trailer SATURN OUTLOOK 2007 User Guide

The Tire and Loading Information label also shows
the size of the original equipment tires (C) and
the recommended cold tire ination pressures (D).
For more information on tires and ination see
Tires on page 425andInflation - Tire Pressure on
page 432.
There is also important loading information on the
vehicle Certication/Tire label. It tells you the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and
the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for the
front and rear axle. See “Certication/Tire Label”
later in this section.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should never
exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs” on your
vehicle’s placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver
and passengers that will be riding in your
vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from XXX kg or XXX lbs.4. The resulting gure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the “XXX” amount equals
1400 lbs and there will be ve 150 lb
passengers in your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs (1400−750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs).
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage
and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That
weight may not safely exceed the available
cargo and luggage load capacity calculated in
Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, the load
from your trailer will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual to determine how
this reduces the available cargo and luggage
load capacity for your vehicle.
SeeTowing a Trailer on page 362for important
information on towing a trailer, towing safety rules,
and trailering tips.
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Towing
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer/retailer or a professional
towing service if you need to have your disabled
vehicle towed. SeeRoadside Assistance Program
on page 509.
If you want to tow your vehicle behind another
vehicle for recreational purposes (such as behind
a motorhome), see “Recreational Vehicle
Towing” following.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means towing your
vehicle behind another vehicle – such as behind a
motorhome. The two most common types of
recreational vehicle towing are known as “dinghy
towing” (towing your vehicle with all four wheels
on the ground) and “dolly towing” (towing
your vehicle with two wheels on the ground and
two wheels up on a device known as a “dolly”).With the proper preparation and equipment, many
vehicles can be towed in these ways. See
“Dinghy Towing” and “Dolly Towing” following in
this section.
Here are some important things to consider before
you do recreational vehicle towing:
What’s the towing capacity of the towing
vehicle? Be sure you read the tow vehicle
manufacturer’s recommendations.
How far will you tow? Some vehicles have
restrictions on how far and how long they
can tow.
Do you have the proper towing equipment?
See your dealer/retailer or trailering
professional for additional advice and
equipment recommendations.
Is your vehicle ready to be towed? Just as
you would prepare your vehicle for a long
trip, you’ll want to make sure your vehicle is
prepared to be towed. SeeBefore Leaving on
a Long Trip on page 343.
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Dinghy Towing
If you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle, it can be
dinghy towed from the front. These vehicles
may also be towed by putting the front wheels on
a dolly. See “Dolly Towing” later in this section.
If you have an all-wheel-drive vehicle, it can
be dinghy towed from the front. You can also tow
these vehicles by placing them on a platform
trailer with all four wheels off of the ground. These
vehicles cannot be towed using a dolly.
For vehicles being dinghy towed, the vehicle
should be run at the beginning of each day and at
each RV fuel stop for about ve minutes. This
will ensure proper lubrication of transmission
components. Put the IGN (Ignition) fuse in to start
the vehicle.To tow your vehicle from the front with all four
wheels on the ground:
1. Position the vehicle to tow and then secure it.
2. Turn the ignition to OFF.
3. Set the parking brake.
4. To prevent your battery from draining while
the vehicle is being towed, remove the IGN
(Ignition) fuse from the underhood fuse block.
SeeUnderhood Fuse Block on page 479.
5. Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY.
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6. Shift your transmission to NEUTRAL (N).
7. Release the parking brake.
Notice:If you tow your vehicle without
performing each of the steps listed under
“Dinghy Towing,” you could damage the
automatic transmission. Be sure to follow all
steps of the dinghy towing procedure prior
to and after towing your vehicle.
Notice:If you exceed 65 mph (105 km/h) while
towing your vehicle, it could be damaged.
Never exceed 65 mph (105 km/h) while towing
your vehicle.
Once you have reached your destination, do the
following:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition key to OFF and remove the
key from the ignition.
3. Reinstall the IGN (Ignition) fuse.
Notice:Don’t tow a vehicle with the front
drive wheels on the ground if one of the front
tires is a compact spare tire. Towing with
two different tire sizes on the front of the
vehicle can cause severe damage to the
transmission.Dolly Towing (All-Wheel-Drive Vehicles)
All-wheel-drive vehicles must not be towed with
two wheels on the ground. To properly tow
these vehicles, they should be placed on a
platform trailer with all four wheels off of the
ground or dinghy towed from the front.
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Towing a Trailer
{CAUTION:
If you do not use the correct equipment
and drive properly, you can lose control
when you pull a trailer. For example, if the
trailer is too heavy, the brakes may not
work well — or even at all. You and your
passengers could be seriously injured.
You may also damage your vehicle; the
resulting repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Pull a trailer only if you
have followed all the steps in this section.
Ask your dealer/retailer for advice and
information about towing a trailer with
your vehicle.To identify the trailering capacity of your vehicle,
you should read the information in “Weight of
the Trailer” that appears later in this section. But
trailering is different than just driving your
vehicle by itself. Trailering means changes in
handling, acceleration, braking, durability and fuel
economy. Successful, safe trailering takes
correct equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this part. In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety
rules. Many of these are important for your safety
and that of your passengers. So please read
this section carefully before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine,
transmission, rear axle, wheel assemblies and tires
are forced to work harder against the drag of
the added weight. The engine is required
to operate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more,
the trailer adds considerably to wind resistance,
increasing the pulling requirements.
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If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
There are many different laws, including speed
limit restrictions, having to do with trailering.
Make sure your rig will be legal, not only where
you live but also where you’ll be driving. A
good source for this information can be state
or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control. You can ask a
hitch dealer/retailer about sway controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the rst
500 miles (805 km) your new vehicle is driven.
Your engine, axle or other parts could be
damaged.
