In this guide, we'll discuss the formulas for calculating axle weights and show you how to use it!
Axle Weight Distribution Formulas
Here are the formulas to calculate the distribution of weight on the front and rear axles of a truck.
Weight on Front Axle
Weight on Rear Axle
Example Calculation
1. Determine the size of the wheelbase. You'll find this on your vehicle specification sheet. For this example, we'll use the wheelbase of 220 in.
2. Find the weight and center of gravity of the body. For this example, we'll use the weight of 6000 lb for the body, with a center of gravity 30 in from the rear axle. We calculate the center of gravity from the front axle to be 220 in - 30 in = 190 in.
3. Use the formula to calculate weight on the rear axle. The weight on the rear axle is 6000 x 180/220 = 5181.8 lbs.
4. Subtract the rear axle weight from the total weight to calculate the weight on the front axle. 6000 - 5480.8 = 818.2.
Universal Formulas
We've now calculated the weight distribution of a service body over 2 axles of a 4x2 rigid truck. These formulas for calculating weight distribution are the same for this setup as for figuring out the payload of a truck tractor with one or more trailers.
