trailer Lexus GX460 2013 Owner's Guide

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2-5. Driving information
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Positions for towing hitch receiver and hitch ballWeight carrying ball position:
50.5 in. (1282.9 mm)
Hitch receiver pin hole position:
44.1 in. (1120.4 mm)
Connecting trailer lightsUse the wire harness stored in the
rear end under the vehicle body.
Please consult your dealer when installing trailer lights, as incorrect
installation may cause damage to the vehicle’s lights. Please take care to
comply with your state’s laws when installing trailer lights.
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Connecting and disconnecting a trailerStop your vehicle and a trailer in line and perform the following:
● Connecting a trailer
Set the rear height control air suspension to N mode.
Turn off the “ENGINE START STOP” switch or the rear height
control air suspension.
Connect the trailer.
Turn on the switch that was turned off on .
● Disconnecting a trailer
Set the rear height control air suspension to N mode.
Turn off the rear height control air suspension.
Turn off the “ENGINE START STOP” switch.
Set the supporting leg of the trailer on the ground and raise the
hitch by 4 in. (100 mm)
Turn on the “ENGINE START STOP” switch.
Turn on the rear height control air suspension.
Wait until vehicle height is stabilized.
Make sure the hitch is disconnected. If the hitch does not disconnect,
raise the hitch higher and repeat steps 2 through 7.
STEP1STEP1
STEP2STEP2
STEP1STEP3STEP3
STEP1STEP4STEP4STEP2STEP2
STEP1STEP1
STEP2STEP2
STEP1STEP3STEP3
STEP1STEP4STEP4
STEP1STEP5STEP5STEP5
STEP1STEP5STEP6STEP6STEP6
STEP1STEP5STEP6STEP7STEP7
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Trailer towing tipsYour vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. Help to avoid an
accident, death or serious injury, keep the following in mind when towing:
● Speed limits for towing a trailer vary by state or province. Do not
exceed the posted towing speed limit.
● Lexus recommends that the vehicle- trailer speed limit is 65 mph (104
km/h) on a flat, straight, dry road. Do not exceed this limit, the posted
towing speed limit or the speed limit for your trailer as set forth in your
trailer owner’s manual, whichever is lowest. Instability of the towing
vehicle-trailer combination (trailer sway) increases as speed increases.
Exceeding speed limits may cause loss of control.
● Before starting out, check the trailer lights, tires and the vehicle-trailer
connections. Recheck after driving a short distance.
● Practice turning, stopping and reversing with the trailer attached in an
area away from traffic until you become accustomed to the feel of the
vehicle-trailer combination.
● Reversing with a trailer attached is difficult and requires practice. Grip
the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the left to
move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to move the
trailer to the right. (This is generally opposite to reversing without a
trailer attached.) Avoid sharp or prolonged turning. Have someone
guide you when reversing to reduce the risk of an accident.
● As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-to-
vehicle distance should be increased. For each 10 mph (16 km/h) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and trailer length.
● Avoid sudden braking as you may skid, resulting in the trailer jackknif-
ing and loss of vehicle control. This is especially true on wet or slippery
surfaces.
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Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
● Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, and slow down before making a
turn.
● Note that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will be closer than the
vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. Compensate by making a
wider than normal turning radius.
● Slow down before making a turn, in crosswinds, on wet or slippery sur-
faces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can destabilize the trailer.
● Take care when passing other vehicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do not forget the length of your
trailer, and be sure you have plenty of room before changing lanes.
● To maintain engine braking efficiency and charging system perfor-
mance when using engine braking, do not put the transmission in D.
Transmission shift range position must be in 5 in the S mode.
● Instability happens more frequently when descending steep or long
downhill grades. Before descending, slow down and downshift. Do not
make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long downhill
grades.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the brakes
too frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and result in
reduced braking efficiency.
● Due to the added load of the trailer, your vehicle’s engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over 85°F [30°C]) when driving up a
long or steep grade. If the engine coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air conditioning (if in use), pull
your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot. ( →P. 74 9 )
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Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and the trailer’s
wheels when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly, and put the
transmission in P. Avoid parking on a slope, but if unavoidable, do so
only after performing the following:
Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and
trailer’s wheels.
When the wheel blocks are in place, release the brakes slowly
until the blocks absorb the load.
Apply the parking brake firmly.
Shift into P and turn off the engine.
● When restarting after parking on a slope:
With the transmission in P, start the engine. Be sure to keep the
brake pedal pressed.
Shift into 3, 2, L, or R (if reversing).
Release the parking brake and brake pedal, and slowly pull or
back away from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply the brakes.
Have someone retrieve the blocks.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
STEP5
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
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■Matching trailer ball height to trailer coupler height
■Before towing
Check that the following conditions are met:
●Ensure that your vehicle’s tires are properly inflated. (→P. 76 8 )
●Trailer tires are inflated according to the trailer manufacturer’s recommenda-
tion.
●All trailer lights work as required by law.
●All lights work each time you connect them.
●The trailer ball is set at the proper height for the coupler on the trailer.
●The trailer is level when it is hitched.
Do not drive if the trailer is not level, and check for improper tongue weight,
overloading, worn suspension, or other possible causes.
●The trailer cargo is securely loaded.
