Ford TOURNEO CONNECT, Owner'S Manual

Page: 277 / 437

trailer. This could lead to faults in the en-
tire vehicle electronics system and could
also cause accidents and serious injuries.
·
All work on the electrical system should
be carried out by a correspondingly
qualified workshop.
·
Never connect the trailer’s electrical
system directly to the electrical con-
nections of the towing vehicle’s tail
light clusters or to other power sources.
WARNING
Contact between the pins in the trailer
socket can lead to short circuits, over-
loading of the electrical system and fail-
ure of the lighting system, thereby causing
accidents and serious injuries.
·
Never connect the pins in the trailer
socket to one another.
·
Have any bent pins repaired by a corre-
spondingly
qualified workshop.
NOTICE
If you park the trailer using the support
wheel or other trailer supports, disconnect
the trailer from the vehicle. The vehicle
could move up and down if the load
changes or if there is damage to the tyres,
for example. If this happens, a great deal of
force will be exerted on the towing bracket
and trailer, which could lead to damage to
the vehicle and trailer.
If there is a fault in the vehicle or trail-
er electrical systems, or if there is
a fault in the anti-theft alarm, have the ve-
hicle checked by a correspondingly quali-
fied workshop.
If the engine is not running and electri-
cal equipment is switched on in the
trailer via the trailer socket, the 12-volt vehi-
cle battery will discharge.
If the 12-volt vehicle battery charge
level is low, the electrical connection
to the trailer will be interrupted automati-
cally.
Loading the trailer
Please refer to and at the start
of the chapter on page 272.
Basic information
Always make sure that the vehicle and
trailer are well balanced. Do not overload
the front or rear of the trailer. Always stow
heavy objects directly over the axle, or as
close as possible to it. Always secure loads
to the trailer properly → .
Trailer weight and drawbar load
The maximum trailer weight is the weight
that the vehicle can pull
→
.
The drawbar load is the weight that the
towing bracket exerts on the ball coupling
neck vertically from above
→
page 404.
The figures for trailer weights and draw bar
weights that are given on the data plate of
the towing bracket are for
certification pur-
poses only. The correct values for your spe-
cific model, which may be lower than these
figures, are given in the vehicle registration
documents. All data in the official vehicle
documents take precedence over these da-
ta.
The maximum permissible drawbar load
should always be utilised. The response of
the trailer on the road will be poor if the
drawbar load is too small.
The drawbar load increases the weight on
the rear axle and reduces the maximum
load level as a result.
Gross combination weight rating
The combination weight is made up of the
actual weight of the loaded towing vehicle
and of the loaded trailer
→
page 404.
In some countries, trailers are divided into
different classes. We recommend that you
contact a qualified workshop to find out
about suitable trailers.
Tyre pressure
Follow the trailer manufacturer's recom-
mendations concerning the tyre pressure
for the trailer tyres.
1. When towing a trailer,
inflate the tyres
on the towing vehicle with the maxi-
Towing a trailer 275
2KF012
720AB