The
following
items are worth carrying
in
the
trunk
:
snow
shovel, towrope, sandbags, ice scraper, and warning
flares.
DRIVING WITH A TRAILER
A special
towing
attachment
is
available as an optional
accessory
for
the Saab 99. Bolt holes are already provided
to
facilitate
mounting
of
the attachment.
A car with automatic transmission must be fitted
with
an oil cooler before it can
be
used to
tow
a trailer. A
suit-
able cooler is available
as
an
accessory
for
the Saab
99
automatic. Ask
your
Saab dealer
for
detai
Is.
It
is
inadvisable
for
several reasons to hook
an
excessively
heavy trailer to a car, and the
following
points should
therefore be borne in
mind
:
1.
Legal restrictions on
towing
speed, trailer weight
and trailer braking equipment in the state concerned
must
of
course be complied with.
2. The weight
limit
of
trailer should be
approx
. 1,000
Ibs.,
wi
thout
brakes and 2,000 Ibs., with brakes.
3.
If the car has
an
automatic transmission, position
1
sh
ould be selected
for
towing on steep gradients, in
order
to
best utilize the braking capacity
of
the engine. The
same
applies
for
down
gradients so
as
to
obtain
maximum
engine braking effect.
4. When towing a
trailer, avoid gradients
of
15%
or
mo
re
,
as
in such
conditions
the weight on the
front
driving
wheels
is
so
low
that they may lose traction and stop the
car. For the same reason, the hand brake effect may be
so reduced that the car and
trailer cannot be held station-
ary
on
very steep uphill grades by the hand brake alone
without the wheels starting to slide. When driving
with
a
trailer on very long hills, you can help the engine keep
cool by
turning
on the fresh
air
heater
for
a
time
and run-
ning the ventilator fan at
full speed.
5. The
load
distribution
in
the trailer is most important.
In
a two-wheeled trailer the load should be placed low
down and concentrated
as
far as possible over the wheels.
The trailer, should be loaded in such a way
that
5 - 7%
of the weight
of
the trailer should be on the trailer hitch.
The maximum
load carried in the car's
trunk
must
be
reduced by the same amount.
6. When
driv
ing with a trailer, always make allowance
for the altered handling characteristics and
longer
stop-
ping distance. The brakes, suspension, and
shock-absorb-
ing equipment and li
ghting
system
of
the trailer are very
important in
towing
a trailer safely.
•
13
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