Spreadsheet for Rpod & Tow Vehicle Loading

For some of the load weights I just estimated. But this afternoon I disconnected the battery and weighted it. This dropped the weight from 55 lbs. (my estimate) to 40 lbs. actual weight. The battery box is plastic - so very light. I should have weighed that too.

One solution I've come up with (but as yet not tested) involves using a regular 250 pound bathroom scale. I can support the tongue jack on a 3 foot long 2x6 board, one end of which is supported by a block of wood on the ground, the other end supported by the scale. If the tongue jack is at the 1/2 way location on the 2x6, then the scale will read 1/2 the tongue weight. So when I get 300 pounds tongue weight, the scale will read 150 pounds. 

Has anyone come up with a better way to measure tongue weight short of getting a 350 pound capacity scale? Does my plan seem like it would work?

In any case here is the latest iteration of my loading summary:

Here's the loading plan:

Comments and suggestions would be welcome.

Jim I'm pleased you found the spreadsheet to be of use. As you have shown one can easily modify the cargo list and weights to match your own circumstances. Determining the tongue weight was easier than expected. My bathroom scale reads up to 350 lbs. So as I loaded cargo in the Rpod, the scale kept track of tongue loading, ending with 325 lbs. This is within the tow vehicle's maximum of 350 lbs. with loading being 11% of trailer weight. To get this I had to load quite a bit of cargo on the rear queen bed. Evidently the Rpod 171 is a bit heavy on the tongue. Also quite a bit of the telescope's weight was forward from the axle. Only the telescope's optical tube was on the rear bed.

On the way to my first campout the trailer was weighed at a public roadside truck scale with total weight of 3000 lbs. Also the tow vehicle weighed around 4500 lbs. with 52%/48% front-rear loading. This kept the Gross Axle Weight loading well within limits. This is all in line with what the spreadsheet had predicted. So it is a good tool to keep loads within safe limits.

Best wishes for you with your new Rpod, Jim. I have really enjoyed my new 171. First trip was by myself, so towing was a bit stressful. But the RAV4 was easily up to the job. Going from sea level crossing five 4000-foot passes was a breeze. Keeping the speed to 55 on flat grades and 50 climbing the hills helped keep the strain down on the tow vehicle. Next week my wife and I will be taking the Rpod for a weekend on the Oregon coast. While we live on the coast we'll be going further north.