⢠Towing equipment to consider includes a
weight dishibution
system, a sway conh'ol
system, a brake controllel,
and
a supple-
mental brake control system. The weight
of
your
towed load in comparison
to
the tow-
ing
capacity
of
your motor home should be
evaluated
dll1ing this consultation.
Installation
of
tow equipment
must
be per-
formed
by a competent installer.
Make
sure
the installation follow the tow equipment
manufacturer's
insh·uctions.
A WARNING
Do
not
exceed
the
rated
load
of
the
motor
home,
or
the rated
load
of
any
axle.
Exceeding
the
GVWR,
GAWR,
GTW
or
GCWR
of
your
motor
home
can
cause
handling
problems,
a
vehicle
crash,
damage
your
motor
home
and
void
your
warranties.
The
way your motor home handles and responds
will
be affected
by
the way the towed unit is
loaded.
If
the tongue weight is too light
in
rela-
tions to the GTW, handling and response will
change and your motor home will operate less
safely. Careful load planning and safe
experi-
mentation with different loading patterns in
what you are towing can avoid this risk and
make
your driving and towing experience safer
and
more enjoyable.
Your motor home is equipped with some
of
the
equipment required to tow a trailer, automobile
dolly,
or
other towed load.
The
equipment supplied with your motor home
is
called the "hitch receiver" . This component is
attached to the motor home frame. The square
tube opening
"receives" any
of
a wide variety
of
hitch head assemblies.
The
"hitch head" is the
component that includes the hitch ball.
Hitch
head assemblies are available
in
both
"Weight-Distributing" (load-equalizing) and
"Weight-Carrying" types. A weight-distributing
hitch uses spring bars attached to the trailer
tongue A-frame assembly to transfer some
of
the
trailer tongue weight to both motor home
axles.
On
The
Road
A weight-canying hitch head assembly does not
use spring bars. All
of
the tongue weight
of
the
trailer bears down on the hitch assembly which
loads the motor home rear axle.
For
this reason,
the maximum load you can tow with a weight
carrying hitch head assembly is limited.
In addition to weight-carrying and
weight-dis-
tributing, your hitch may also have a dinghy
towing rating. This rating will apply should you
tow a motor vehicle with all four wheels down.
The ratings associated with the particular hitch
receiver supplied with your motor home are
noted
on
the weight tag and on a label affixed to
the hitch receiver.
It
is important that the devices which attach to
the hitch receiver equipped with your motor
home are rated to equal or exceed the loads
of
your towed trailer, automobile dolly,
or
other
towed load.
The
weight label
on
your hitch receiver provides
the maximum trailer weight rating and the
maxi-
mum
tongue weight rating.
It
is important that
these ratings not be exceeded.
Consult with your dealer or towing
equip-
ment/trailer supplier to determine the con'ect
type
of
hitch head assembly, hitch ball and other
tow equipment you should use for towing and
leveling the load you intend to pull.
If
you intend to tow, take advantage
of
reading
and studying literature that is available from
vehicle manufacturers, the National Highway
traffic Safety Administration, equipment
manu-
facturers, trade associations, and publica-
tions/books about how to tow.
A WARNING
Failure
to
understand
and
follow
these
guidelines
as
presented
in
this
section
could
result
in
damage
to
the
motor
home
frame
or
body,
could
cause unstable
driv-
ing
and
handling
characteristics,
and
will
restrict
your
warranty
coverage.
05-3
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