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567
Driving your vehicle
Safety cables
You should always attach cables
between your vehicle and your trailer.
Cross the safety cables under the nose
of the trailer so that the nose will not drop
to the road if it becomes separated from
the towbar.
Instructions about safety cables may be
provided by the towbar manufacturer or
by the trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety cables. Always leave just
enough slack so you can turn with your
trailer. And, never allow safety cables to
drag on the ground.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking
system, make sure it conforms to local
regulations and that it is properly
installed and operating correctly.
If your trailer weight exceeds the maxi-
mum allowed weight without trailer
brakes, then the trailer will also require its
own brakes as well. Be sure to read and
follow the instructions for the trailer
brakes so you’ll be able to install, adjust
and maintain them properly.
• Don’t tap into or modify your vehicle's
brake system.
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you must get to know
your trailer. Acquaint yourself with the
feel of handling and braking with the
added weight of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not
nearly so responsive as your vehicle is
by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer towbar
and platform, safety cables, electrical
connector(s), lights, tyres and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer mov-
ing and then apply the trailer brake con-
troller by hand to be sure the brakes are
working.This lets you check your electri-
cal connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be
sure that the load is secure, and that the
lights and any trailer brakes are still work-
ing.
WARNING - Trailer brakes
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolutely
certain that you have properly set
up the brake system. This is not a
task for amateurs. Use an experi-
enced, competent trailer shop for
this work.
EL(FL) UK 5.QXP 12/16/2014 8:10 PM Page 67
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