tow bar FIAT SEDICI 2008 2.G Owners Manual

43
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❒Place the child restraint in the rear seat,
inserting the connecting bars to the an-
chorages between the seat cushion and
the seatback.❒Use your hands to carefully align the
connecting bar tips with the anchor-
ages. Take care not to pinch your fin-
gers.
❒Push the child restraint toward the an-
chorages so that the connecting bar tips
are partially hooked to the anchorages.
Use your hands to confirm the position. Here is a general instruction:
❒Pull upward on the rear head restraint
to the most upper position.
IMPORTANT Before installing a child re-
straint system in the rear seat, raise the
head restraint to the most upper position.
❒If possible, fold the seatback rearward
for easier installation.
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Never use a tow bar which
attaches to the axle or the
bumper of your vehicle.
WARNING
Never attach safety chains
to the bumper of your vehi-
cle. Secure connections so that they
can’t come loose.
WARNING
Never connect trailer lights
directly into your vehicle’s
electrical system, or electrical system
damage may occur.
WARNING
BRAKES
If trailer brakes are used, you
should follow all instructions
provided by the manufacturer. Nev-
er connect to the brake system of
your vehicle and never take an elec-
trical supply directly from the wiring
harness.
WARNING
173
SAFETY CHAINS
Always attach safety chains between your
vehicle and trailer. Cross safety chains un-
der the nose of the trailer so that the nose
will not drop to the road if the trailer be-
comes separated from the tow bar. Fol-
low the manufacturer’s recommendation
for attaching safety chains. Always leave
just enough slack to permit full turning.
Never allow safety chains to drag on the
road.TRAILER LIGHTS
Make sure your trailer is equipped with
lights which meet local requirements. Al-
ways check for the proper operation of all
trailer lights before you start to tow. IMPORTANT Trailer towing puts addi-
tional stress on the engine, drive train, and
brakes of your vehicle. Never tow a trail-
er during the first 960 km (600 miles) of
vehicle operation.
TOW BARS
Only use a tow bar that is designed to at-
tach to the chassis of your vehicle, and
a hitch that is designed to bolt to this
bracket.
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174
MIRRORS
Check to see if your vehicle’s mirrors
meet local requirements for mirrors used
on towing vehicles. If they do not, you
must install the required mirrors before
you tow.
VEHICLE/TRAILER LOADING
To load your vehicle and trailer proper-
ly, you must know how to measure gross
trailer weight and trailer nose weight.
Gross Trailer Weight is the weight of the
trailer plus all the cargo in it. You can mea-
sure gross trailer weight by putting the ful-
ly loaded trailer on a vehicle scale.
Nose Weight is the downward force ex-
erted on the tow bar by the trailer cou-
pler, with the trailer fully loaded and the
coupler at its normal towing height. This
weight can be measured using a bathroom
scales.
The weight of your loaded trailer (Gross
Trailer Weight) should never exceed the
“Towing capacity”.Distribute cargo in your trailer so that
nose weight is about 10% of gross trailer
weight, but does not exceed “Maximum
vertical load on trailer hitch point”. You
should measure gross trailer weight and
nose weight before towing to make sure
that your load is properly distributed. TIRES
When towing a trailer, it is
very important for your ve-
hicle and trailer to have properly in-
flated tires. Your vehicle’s tires should
be inflated to the pressures listed on
your vehicles Tire Information label.
If laden pressures are listed on the la-
bel, the tires should be inflated to the
laden pressures. Inflate trailer tires
according to the specifications pro-
vided by the trailer manufacturer.
WARNING
Improper weight distribution
of your trailer may result in
poor vehicle handling and swaying of
the trailer. Always make sure that
trailer nose weight is about 10% of
gross trailer weight, but does not ex-
ceed “Maximum vertical load on
trailer hitch point”. Also make sure
that the cargo is properly secured.
Failure to observe this requirement
may result in an accident.
