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Driving your vehicle Trailer Towing (For Europe)
trailer. Cross the safety chains
under the tongue of the trailer so
that the tongue will not drop to the
road if it becomes separated from
the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains
may be provided by the hitch manu
-
facturer or by the trailer manufac
-
turer. Follow the manufacturer䳓s
recommendation for attaching
safety chains. Always leave just
enough slack so you can turn with
your trailer. And, never allow safety
chains drag on the ground.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a
braking system, make sure it con
-
forms to your country䳓s regulations
and that it is properly installed and
operating correctly.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without
trailer brakes loaded, then it needs
its own brakes and they must be
adequate. Be sure to read and fol
-
low the instructions for the trailer
brakes so you䳓ll be able to install,
adjust and maintain them properly.
䳜 Don䳓t tap into your vehicle's brake
system.
Trailer brakes
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolutely
certain that you have properly set
up the brake system. This is not a
task for amateurs. Use an experi
-
enced, competent trailer shop for
this work.
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before set
-
ting out for the open road, you must
get to know your trailer. Acquaint
yourself with the feel of handling
and braking with the added weight
of the trailer. And always keep in
mind that the vehicle you are driving
is now a good deal longer and not
nearly so responsive as your vehicle
is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tyres
and mirror adjustment. If the trailer
has electric brakes, start your vehi
-
cle and trailer moving and then
apply the trailer brake controller by
hand to be sure the brakes are
working.This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same
time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure,
and that the lights and trailer
brakes are still working.
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