Towing a Trailer
Towing Safety
Your car will not stop as quickly
with a trailer in tow. Leave extra
distance between your car and
other vehicles. Avoid braking or
turning suddenly. This could
cause the trailer to jackknife or
possibly turn over.
Keep in mind that your total
vehicle is now much longer. Leave
more room when making turns.
The trailer tracks a smaller arc
than the car and can hit or run
over something that the car
misses. When passing another
vehicle, make sure the trailer is
clear before changing lanes.
The car/trailer combination is
more affected by crosswinds and
buffeting. When being passed by
a large vehicle, keep a constant
speed and steer straight ahead. If
there is too much wind buffeting,
slow down to get out of the other
vehicle's air turbulence.
Towing a trailer puts an extra
load on your car. You should have
your car serviced according to
the maintenance schedule under
severe driving conditions on
page
122
.
This extra load is magnified when
you are driving in hilly terrain.
Watch the temperature gauge
closely when climbing hills. If it
gets near the hot area, turn off the
air conditioning (if it is on). If this
does not reduce the heat, it may
be necessary to pull to the side of
the road and wait for the engine
to cool. If the automatic
transmission shifts frequently
between 3rd and 4th gears, put it
in D
3
. This will help prevent the
transmission from overheating.
Help keep the brakes from
overheating by shifting to a lower
gear when going downhill.
If you have to stop while going
uphill, do not hold the car in
place by pressing the accelerator.
This can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat. Use the
parking brake or footbrake.
When parking your car and
trailer, especially on a hill, be sure
to follow all the normal
precautions. Turn your front
wheels into the curb, set the
parking brake firmly, and put the
transmission in 1st or Reverse
(manual) or Park (automatic). In
addition, place wheel chocks at
each of the trailer's tires.
Driving