Then, during the rst 500 miles (805 km) that
you tow a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph
(80 km/h) and don’t make starts at full throttle.
This helps your engine and other parts of
your vehicle wear in at the heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a
trailer. Don’t drive faster than the maximum
posted speed for trailers, or no more than
55 mph (90 km/h), to save wear on your
vehicle’s parts.
You can tow in DRIVE (D). You may want to
shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if
necessary, a lower gear selection if the
transmission shifts too often (e.g., under heavy
loads and/or hilly conditions). See “Tow/Haul
Mode” later in this section.
Three important considerations have to do with
weight:
The weight of the trailer
The weight of the trailer tongue
And the total weight on your vehicle’s tires
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Tow/Haul Mode
Tow/Haul is a feature that assists when pulling a
heavy trailer or a large or heavy load. The
purpose of the Tow/Haul mode is to:
Reduce the frequency and improve the
predictability of transmission shifts when
pulling a heavy trailer or a large or heavy load.
Provide the same solid shift feel when pulling a
heavy trailer or a large or heavy load as when
the vehicle is unloaded.
Improve control of vehicle speed while
requiring less throttle pedal activity when
pulling a heavy trailer or a large or heavy load.
Increase the charging system voltage to assist
in recharging a battery installed in a trailer.Press this button
on the console to
enable/disable the
tow/haul mode.
A light on the instrument
panel will come on to
indicate that tow/haul
mode has been
selected.
Tow/Haul may be turned off by pressing the
button again, at which time the indicator light on
the instrument panel will turn off. The vehicle
will automatically turn off Tow/Haul every time it is
started.
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Tow/Haul is designed to be most effective when
the vehicle and trailer combined weight is at
least 75 percent of the vehicle’s Gross Combined
Weight Rating (GCWR). See Weight of the
Trailer later in this section. Tow/Haul is most useful
under the following driving conditions:
When pulling a heavy trailer or a large or
heavy load through rolling terrain.
When pulling a heavy trailer or a large or
heavy load in stop and go traffic.
When pulling a heavy trailer or a large or
heavy load in busy parking lots where
improved low speed control of the vehicle is
desired.
Operating the vehicle in tow/haul when lightly
loaded or with no trailer at all will not cause
damage. However, there is no benet to the
selection of Tow/Haul when the vehicle is
unloaded. Such a selection when unloaded may
result in unpleasant engine and transmission
driving characteristics and reduced fuel economy.
Tow/Haul is recommended only when pulling a
heavy trailer or a large or heavy load.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to
pull a trailer are all important. It can also depend
on any special equipment that you have on
your vehicle, and the amount of tongue weight the
vehicle can carry. See “Weight of the Trailer
Tongue” later in this section for more information.
Maximum trailer weight is calculated assuming
only the driver is in the tow vehicle and it has all
the required trailering equipment. The weight
of additional optional equipment, passengers and
cargo in the tow vehicle must be subtracted
from the maximum trailer weight.
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Look in the following chart to nd the maximum
trailer weight for your vehicle.
PackageMaximum
Trailer Weight*GCWR
Front-Wheel
Drive4,500 lbs
(2 041 kg)9,500 lbs
(4 309 kg)
All-Wheel Drive4,500 lbs
(2 041 kg)9,700 lbs
(4 400 kg)
*The Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) is
the total allowable weight of the completely loaded
vehicle and trailer including any passengers, cargo,
equipment and conversions. The GCWR for your
vehicle should not be exceeded.
Ask your dealer/retailer for our trailering
information or advice, or write us at our Customer
Assistance Offices. SeeCustomer Assistance
Offices on page 508for more information.
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important
weight to measure because it affects the total
or gross weight of your vehicle. The Gross Vehicle
Weight (GVW) includes the curb weight of the
vehicle, any cargo you may carry in it, and
the people who will be riding in the vehicle. If you
have a lot of options, equipment, passengers
or cargo in the vehicle, it will reduce the tongue
weight your vehicle can carry, which will also
reduce the trailer weight your vehicle can tow. And
if you tow a trailer, you must add the tongue
load to the GVW because your vehicle will
be carrying that weight, too. SeeLoading Your
Vehicle on page 353for more information
about your vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
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If you’re using a weight-carrying hitch or a
weight-distributing hitch, the trailer tongue (A)
should weigh 10-15 percent of the total loaded
trailer weight (B).
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer
and then the tongue, separately, to see if the
weights are proper. If they aren’t, you may be able
to get them right simply by moving some items
around in the trailer.
Trailering may also be limited by the vehicle’s ability
to carry tongue weight. Tongue weight cannot
cause the vehicle to exceed the GVWR (Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating) or the RGAWR (Rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating). The effect of additional weight
may reduce your trailering capacity more than the
total of the additional weight.Consider the following example:
A vehicle model base weight is 5,500 lbs
(2 495 kg); 2,800 lbs (1 270 kg) at the front axle
and 2,700 lbs (1 225 kg) at the rear axle. It has a
GVWR of 7,200 lbs (3 266 kg), a RGAWR of
4,000 lbs (1 814 kg) and a GCWR (Gross
Combination Weight Rating) of 14,000 lbs
(6 350 kg). The trailer rating should be:
You can expect tongue weight to be at least
10 percent of trailer weight (850 lbs (386 kg)) and
because the weight is applied well behind the rear
axle, the effect on the rear axle will be greater than
just the weight itself, as much as 1.5 times as much.
The weight at the rear axle could be 850 lbs
(386 kg) X 1.5 = 1,275 lbs (578 kg). Since the rear
axle already weighs 2,700 lbs (1 225 kg), adding
1,275 lbs (578 kg) brings the total to 3,975 lbs
(1 803 kg). This is very close to, but within the limit
for RGAWR as well. The vehicle is set to trailer up
to 8,500 lbs (3 856 kg).
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