trailer MERCEDES-BENZ G500 2008 W463 Owner's Manual

200 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Rear Parking AssistThe Rear Parking Assist system is an
electronic aid designed to assist the driver
during parking maneuvers. It visually and
audibly indicates the relative distance
between the rear of the vehicle and an
obstacle.
The Rear Parking Assist system is
automatically activated when you

switch on the ignition
and

move the gear selector lever to reverse
gearR
Warning!G
Rear Parking Assist (rear Parktronic) is a
supplemental system. It is not intended to,
nor does it replace, the need for extreme
care. The responsibility during parking and
other critical maneuvers always remains
with the driver.
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts, or road
curbs). Such objects may not be detected by
the system and can damage the vehicle.
The operational function of the Rear Parking
Assist can be affected by dirty sensors,
especially at times of snow and ice. See
“Cleaning the Rear Parking Assist sensors”
(
page 318).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic
signals (e.g. workin g jackhammers, car
wash, or the air brakes of trucks) can cause
the system to send erra tic indications, and
should be taken into consideration.
Warning!G
Make sure no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.
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201
Controls in detail
Driving systems
The Rear Parking Assist system monitors
the rear surrounding of your vehicle with
four sensors in the rear bumper.
1 Sensors Range of the sensors
To function properly, the sensors must be
free of dirt, ice, snow, and slush. Clean the
sensors regularly, being careful not to
scratch or damage the sensors, see
“Cleaning the Rear Parking Assist sensors”
(
page 318).
!During parking maneuvers, pay special
attention to objects located above or below the
height of the sensors (e.g. planters or trailer
hitches). The Rear Parking Assist system will not
detect such objects at close range and damage
to your vehicle or the object may result.
Ultrasonic signals from outside sources (e.g.
working jackhammers, car wash, or the air
brakes of trucks) may impair the operation of the
Rear Parking Assist system.
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281
Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire and Loading Information
Tire and Loading Information placard
1 Load limit information on the Tire and
Loading Information placard The Tire and Loading
Information placard
showing the load limit information is
located on the driver’s door B-pillar
(
page 280).
Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX
lbs.” on the Tire and Loading
Information placard.
The combined weight of all occupants,
cargo/luggage and trailer tongue load
(if applicable) should never exceed the
weight referenced in that statement.
Warning!G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the tires
can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.
iData shown on Tire and Loading Information
placard example are for illustration purposes
only. Load limit data are specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in the illustration
below. Refer to Tire and Loading Information
placard on vehicle for actual data specific to your
vehicle.
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283
Operation
Tires and wheels
Step 3
Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from
XXX kilograms or XXX lbs.
Step 4
The resulting figure equals the avail-
able amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the “XXX”
amount equals 1 400 lbs and there will
be five 150 lbs passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs
(1 400 - 750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs). Step 5
Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weig
ht may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in step 4.
Step 6 (if applicable)
If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be trans-
ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduces
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle (
page 285). The following table shows examples on
how to calculate total and cargo load
capacities with varying seating configura-
tions and number and size of occupants.
The following examples use a load limit
of 1 500 lbs.
This is for illustration
purposes only . Make sure you are using
the actual load limit fo r your vehicle stated
on the vehicle’s Tire and Loading
Information placard (
page 281).
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284 Operation
Tires and wheels
The higher the weight of all occupants, the
less cargo and luggage load capacity is
available.
For more information, see “Trailer tongue
load” (
page 285).
ExampleCombined
weight limit of
occupants and
cargo from Tire
and Loading
Information
placardNumber of
occupants
(driver and
passengers)Seating
configu-
rationOccupants weight Combined
weight of all
occupantsAvailable cargo/luggage and
trailer tongue weight (total load
limit from Tire and Loading
Information placard minus com-
bined weight of all occupants)
11500 lbs5front: 2
rear: 3Occupant 1: 150 lbs
Occupant 2: 180 lbs
Occupant 3: 160 lbs
Occupant 4: 140 lbs
Occupant 5: 120 lbs750 lbs1 500 lbs - 750 lbs = 750 lbs
21500 lbs3front: 1
rear: 2Occupant 1: 200 lbs
Occupant 2: 190 lbs
Occupant 3: 150 lbs540 lbs1 500 lbs - 540 lbs = 960 lbs
31500 lbs1front: 1Occupant 1: 150 lbs150 lbs1 500 lbs - 150 lbs = 1 350 lbs
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285
Operation
Tires and wheels
Certification label
Even after careful determination of the
combined weight of all occupants, cargo
and the trailer tongue load (if applicable)
(
page 285) as to not exceed the permis-
sible load limit, you must make sure that
your vehicle never exceeds the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for
either the front or rear axle. You can obtain
the GVWR and GAWR from the certification
label. The certification label can be found
on the driver’s door B- pillar, see “Technical
data” (
page 410). Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR):
The total weight of the vehicle, all
occupants, all cargo, and the trailer tongue
load (if applicable) (
page 285) must
never exceed the GVWR.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR):
The total allowable weight that can be
carried by a single axle (front or rear).
To assure that your vehicle does not
exceed the maximum permissible weight
limits (GVWR and GAWR for front and rear
axle), have the loaded vehicle (including
driver, passengers and all cargo and, if
