inch or 1-1/16x1-3/8. So those would provide 1500, 2200 or 3500 pounds. Tires have the load capacity on the side wall. Springs are all over the map but 1000, 1700, 2000, 3500 are common.
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,465
Re: trailer weight

They want to know the empty and gross weight of the trailer.

Ayuh,... It depends on Where you call Home....

Here in NYS, they want a Weight Slip of the tare weight...
Registering homemade trailers, I've gone to a scale,+ put just 1 or 2 tires of my truck on the scale, just to get a Slip that states the amount I need...
NYS registers my trailer,...
Their Happy,+ I'm Happy too...
 
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