●The rear view mirrors conform to all applicable federal, state/provincial or local
regulations. If they do not, install rear view mirrors appropriate for towing pur-
poses. No matter which class of tow hitch applies,
for a more safe trailer hookup, the trailer ball
setup must be the proper height for the cou-
pler on the trailer.
Tr a i l e r b a l l
Coupler
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■AVS (adaptive variable suspension system)
The suspension can be switched for improvement in driveability. (→P. 3 2 5 )
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped with any new power train components (such as
an engine, transmission, differential or wheel bearing), Lexus recommends that you
do not tow a trailer until the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km).
After the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km), you can start tow-
ing. However, for the next 500 miles (800 km), drive the vehicle at a speed of less
than 50 mph (80 km/h) when towing a trailer, and avoid full throttle acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will require more frequent maintenance due to
the additional load. (See “Owner’s Guide”, “Warranty and Services Guide”,
“Owner’s Manual Supplement” or “Warranty Booklet”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the towing ball and bracket after approximately
600 miles (1000 km) of trailer towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds, passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.) can adversely
affect handling of your vehicle and trailer, causing instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to control trailer swaying by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator pedal immediately but very gradually to reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction with the steering or brakes, your vehicle and
trailer should stabilize.
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●After the trailer swaying has stopped:
• Stop in a safe place. Get all occupants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer.Make sure the load has not shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle. Make sure the vehicle is not overloaded after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the speed at which trailer swaying occurred is
beyond the limit of your particular vehicle-trailer combination.
Drive at a lower speed to prevent instability. Remember that swaying of the towing
vehicle-trailer increases as speed increases.
CAUTION
■Trailer towing precautions
●To tow a trailer safely, use extreme care and drive the vehicle in accordance with
the trailer’s characteristics and operating conditions. Failure to do so could cause
an accident resulting in death or serious injury. Vehicle stability and braking per-
formance are affected by trailer stability, brake setting and performance, and the
hitch. Your vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer.
●Set the vehicle height to the LO mode and turn off the rear height control air sus-
pension when you connect a trailer, otherwise the vehicle height may change due
to the automatic leveling function, and you may catch part of your body in the
vehicle, resulting in an accident.
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CAUTION
■To avoid accident or injury
●Do not exceed the TWR, unbraked TWR, GCWR, GVWR or GAWR.
●If the gross trailer weight is over 2000 lb. (907 kg), a sway control device with
sufficient capacity is required.
●If the gross trailer weight is over 5000 lb. (2268 kg), a weight distributing hitch
with sufficient capacity is required.
●Adjust the tongue weight within the appropriate range. Place heavier loads as
close to the trailer axle as possible.
●Do not exceed 65 mph (104 km/h), the posted towing speed limit or the speed
limit for your trailer as set forth in your trailer owner’s manual, whichever is lowest.
Slow down sufficiently before making a turn, in crosswinds, on wet or slippery
surface, etc. to help avoid an accident. If you experience a vehicle-trailer instabil-
ity from reducing a certain speed, slow down and make sure you keep your vehi-
cle speed under the speed of which you experience the instability.
●Do not make jerky, abrupt or sharp turns.
●Do not apply the brakes suddenly as you may skid, resulting in jackknifing and
loss of vehicle control. This is especially true on wet or slippery surfaces.
●Do not exceed the trailer hitch assembly weight, gross vehicle weight, gross axle
weight and trailer tongue weight capacities.
●Do not use cruise control when towing.
●Slow down and downshift before descending steep or long downhill grades. Do
not make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long downhill grades.
●Vehicle-trailer instability is more likely on steep long down hills. Before descend-
ing steep or long downhill grades, slow down and downshift. Do not make sudden
downshifts when descending steep or long downhill grades. Avoid holding the
brake pedal down too long or applying the brakes too frequently. This could
cause the brakes to overheat and result in reduced braking efficiency.
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CAUTION
■Hitch
Trailer hitch assemblies have different weight capacities established by the hitch
manufacturer. Even though the vehicle may be physically capable of towing a
higher weight, the operator must determine the maximum weight rating of the par-
ticular hitch assembly and never exceed the maximum weight rating specified for
the trailer-hitch. Exceeding the maximum weight rating set by the trailer-hitch man-
ufacturer can cause an accident resulting in death or serious personal injuries.
■When towing a trailer
Lexus recommends trailers with brakes that conform to any applicable federal and
state/provincial regulations.
●If the gross trailer weight exceeds unbraked TWR, trailer brakes are required.
Lexus recommends trailers with brakes that conform to all applicable federal and
state/provincial regulations.
●Never tap into your vehicle’s hydraulic system, as this will lower the vehicle’s brak-
ing effectiveness.
●Never tow a trailer without using a safety chain securely attached to both the
trailer and the vehicle. If damage occurs to the coupling unit or hitch ball, there is
danger of the trailer wandering into another lane.
NOTICE
■When installing a trailer hitch
Use only the position recommended by your Lexus dealer. Do not install the trailer
hitch on the bumper; this may cause body damage.
■Do not directly splice trailer lights
Do not directly splice trailer lights. Directly splicing trailer lights may damage your
vehicle’s electrical system and cause a malfunction.
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