Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before
you start
down a long or steep downgrade.
If
you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so
much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45
mph
(70
km/h)
to reduce the
possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
You should use THIRD
(3)
when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in THIRD
(3)
when towing a
trailer will minimize heat buildup and extend the life of
your transmission.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if
YOU
ever have
to
park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1.
Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK
(I?)
yet. Then turn your wheels into the curb if
facing downhill or into traffic if facing uphill.
2.
Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3.
When the wheel chocks are in place, release
the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4.
Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake and shift into PARK
(P).
5.
Release the regular brakes.
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