WARNING
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175
ADDITIONAL TRAILER
TOWING WARNINGS
Never overload your trailer
or your vehicle. Gross trail-
er weight must never exceed the
“Towing capacity”. Gross vehicle
weight (sum of the weights of the ve-
hicle, all the occupants, accessories
including tow bars and a trailer hitch,
cargo and trailer nose weight) must
never exceed the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) listed in the
“SPECIFICATIONS” section.
WARNING
Connect trailer lights and
hook up safety chains every
time you tow.
WARNING
IMPORTANT Because towing a trailer
puts additional stress on your vehicle,
more frequent maintenance will be re-
quired than under normal driving condi-
tions. Follow the schedule for “Mainte-
nance Recommended under Severe Dri-
ving Conditions”.
Your vehicle will handle dif-
ferently when towing a trail-
er. For your safety and the safety of
others, you should observe the fol-
lowing precautions:
– Practice turning, stopping, and re-
versing before you begin towing in
traffic. Do not tow in traffic until you
are confident that you can handle the
vehicle and trailer safely.
– Never exceed towing speed limits or
80 km/h (50 mph), whichever is low-
er.
– Never drive at a speed that causes
shaking or swaying of the trailer. If
you notice even the slightest sign of
shaking or swaying, slow down.
– When roads are wet, slippery or
rough, drive at a slower speed than
you would on dry, smooth roads.
Failure to slow down when road con-
ditions are bad can result in loss of
control.
– Always have someone guide you
when reversing.
– Allow adequate stopping distance.
Stopping distance is increased when
you tow a trailer. For each 16 km/h
(10 mph) of speed, allow at least one
vehicle and trailer length between
you and the vehicle ahead. Follow at
a greater distance if roads are wet or
slippery.
WARNING
– If the trailer has over-run
brakes, apply the brakes
gradually to avoid snatching caused
by the trailer wheels locking.
– Slow down before corners and
maintain a steady speed while cor-
nering. Deceleration or acceleration
while cornering can result in loss of
control. Remember that a larger than
normal turning radius is needed be-
cause the trailer wheels will be clos-
er than vehicle wheels to the inside of
the turn.
– Avoid sudden acceleration and
stopping of the vehicle. Do not make
quick maneuvers unless they are nec-
essary.
– Slow down in cross winds and be
prepared for gusts of wind from large
passing vehicles.
– Be careful when overtaking other
vehicles. Be sure to allow enough
room for your trailer before you
change lanes, and signal well in ad-
vance.
– Slow down and shift into a lower
gear before you reach long or steep
downhill grades. It is hazardous to at-
tempt downshifting while you are de-
scending a hill.
WARNING
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177
TOWING YOUR
VEHICLE
Your vehicle may be towed behind an-
other vehicle (such as a motorhome), pro-
vided your vehicle is 2 wheel drive (2WD)
and you use the proper towing method
specified for your vehicle. The towing
method you must use depends on the
specifications of your vehicle: whether it
is a manual transaxle vehicle or an auto-
matic transaxle vehicle.
Use the towing instruction table to select
the proper towing method for your vehi-
cle, and carefully follow the correspond-
ing instructions. Be sure to use proper
towing equipment designed for recre-
ational towing and make sure that tow-
ing speed does not exceed 90 km/ h (55
mph). Maximum vertical load on trailer
hitch point
50 kg (110 lbs)
Maximum permissible overhang “a”
810 mm (31.9 in.)
When you tow your vehicle,
follow the instructions below
to avoid accidents and damage to
your vehicle. In addition, be sure to
observe government and local re-
quirements regarding vehicle lighting
and trailer hitches or tow bars.
WARNING
A safety chain should always
be used when you tow your
vehicle.
WARNING
TOWING INSTRUCTION TABLE
DRIVE TRAIN
2WD
4WDTOWING
METHOD
A B
B TRANSAXLE
M/T
M/T
79J158
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