Weigh Safe Gooseneck Ball

[justdee]

I had never heard of this product until last week and as I have been concerned about the pin/hitch weight for my new 310RL and my GMC 3500HD, this seemed like a no-brainer. Yes, I have weighed them on both on the scales, but this seems to be more accurate and allows you to fine tune your load, as you are loading.
They ran a CYBER MONDAY special, it ends today, $215.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch-Ball/Weigh-Safe/WS27MR.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAjKu6BhAMEiwAx4UsAtoAqM03jbCtFOdFDytUCW683Ixz9laQ_jww2eYVT0ehG_CoAXfiEhoCQe8QAvD_BwE

Here is a decent video that shows how he uses it to redistribute the load.

 

[justdee]

The ball came in, I'll update once I get a chance to use it, which may not be until January when we head out on our maiden voyage to Lake Bistineau State Park.

 

[justdee]

Okay, results are in.
Alliance states the spec Hitch Weight on an empty 310RL should be 2530 lbs.

Using the Weigh Safe Gooseneck Ball, the actual weight settled at 2475 lbs.

I am pleasantly surprised by this, I was assuming it would be closer to 3000 lbs.

Now to take another look at my numbers.



Truck sticker


Truck with full tanks


Truck and Trailer on CAT Scales
Steer Axle 4960
Drive Axle 7000
Trailer Axle 10,640
GW 22,600

 

[Lantley]

I would now go to the CATY scale with RV loaded ready to cvamp and verify your weights with the gooseneck ball.

 

[justdee]

Okay, I will be calling Weigh Safe on Monday. After an hour or so, it settled down to 3350 lbs. Not good, but that's really what I had expected.

I disconnected so I could install the Timbren suspension kit, then connected again. Weight again is showing 2475 lbs. exactly, just as before.
I'll leave it connected overnight and see what it does. I wouldn't think you should have to wait an hour or more for the weight to settle before you can utilize that information to adjust your load for travel?
Side note, very happy with the Timbren bumper stops. I'll cover that on another thread and keep this one related to the Weigh Safe ball.

 

[justdee]

I checked it again at 2 hours, is settled at 2350. At three hour mark, it was still holding at that 2300/2350 mark.
I don't know, it is supposed to come 'calibrated' but I'll call on Monday.

 

[Midnight Rider]

I checked it again at 2 hours, is settled at 2350. At three hour mark, it was still holding at that 2300/2350 mark.
I don't know, it is supposed to come 'calibrated' but I'll call on Monday.

Now I am interested?

 

[justdee]

Well, here's what I've seen in the last 24 hours with the scale/gooseneck.
Yesterday around 14:30 I unhooked, then dropped the trailer again. Reading was around 2400 lbs. I checked every hour or so up until I went to bed around 22:00 hours. Still rock solid at 2400 lbs.
I didn't check again until this afternoon around 13:00 hours when we got in from church. Scale was now showing 3750 lbs.
I unhooked, then dropped the trailer again. Scale read 2500 lbs. I did add my tool box and two camp chairs back in the front storage, probably 75 - 100 lbs. total.
Here it is at 18:40 hours, over 5 hours later, and it is still reading 2500 lbs.
Again, I will be calling them tomorrow, but if we are to believe that the scale is accurate, then the hitch weight is roughly 2500 lbs. and over a long period of inactivity, the pressure bleeds off.
The only consistent reading, and that is for several hours upon adding the load to the scale, is the 2400-2500 lb. reading.

 

[justdee]

UPDATE.
It helps when you call the company and ask questions. Apparently I needed to 'jounce' the ball? She explained how to do that.
I went out and dropped the hitch, it stopped at the normal 2500 lbs. I then pulled forward about three feet and hit the brakes, then backed up and stopped quickly.
Gage now reads 3000 lbs. on the dot. This 'jouncing' ensures a correct fit and seating of the ball in the hitch.
Regarding accuracy and calibration, she stated the gage was checked before it left the facility and it is within the correct weight, plus or minus 70 lbs.
That weight (3000 lbs.) is more inline with what I was expecting. BUT, I will still run it over the scales next time I hit the road.

 

[justdee]

An update:
We left out on our first road trip, finally, on the 16th. As promised, I hit the first scales we came to.

Truck alone, with my wife and I. Bed was empty, we had nothing to put in there, it all fit in the RV.

Truck and RV loaded out with all of our gear, to include the extra cold weather gear.



Looks like I'm good on the drive axle, though not by much.
Good on the GCWR.
Good on the trailers GAWR.
But over on the trailer GVWR by 480 lbs.
That's if I did the math correctly?
Please feel free to tell me if I messed it up. I'm trying to find an online calculator to put the numbers into.

 

[BryanValRox]

An update:
We left out on our first road trip, finally, on the 16th. As promised, I hit the first scales we came to.

Truck alone, with my wife and I. Bed was empty, we had nothing to put in there, it all fit in the RV.
View attachment 3013
Truck and RV loaded out with all of our gear, to include the extra cold weather gear.
View attachment 3015
View attachment 3019
View attachment 3017
Looks like I'm good on the drive axle, though not by much.
Good on the GCWR.
Good on the trailers GAWR.
But over on the trailer GVWR by 480 lbs.
That's if I did the math correctly?
Please feel free to tell me if I messed it up. I'm trying to find an online calculator to put the numbers into.

