Your vehicle will behave differentlywithatrailer
relativetowithout atrailer,and will consume
morefuel. In thecase of along and steep
descent, youmustselectshiftrange 3, 2 or 1 in
good time.
%
This also applies if thecruise controlis
switched on.
Youwill therebymakeuse of theengine'sbraking
effect and will nothave to brakeasoften to con‐
trol thespeed. This will take some of thestrain
offthe brakesystemand prevent thebrakesfrom
overheating and wearing tooquickly. If youneed
additional braking, depress thebrake pedal inter‐
mittently rather than continuously.
Drivingtips
If thetrailer sways, remember thefollowing
points:
R
Do notaccelerateunder anycircumstances.
R
Do notcountersteer.
R
If necessary, applythe brakes.
%
Youcan prevent thetrailer from swaying and
rocking by retrofitting stabilizer bar or trailer
stabilityprograms. Youcan obtain further
information from aFreightliner Sprinter
service center.
When youare drivingwithatrailer,complywith
thefollowing points:
R
Maintain agreater distance than when driving
without atrailer.
R
Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brakegen‐
tlyfirst of allsothat thetrailer closes up
behind your vehicle. Then, increase thebrak‐
ing forcerapidly.
R
The values given forstart-off gradeability
refertosea level. When driving in mountain‐
ous areas, note that engine output, and there‐
fore start-offgradeability,will decrease with
increasingaltitude.
Coupling/uncoupling atrailer
Coupling atrailer
*
NOTE Damage to thevehicle batterydue
to full discharge
Charging thetrailer batteryusing thepower
supply of thetrailer can damagethe vehicle
battery.
#
Do notuse thevehicle's powersupply
to charge thetrailer battery.
#
Shiftthe selector levertoposition j.
#
Applythe vehicle's parking brake.
#
Close all thedoors.
#
Position thetrailer on alevel surface behind
thevehicle.
%
The ball head height changes depending on
thevehicle's load. In this case, use atrailer
withaheight-adjustable trailer drawbar.
#
Couple up thetrailer.
#
Establish all electrical and other connections
to thetrailer.
#
Remove objectsordevices whichprevent the
trailerfromrolling, e.g. wheel chocks.
#
Release thetrailer's parking brake.
%
The vehicle harness has acable connection
to thebrake light indicator lamp.
Observe themaximum permissible trailer dimen‐
sions (widthand length).
MostUSstatesand all Canadian provinces pre‐
scribe thefollowing points, and youare urgently
recommended to comply with these:
R
Safetychains between thetowing vehicle and
thetrailer.The chains should be routed in a
criss-cross pattern underthe trailer drawbar.
Theymustbeconnected to thetrailer tow
hitchand nottothe bumper or to thevehicle
axle.
Leave sufficient slack in thechains. This
allows forevensharp cornering.
R
Aseparatebrake system is required forcer‐
tain trailers.
R
Asafetyfeatureisrequired forbrakedtrailers.
Determine thespecific requirements accord‐
ing to therelevant laws.
If thetrailer becomes detached from thetow‐
ing vehicle, thesafetyfeaturetriggersthe
trailer brakes and can thus reduce thedanger.
Uncoupling atrailer
&
WARNING Risk of being crushed and
becoming trapped whenuncoupling a
trailer
Whenuncoupling atrailer with an engaged
inertia-activated brake, your handmay
162
Driving and parking
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