Toyota 2007 FJ Cruiser Owner's Manual page 253

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D Backing with a trailer 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 pro-
cedure is generally opposite to that
when backing without a trailer.) Also,
just turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you when
backing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
D Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, following distance should be
increased when towing 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.
Avoid sudden braking as you may skid,
resulting in jackknifing and loss of con-
trol. This is especially true on wet or
slippery surfaces.
D
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion. If your vehicle has a manual
transmission, prevent excessive clutch
slippage by keeping engine rpm low
and not racing the engine. Always start
out in first gear.
D Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
D Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this by
making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
D Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention
to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately
gradually. Never increase speed. Steer
straight ahead. If you make no extreme
correction with the steering or brakes,
the vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
D
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room befo-
re changing lanes.
2007 FJ CRUISER from Oct. '06Prod. (OM35873U)
D In order to maintain engine braking effi-
ciency, do not use sixth gear (manual),
or do not put the transmission in "D"
(automatic).
D Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle's engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
30_C [85_F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge
overheating, immediately turn off the air
conditioning (if in use), pull off the road
and stop in a safe spot. Refer to "If
your vehicle overheats" on page 252 in
Section 4.
D
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firmly.
Put the transmission in "P" (automatic)
but or in first or reverse (manual). Avoid
parking on a slope with a trailer, but
if it cannot be avoided, do so only
after performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un-
der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place,
release your brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
indicates
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