Haul Gauge for Towing

[steilkurve]

Just wondering. Anyone out there tried Haul Gauge with Model X. Considering it to measure tongue weight ahead of an upcoming travel trailer trip with my X. Asking because I could t find compatibility information on it. All thoughts welcome.

https://www.amazon.com/HAUL-GAUGE-Connector-Measures-Combined/dp/B07DQ44JFB

 

[Yinn]

Just wondering. Anyone out there tried Haul Gauge with Model X. Considering it to measure tongue weight ahead of an upcoming travel trailer trip with my X. Asking because I could t find compatibility information on it. All thoughts welcome.

https://www.amazon.com/HAUL-GAUGE-Connector-Measures-Combined/dp/B07DQ44JFB

From the FAQ:
Does HaulGauge work with airbag suspension?

The auto leveling airbags are not compatible with the payload measurement.

So it sounds like it should work with that one restriction.

Not the same product but I use a weigh safe ball for tongue weight.
https://www.amazon.com/Weigh-Safe-Wsun-3-Universal-Shell/dp/B07B4J9S9S/

Edit: just realized the Haul Gauge uses OBDII. The MX used to have one, and it didn’t operate the same way that has cars do. They also might have gotten rid of it in later models. (Model 3s dome have it at all)

 

[ewoodrick]

You can get a standard scale to often read tongue weight. There's a lot of private scales around that can measure the other weights.
Of course, weight will change with packing and people. And tongue weight will change on how you pack. It's often easy to get 0 tongue weight, but that's not what you want

 

[steilkurve]

From the FAQ:
Does HaulGauge work with airbag suspension?

The auto leveling airbags are not compatible with the payload measurement.

So it sounds like it should work with that one restriction.

Not the same product but I use a weigh safe ball for tongue weight.
https://www.amazon.com/Weigh-Safe-Wsun-3-Universal-Shell/dp/B07B4J9S9S/

Edit: just realized the Haul Gauge uses OBDII. The MX used to have one, and it didn’t operate the same way that has cars do. They also might have gotten rid of it in later models. (Model 3s dome have it at all)

Thanks. Hadn’t seen that air suspension caveat. I emailed the company, here’s what they replied:

´Interesting question! The Weigh feature will not work in the Tesla Model X because it is completely electric. The other features (tongue weight, payload, weight distribution) may work since it has an OBDII port, but we have not tried it. If you decide to try those features and for any reason they don't work, we will refund your money as part of our money-back guarantee.‘

My X is 2017 and does have the port.

Good idea on the Weigh Safe ball. Didn’t know they had it.

 

[ecarfan]

Just wondering. Anyone out there tried Haul Gauge with Model X.

Thanks, was not aware of this product.

This comment in a review on Amazon concerned me, quote: “When I took it out to calibrate, I had to find a low traffic, where I could run a series of 15mph, 50% throttle launch, 100% throttle launch, etc. Went to a road where I could pull this off, but the spinning, screeching tires at 100% throttle launch caught the attention of an officer. Told him what and why I was doing the start, stop, start, stop, etc.”

I would not do a full throttle “launch” in an X with a trailer attached, as I would be concerned about accelerating that rapidly while towing! The Haul Gauge product designers probably have no idea how quickly an X can get up to speed.

 

[ecarfan]

From the FAQ:
Does HaulGauge work with airbag suspension?

The auto leveling airbags are not compatible with the payload measurement.

”Auto leveling airbags”? What are those?

 

[Yinn]

”Auto leveling airbags”? What are those?

Air suspension = air bags. Instead of shocks and springs, our cars are handled by a unit that contains an air bladder. As the bladder fills the dampening (absorption) also changes. These are also commonly used to adjust ride height, either manually through switches and presets (high, Standard, etc.) or sometimes automatically (autoleveling) when it senses say a trailer load.

 

[Padelford]

Thanks. Hadn’t seen that air suspension caveat. I emailed the company, here’s what they replied:

´Interesting question! The Weigh feature will not work in the Tesla Model X because it is completely electric. The other features (tongue weight, payload, weight distribution) may work since it has an OBDII port, but we have not tried it. If you decide to try those features and for any reason they don't work, we will refund your money as part of our money-back guarantee.‘

My X is 2017 and does have the port.

Good idea on the Weigh Safe ball. Didn’t know they had it.

The OBDII port on an MX is there just for show. There's apparently power, ground and nothing else (no vehicle data).

 

[steilkurve]

The OBDII port on an MX is there just for show. There's apparently power, ground and nothing else (no vehicle data).

I could be wrong but I don’t believe it needs the port for a lot of data. Think it’s power mostly and picking up the VIN, which you can enter manually. Aside from that, the gyro and accelerometer are in the device itself which then connects by Bluetooth to the app that contains the smarts. Either way, I purchased one to test and will return if need be. Will report back.

 

[ecarfan]

Air suspension = air bags

Okay. I had never seen anyone post calling SAS “air bags”. Obviously, all cars have “air bags”, which is something completely different and unrelated to vehicle suspension type. So calling Tesla’s air suspension system “air bags” is I think a very poor choice of terms that leads to confusion.

 

[ecarfan]

Not the same product but I use a weigh safe ball for tongue weight.
https://www.amazon.com/Weigh-Safe-Wsun-3-Universal-Shell/dp/B07B4J9S9S/

As do I. For more information about using a Weigh Safe hitch ball on a Model X, see post #51 at Towing an Alto F1743 trailer with a Model X

 

[Yinn]

Okay. I had never seen anyone post calling SAS “air bags”. Obviously, all cars have “air bags”, which is something completely different and unrelated to vehicle suspension type. So calling Tesla’s air suspension system “air bags” is I think a very poor choice of terms that leads to confusion.