applicable, trailer fully loaded) weighed on
a suitable commercial scale. Trailer tongue load
The tongue load of any trailer is an impor-
tant weight to measure because it affects
the load you can carry in your vehicle. If a
trailer is towed, the tongue load must be
added to the weight of all occupants riding
and any cargo you are carrying in the
vehicle. The tongue load typically is
10 percent of the trailer weight and
everything loaded in it.
If an approved Mercedes-Benz trailer hitch
is available for your G-Class vehicle model,
consult the instructions included in the
trailer hitch kit for vehicle towing capacity,
permissible gross trailer weight, trailer
tongue weight rating, and instructions on
loading and towing a trailer.
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305
Operation
Tires and wheels
DOT (Department of Transportation)
A tire branding symbol which denotes the
tire meets requirements of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
GAWR (G
ross Axle Weight Rating)
The GAWR is the maximum permissible
axle weight. The gross vehicle weight on
each axle must never exceed the GAWR for
the front and rear axle indicated on the
certification label located on the driver’s
door B-pillar.
GTW (G
ross Trailer Weight)
The GTW is the weight of the trailer plus
the weight of all ca rgo, equipment, luggage
etc. loaded on the trailer. GVW (G
ross Vehicle Weight)
The GVW comprises the weight of the
vehicle including fuel, tools, spare wheel,
installed accessories, passengers and
cargo and, if applic able, trailer tongue
load. The GVW must never exceed the
GVWR indicated on the certification label
located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
GVWR (G
ross Vehicle Weight Rating)
This is the maximum permissible vehicle
weight of the fully loaded vehicle (weight of
the vehicle including all options, passen-
gers, fuel, and cargo and, if applicable,
trailer tongue load). It is indicated on
certification label located on the driver’s
door B-pillar.
Kilopascal (kPa)
The metric unit for air pressure. There are
6.9 kPa to 1 psi; another metric unit for air
pressure is bars. There are 100 kilopascals
(kPa) to 1 bar. Maximum load rating
The maximum load in kilograms and
pounds that can be carried by the tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
The sum of curb weight, accessory weight,
total load limit, and production options
weight.
Maximum tire inflation pressure
This number is the greatest amount of air
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
under normal driving conditions.
Normal occupant weight
The number of occupants the vehicle is
designed to seat, multiplied by
68 kilograms (150 lbs).
Occupant distribution
The distribution of occupants in a vehicle
at their designated seating positions.
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307
Operation
Tires and wheels
Traction
Force exerted by the vehicle on the road
via the tires. The amou
nt of grip provided.
Tread
The portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Treadwear indicators
Narrow bands, sometimes called
“wear bars” that show across the tread of
a tire when only
1/16in (1.6 mm) of tread
remains.
TWR (T
ongue Weight Rating)
Maximum permissible weight on trailer
tongue. Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
A tire information system that provides
consumers with ratings for a tire’s traction,
temperature and treadwear. Ratings are
determined by tire manufacturers using
government testing procedures. The
ratings are molded into the sidewall of the
tire.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
Load on an individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded vehicle
weight and dividing it by two.
Rotating tires
Tire rotation can be performed on vehicles
with tires of the same dimension all
around. If your vehicle is equipped with
tires of the same dimension all around,
tires can be rotated, observing a
front-to-rear rotation pattern that will
maintain the intended rotation (spinning)
direction of the tire (
page 280).
In some cases, such as when your vehicle
is equipped with mixed-size tires (different
tire dimension front vs. rear), tire rotation
is not possible.
Warning!G
Rotate front and rear wheels only if the tires
are of the same dimension.
If your vehicle is eq uipped with mixed-size
tires (different tire dimensions front vs.
rear), tire rotation is not possible.
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401
Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Transporting the vehicle
When transporting the vehicle, you can use
the towing eyes for pulling the vehicle onto
a trailer or transporter.
Move the gear selector lever to neutral
position
N.
Shift the transfer case to neutral
position N.
To avoid damaging the vehicle, it
should only be tied down on the
wheels/wheel rims, not on chassis
components such as the transverse
link or trailing arm. Towing the vehicle - various problem
scenarios
Comply with all towing information
(
page 399).
In case of engine damage, transmission
damage or malfunctions in electrical
equipment
Move the gear selector lever to neutral
position N.
Shift the transfer case to neutral
position N. In case of transfer case damage or for
towing vehicle distances exceeding
30 miles (50 km)
The propeller shafts to
the drive axles must
be removed.
In case of front axle damage
Raise the front axle when towing. The
propeller shaft between the rear axle and
the transfer case must be removed.
In case of rear axle damage
When the rear axle is raised, the vehicle
can only be towed with a wheel lift or a
dolly placed under its front wheels.
!When removing drive shaft, place M10 nuts
on bolts as distance sleeves and tighten
using M8 nuts.
Always install new self-locking nuts when
reinstalling the drive shaft.
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402 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Front towing eye
The front towing eye is located on the
driver’s side under the front bumper.1 Towing eyeRear towing eye
The rear towing eye is located on the
driver’s side under the rear bumper.
1 Towing eyeStranded vehicle
Freeing a stranded vehicle, on which the
wheels are dug into sand or mud, should
be done with the greatest of care,
especially if the vehicle is heavily loaded.
Avoid pulling the vehicle jerkily or diago-
nally, since it could result in damage to the
chassis alignment.
Never try to free a vehicle that is still
coupled to a trailer.
If possible, a vehicle should be pulled back-
ward in its own previously made tracks.
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