If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer; Weight Of The Trailer - GMC 2007 Envoy Denali Owner's Manual

If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer

If you do, here are some important points:
•
There are many different laws, including speed
limit restrictions, having to do with trailering.
Make sure your rig will be legal, not only where
you live but also where you'll be driving. A good
source for this information can be state or
provincial police.
•
Consider using a sway control. See "Hitches"
later in this section.
•
Don't tow a trailer at all during the first
500 miles (800 km) your new vehicle is driven.
Your engine, axle or other parts could be
damaged.
•
Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that
you tow a trailer, don't drive over 50 mph
(80 km/h) and don't make starts at full throttle.
This helps your engine and other parts of your
vehicle wear in at the heavier loads.
•
You can tow in DRIVE (D). You may want to
shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if
necessary, a lower gear selection if the
transmission shifts too often (e.g., under heavy
loads and/or hilly conditions).
Three important considerations have to do with
weight:
•
the weight of the trailer,
•
the weight of the trailer tongue
•
and the weight on your vehicle's tires.

Weight of the Trailer

How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It depends on how you plan to use your rig.
For example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used
to pull a trailer are all important. It can also depend
on any special equipment that you have on your
vehicle, and the amount of tongue weight the
vehicle can carry. See "Weight of the Trailer
Tongue" later in this section for more information.
Maximum trailer weight is calculated assuming
only the driver is in the tow vehicle and it has all
the required trailering equipment. The weight
of additional optional equipment, passengers and
cargo in the tow vehicle must be subtracted
from the maximum trailer weight.
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