Is my Jeep too heavy?

[ChasingOurTrunks]

A new way to keep track or your weight?

Very interesting technology. I'm not sure it's better than just using a truck scale, but it would be neat to know how well it works.

From their website (https://www.haulgauge.com/payload/) it looks like they use sensors to determine weight; they correctly identify that weight = force/acceleration, and they appear to use vehicle sensor readings to figure out how much force and acceleration there is, and thus they are able to solve for X.

However, it also seems to use the pitch of the vehicle on acceleration to determine payload. I don't think this will be very accurate on a properly built overland rig without some calibrating, because an aftermarket suspension system tuned to the weight of the loaded vehicle will have a very different pitch characteristic than a stock vehicle (which is what they say they based their calculations/calibrations on). That being said you CAN calibrate it to a specific vehicle, but I am curious how accurate it would be in that context. 95% accurate on stock vehicles is close enough for most people, so if they can re-create that accuracy with modded vehicles it could be a winner.

Either way, it's a very clever solution. If anyone has these available and is willing to test it, it'd be great to hear more about!

 

[dreadlocks]

dont think it'd work at all with my air suspension.. the pitch is identical with or without the trailer.. I also doubt it'd work w/any aftermarket tune since they are using manufacturer specs for calculations.

 

[Buddha.]

I want to know how it can sense the weight when he sits on the tailgate. Is it the sensors that measure for stability control? Ride height sensors? If so how much does this thing work on a '96(still OBD2) that doesn't have those sensors?

 

[dreadlocks]

its got a 3d gyro chip in it, like your phone has to detect you changing orientation.. it knows how much vehicle is behind the OBD2 port, how much its tilted, so it can figure how much it dropped and uses some magic calculations to guess how much weight it'd take to make back end drop like that.. it has no real idea what the weight is, just a fairly educated guess.

Ive got a bluetooth trailer level that kinda works in much the same way.. it knows the length and width of the trailer, I calibrated it after manual leveling.. and it can tell me down to fractions of an inch how high I need to raise each axis to reach level.. pretty nifty when your trying to level it yourself.

 

[Buddha.]

its got a 3d gyro chip in it, like your phone has to detect you changing orientation.. it knows how much vehicle is behind the OBD2 port, how much its tilted, so it can figure how much it dropped and uses some magic calculations to guess how much weight it'd take to make back end drop like that.. it has no real idea what the weight is, just a fairly educated guess.

Ive got a bluetooth trailer level that kinda works in much the same way.. it knows the length and width of the trailer, I calibrated it after manual leveling.. and it can tell me down to fractions of an inch how high I need to raise each axis to reach level.. pretty nifty when your trying to level it yourself.

Ahh, now I get it.
I'd have to calibrate it to work on my truck because it doesn't know I've got Sumo springs and the rear isn't going to drop at the same rate as stock.

 

[MattJ]

Ive got a bluetooth trailer level that kinda works in much the same way.. it knows the length and width of the trailer, I calibrated it after manual leveling.. and it can tell me down to fractions of an inch how high I need to raise each axis to reach level.. pretty nifty when your trying to level it yourself.

Can you post a link? Is it an app or separate device? Thanks!

 

[dreadlocks]

http://www.madebyjoe.net/ lil bit of both, you can use the app all alone w/just yer phone.. but that wont help you from within your truck as it'd have to be sitting on the floor of the trailer.

 

[MattJ]

I now have a wireless scale system so I can more carefully calibrate different configurations for my Jeep and trailer. Here are the results so far. The Jeep has exactly half a tank of gas, and the only cargo items are the tools and recovery equipment that live in the vehicle full time (plus two traction boards strapped to the roof for winter driving). The trailer is fully-loaded with trek equipment and 31 gallons of water, but no food or clothing. I tested the tongue weight of the trailer with the tongue at positions that are level and a few inches below-level just to see how much difference it makes. Surprisingly, not much. The tongue weight was about perfect, right in the 10-12% range. And I have plenty of capacity left on the trailer for a roof top tent, which was the other reason for my testing in the first place. JKUs have a towing capacity of only 3,500lbs.

 

[billiebob]

very cool scales ! and plenty of room for food and clothing in the trailer.

 

[MattJ]

very cool scales ! and plenty of room for food and clothing in the trailer.

Yes - I am super impressed with the scales. I didn't even read the user manual. Just popped in the batteries and everything was ready to go. No sync, no calibration, no setup needed. Plus, the whole kit comes in a really well-designed transport case with wheels and a retractable handle. Can't say enough good things about this system.

 

[Etoimos]

That is a really cool scale system and it would be fun to have, but man is it expensive! I just got my OGT Expedition 2.0 a couple of weeks ago. My JKUR was also overloaded when we went on overland trips. I'm actually going to be switching to a Gladiator once the diesel comes out. Better payload and it will pull the trailer much better up here in the mountains.

 

[Etoimos]

@MattJ I also wanted to ask you about the wheels you have on your trailer. Did you find a hub that would fit the 3500HD Axle-Less Trailer Suspension (ASR35HDS05) with a 5 on 5 bolt pattern, or are you running adapters?

 

[MattJ]

Ha! Congratulations on your OGT Expedition 2.0! The good news is that in my (humble and biased) opinion, you bought the best off-road trailer available today. I did weeks of research, and made the same decision you did. The bad news is that I'm sure you are discovering the same list of 149 items that need to be finished and outfitted after delivery. I had to spend a lot of time designing a grey water system for the sink, a bungie net for the front cargo rack, retractable curtains for the windows and the tow-vehicle battery charging wiring, to name a few. And yes, there IS a workaround for the axle hubs. I actually had custom wheels shipped to Off Grid but the solution they came up with would have been a disaster. So I figured it out on my own.

I was actually thinking I should type up my post-purchase design solutions and sell the list of all 149 items for $49.95. It's a lot of work to shop, test and assemble all of these little fixes, but they make a big difference in the field.

If you want to PM me your phone number, I'd be happy to get on the phone with you and compare notes and ideas, including the axle hubs. Once again, congrats on your purchase!

PS - I had originally intended to use the Off Grid "custom wrap" option to match my Jeep. But it quickly became apparent that they couldn't get the inkjet vinyl to match the color of my Jeep. So I just went with plain grey. Nothing worse than a failed attempt to match colors!

 

[MattJ]

By the way, I now realize I made a big mistake with my weight tests of the trailer. I forgot to put the 35" spare wheel back on! It gets mounted on the tongue. I took it off shortly after delivery of the trailer because it appeared to make the tongue weight WAY too high. Now I need to go back and check that with a new set of weight tests. Darn it.

 

[Etoimos]

I was researching and looking at off road trailers for the better part of two years. I even went to Expo West 2018 specifically to compare several of them in the flesh. In that two you stretch, my "needs" changed quite a bit. I also agree that for the "sleeper" style trailer, the OGT is the best out there.

I too was going to order a custom wrap to match the Sting Gray JT that I'm going to get, but I decided against it for a couple of reasons. First was my fear that they would not get it quite right since it is such a dynamic color and I got a really sweet deal on a dark gray one they had in stock near by. The color will be different enough so that it is not a failed matching attempt, but it will still look good with it.

And you are right, there are a lot of things to think about as far as customizing it to fit your own style of travel and camping. But all of the fundamentals are built in and done really well.