Instruction Manual
TRAILER GUIDELINES
Be sure that the brakes and all of the lights on your trailer
are functioning properly before towing your trailer. Check
the trailer taillights by turning on your tow vehicle headlights.
Check the trailer brake lights by having someone step on
the tow vehicle brake pedal while you look at trailer lights.
Do the same thing to check the turn signal lights. See Trailer
Wiring Diagram section in this manual.
Standard mirrors usually do not provide adequate visibility
for viewing traffi c to the sides and rear of a towed trailer.
You must provide mirrors that allow you to safely observe
approaching traffi c.
Driving a vehicle with a trailer in tow is vastly different
from driving the same vehicle without a trailer in tow.
Acceleration, maneuverability and braking are all diminished
with a trailer in tow.
It takes longer to get up to speed, you need more room to
turn and pass, and more distance to stop when towing a
trailer. You will need to spend time adjusting to the different
feel and maneuverability of the tow vehicle with a loaded
trailer.
Because of the signifi cant differences in all aspects of
maneuverability when towing a trailer, the hazards and risks
of injury are also much greater than when driving without
a trailer. You are responsible for keeping your vehicle and
trailer in control, and for all the damage that is caused if
you lose control of your vehicle and trailer.
As you did when learning to drive an automobile, fi nd
an open area with little or no traffi c for your fi rst practice
trailering. Of course, before you start towing the trailer, you
must follow all of the instructions for inspection, testing,
loading and coupling. Also, before you start towing, adjust
the mirrors so you can see the trailer as well as the area
to the rear of it.
WARNING
Improper electrical connection between the tow vehicle
and the trailer will result in inoperable lights and can
lead to collision.
Before each tow, check that the tail lights, brake lights
and turn signals work.
Drive slowly at fi rst, 5 mph or so, and turn the wheel to
get the feel of how the tow vehicle and trailer combination
responds. Next, make some right and left hand turns.
Watch in your side mirrors to see how the trailer follows
the tow vehicle. Turning with a trailer attached requires
more room.
Stop the rig a few times from speeds no greater than
10 mph. If your trailer is equipped with brakes, try using
different combinations of trailer brake and tow vehicle brake.
Note the effect that the trailer brakes have when they are
the only brakes used. When properly adjusted, the trailer
brakes will come on just before the tow vehicle brakes.
It will take practice to learn how to back up a tow vehicle
with a trailer attached. Take it slow. Before backing up, get
out of the tow vehicle and look behind the trailer to make
sure that there are no obstacles.
Some drivers place their hands at the bottom of the steering
wheel, and while the tow vehicle is in reverse, “think” of the
hands as being on the top of the wheel. When the hands
move to the right (counterclockwise, as you would do to
turn the tow vehicle to the left when moving forward), the
rear of the trailer moves to the right. Conversely, rotating
the steering wheel clockwise with your hands at the bottom
of the wheel will move the rear of the trailer to the left while
backing up.
If you are towing a bumper hitch rig, be careful not to allow
the trailer to turn too much because it will hit the rear of the
tow vehicle. To straighten the rig, either pull forward or turn
the steering wheel in the opposite direction.
Figure A below is a sample of the Vehicle Identifi cation
Number (VIN) Tag which is typically located on the left front
of the trailer. See Figure B for location.
Figure A. Vehicle VIN Tag