I think you’re misunderstanding or perhaps I’m not explaining well enough. All cars do not have air bags.

A typical suspension setup from the current era utilizes a metal spring (leaf or coil) and a shock absorber for dampening. While the shock has a chamber that can contain gas, sometimes liquid, and some even have air; they’re not quite an airbag or air system.

A typical strut:

Our car does not utilize those. The Model X “SAS” is an air system. (Haven’t looked into raven spec so excluding for now) so it has more components.

We have an air compressor:

That fills and air tank:

That then fills our air bag, aka air spring, as needed. The unit then acts as a balloon of sorts with the ability to compress and suspend as our suspension.

It’s really a common thing...
https://activesuspension.com/truth-about-air-bag-suspension-kits

What Is Air Bag Suspension? | RealTruck

Air suspension - Wikipedia

“Although traditionally called air bags or air bellows, the correct term is air spring”

I typically call it an air spring, but the FAQ stated air bag specifically as a reference.

Hope this helps.

**I simplified and generalized a lot. Don’t rip me apart on strut vs shocks and springs. Or magnetic and hybrid dampers, torsion springs, etc

 

[steilkurve]

The OBDII port on an MX is there just for show. There's apparently power, ground and nothing else (no vehicle data).

Got my Haul Gauge today. Plugged it in. Powered up, connected to the app and grabbed the VIN number from the port. Stopped there as it’s late but will continue tomorrow with calibration. So far, promising.

 

[NickFie]

I would not do a full throttle “launch” in an X with a trailer attached, as I would be concerned about accelerating that rapidly while towing! The Haul Gauge product designers probably have no idea how quickly an X can get up to speed.

One of my favorite drag race videos. X P90D Ludicrous tows a trailer carrying Alfa Romeo, still beats an Alfa Romeo in drag race. Finish line view shows the Alfa on the trailer crossing finish line nearly tied with the Alfa in the other lane.

Drag race about 3:21 into the video.

 

[Yinn]

One of my favorite drag race videos. X P90D Ludicrous tows a trailer carrying Alfa Romeo, still beats an Alfa Romeo in drag race. Finish line view shows the Alfa on the trailer crossing finish line nearly tied with the Alfa in the other lane.

Drag race about 3:21 into the video.

I love this video as well. While they crossed the finish line nearly tied, the one being towed didn’t start on the line

 

[Saghost]

Got my Haul Gauge today. Plugged it in. Powered up, connected to the app and grabbed the VIN number from the port. Stopped there as it’s late but will continue tomorrow with calibration. So far, promising.

Honestly, I'm surprised you were able to get that far.

OBDII regulations are mostly driven from the emissions side, so Tesla isn't required to comply with most of them, and from what I've read generally doesn't.

It seems like most of the signals the box is planning to use won't be available even if you have a good connection with the CANBus.

The air suspension maintains the car's level with loads, so the determination of tongue weight by the angle the car is sitting at is out the window.

They register force on acceleration by measuring the slip ratio of the torque converter, something else that just doesn't exist on the Tesla.

 

[steilkurve]

Honestly, I'm surprised you were able to get that far.

OBDII regulations are mostly driven from the emissions side, so Tesla isn't required to comply with most of them, and from what I've read generally doesn't.

It seems like most of the signals the box is planning to use won't be available even if you have a good connection with the CANBus.

The air suspension maintains the car's level with loads, so the determination of tongue weight by the angle the car is sitting at is out the window.

They register force on acceleration by measuring the slip ratio of the torque converter, something else that just doesn't exist on the Tesla.

So I further played with it. As Haul Gauge told me via email, I knew the weigh function wouldn’t work. However, tongue wait seems to work. I’ll have a travel trailer next week but was able to measure tongue weight with a zero reading first and then around 160 when I sat in the trunk (I’m 175). Again, I believe Haul Gauge only uses power and vin, which it got. Everything else comes from the electronics in Haul Gauge and the interaction with the app via Bluetooth. By the way, as they instruct, to weigh the tongue on vehicle, you need to turn off air suspension which I did by putting it in Jack mode. Once I have the rig, I’ll test the other features.

 

[Saghost]

So I further played with it. As Haul Gauge told me via email, I knew the weigh function wouldn’t work. However, tongue wait seems to work. I’ll have a travel trailer next week but was able to measure tongue weight with a zero reading first and then around 160 when I sat in the trunk (I’m 175). Again, I believe Haul Gauge only uses power and vin, which it got. Everything else comes from the electronics in Haul Gauge and the interaction with the app via Bluetooth. By the way, as they instruct, to weigh the tongue on vehicle, you need to turn off air suspension which I did by putting it in Jack mode. Once I have the rig, I’ll test the other features.

Jack mode might let you get a valid tongue weight, at that. It'll be interesting to see how much of the rest is functional - my comments above were based on their description of the functions they used, but there may be more options than they described in a couple paragraphs on Amazon.

 

[ecarfan]

Obviously, all cars have “air bags”, which is something completely different and unrelated to vehicle suspension type.

I think you’re misunderstanding or perhaps I’m not explaining well enough. All cars do not have air bags.

Perhaps we are both misunderstanding each other. Here is what I mean by “air bags”, a commonly used term referring to a now standard safety feature on all cars. I have never heard a vehicle air suspension system called an “air bag”.

 

[Saghost]

Perhaps we are both misunderstanding each other. Here is what I mean by “air bags”, a commonly used term referring to a now standard safety feature on all cars. I have never heard a vehicle air suspension system called an “air bag”.
View attachment 435480

That is indeed an air bag.

A rubber bladder inflated in the middle of a leaf spring to allow the adjustment of a heavy truck suspension is also called an air bag, and sometimes that has been expanded to describe other sorts of pneumatically adjustable suspensions for which it is less obviously applicable.