Is The Tongue Weight Scale In The Weigh Safe Pintle Hitch With Balls Actually Necessary?

Published 10/01/2025

Question:

Does the scale on the WS82ER actually help with safety, or is it more of a gimmick? Not sure if it's a necessity or not.

asked by: Steve

Expert Reply:

Steve, it’s definitely not a gimmick. The built-in scale on the # WS82ER shows you the tongue weight in real time as soon as the trailer is set on the ball or pintle. That’s huge because tongue weight should be about 10–15 of your total trailer weight. Too light and you risk sway, too heavy and you overload the rear axle. Instead of guessing or making a separate trip to a scale, you can check it right there while hooking up.

I’ve seen customers avoid serious sway issues just by redistributing cargo after checking that gauge. We had WeighSafe in at our Wentzville location awhile back and they demonstrated how big of a difference it makes to shift the cargo just a foot forward or backward.

What kind of trailers are you planning to use it with most often?

expert reply by: Andrew N