Afternoon, hope your first trip went well !!!!!
I am courteous, did you happen to record your reading from your weigh safe gauge while you were weighing your rig?
Wondering how accurate it was in the same moment of time?

 

[justdee]

No, I didn't use it. Reason why. The hitch itself is three inches higher than the normal gooseneck ball. I should have added about four inches of blocks under the front jacks the last time I had the rig up and the front jacks raised. When I raised the RV, without the extra blocks under the front, I was terrified that the front legs were so far extended that they'd give out and my trailer would hit the ground. So, I opted not to raise it that high and mess with it this trip.
When I disconnected yesterday, I did put about four or five inches worth of blocks under the front jacks, so next time, I will feel more confident when I raise it higher for the Weigh Safe ball. The front legs will not be fully extended.
I'm a newbie, still fretting over the little things and still unsure of what is acceptable and unacceptable when it comes to the trailers capabilities. I know the last time I raised it high enough to get it over that Weigh Safe, I was sure thinking it was about maxed out and I was in a danger zone.
And the trip went great. A beautiful place to spend a week. Lake Bistineau State Park in Louisiana. No issues with the truck or trailer. Highly recommend the park.

 

[BryanValRox]

No, I didn't use it. Reason why. The hitch itself is three inches higher than the normal gooseneck ball. I should have added about four inches of blocks under the front jacks the last time I had the rig up and the front jacks raised. When I raised the RV, without the extra blocks under the front, I was terrified that the front legs were so far extended that they'd give out and my trailer would hit the ground. So, I opted not to raise it that high and mess with it this trip.
When I disconnected yesterday, I did put about four or five inches worth of blocks under the front jacks, so next time, I will feel more confident when I raise it higher for the Weigh Safe ball. The front legs will not be fully extended.
I'm a newbie, still fretting over the little things and still unsure of what is acceptable and unacceptable when it comes to the trailers capabilities. I know the last time I raised it high enough to get it over that Weigh Safe, I was sure thinking it was about maxed out and I was in a danger zone.
And the trip went great. A beautiful place to spend a week. Lake Bistineau State Park in Louisiana. No issues with the truck or trailer. Highly recommend the park.

What does the extra height of your Weight Safe do to your Clearance Height of the trailer?

 

[justdee]

It really doesn't affect it. I still have plenty of clearance going down the road. My carport has a minimum height of 14' 2" and it clears that with about 6-8 inches to spare.
Now, the first time I raised the front to get it onto the Weigh Safe, I had someone up high watching to make sure the A/C's didn't contact anything and we had plenty of room since the A/C's sit between purlins and other cross supports and lights.

 

[BryanValRox]

It really doesn't affect it. I still have plenty of clearance going down the road. My carport has a minimum height of 14' 2" and it clears that with about 6-8 inches to spare.
Now, the first time I raised the front to get it onto the Weigh Safe, I had someone up high watching to make sure the A/C's didn't contact anything and we had plenty of room since the A/C's sit between purlins and other cross supports and lights.

Thanks, my intent was to get you to think about the clearance while going down the road. (ie, bridges posted at 13 feet 6 inches. Was a bit concerned with the added height of the weigh safe and the Gen-y combo. I believe the advertised height on 310 RL is 13’ 4” with the factory hitch assembly.

 

[justdee]

And my truck squats about 2" when I drop the load on it, so that helps also. In RV LIFE PRO, which I use to calculate and plan my trips, I set the RV height as 14 ft and it displays the bridges along the path that are that high or lower.

 

[BryanValRox]

And my truck squats about 2" when I drop the load on it, so that helps also. In RV LIFE PRO, which I use to calculate and plan my trips, I set the RV height as 14 ft and it displays the bridges along the path that are that high or lower.

Great minds think a like. We use RV pro as well . I use 13’ 6” as my default. We also use the Gen-Y(love it) in addition to their offset goose ball.
We occasionally experience some difficultly getting it to release from the ball easily.
BTY, did you experience any leveling drift during your trip? Also just saw on the news that LA is experiencing blizzard conditions, sounds like your trip planning was perfect. Hope the snow isn’t impacting you to much.

 

[justdee]

Leveling drift? Don't know what that means.
I haven't had an issue with it releasing, but then again, it's still brand new and we have not used it much.
We were supposed to stay until today, but the forecast changed to add 1-3 inches of snow, so we bugged out yesterday. Then, as it turns out, somehow all the snow didn't hit until further south. Very odd, but we had cold and dry conditions on the way home, no issues at all. Better to be safe than sorry as they say.

 

[BryanValRox]

Leveling drift? Don't know what that means.
I haven't had an issue with it releasing, but then again, it's still brand new and we have not used it much.
We were supposed to stay until today, but the forecast changed to add 1-3 inches of snow, so we bugged out yesterday. Then, as it turns out, somehow all the snow didn't hit until further south. Very odd, but we had cold and dry conditions on the way home, no issues at all. Better to be safe than sorry as they say.

Regarding leveling drift, didn’t you post that your coach was drifting down as it sat in your
driveway? Was just curious if you experienced it on your trip?

 

[justdee]

Oh, that. I believe it was never level to 0.0 and 0.0. It is too cold now to check it. When it warms up, I'll go and manually set it to level using a bubble level and see what the reading is. Then keep an eye on it for a week or so, see if it moves.