If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer; Weight of the Trailer- Page 197

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If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer

If you do, here are some important points:

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There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not only where you live but
also where you’ll be driving. A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.

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Consider using a sway control. You can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.

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Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles
(1 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.

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Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t make starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.

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Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers (or no more than 55 mph (90 km/h)) to
save wear on your vehicle’s parts.

Three important considerations have to do with weight:

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the weight of the trailer,

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the weight of the trailer tongue

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and the total weight on your vehicle’s tires.

Weight of the Trailer

How heavy can a trailer safely be?

It should never weigh more than 1,000 lbs. (450 kg). But
even that can be too heavy.

It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And, it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle.