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The p ermissible carav an/trailer loads for
your vehicle are specified in the v ehicle
documents. Unless otherwise stated, they
are valid for grad ients up to max. 12 %.
The permissible cara van/trailer load should
be fully utilised only by drivers who are
adequately experienced in towing large or
heav y carav ans/trailers.
At higher altitudes engine power may be
red uced affecting the vehicle's ability to
climb gradients, preventing use of the full
permissible caravan/trailer loads in
mountainous territory.
The a ctual caravan/trailer load plus the
actual gross vehicle weight m ust not
exceed the maxim um perm itted towing
weight. For exam ple, if the perm itted gross
vehic le weight is utilised, the ca ra van/
trailer load must only be used until the
max imum permitted towing weight is
rea ched. The max imum permitted towing
weight is shown on the identification plate
– see pa ge 213.
Coupling socke t load
The coupling sock et load is the load
exerted by the caravan/tra iler on the
coupling ball. It can be varied by cha nging
the weight distribution when loading the
caravan/trailer.
The max im um perm issible coupling sock et
loa d (75 kg ) for the towing vehic le should
always be aimed for, particularly in the
case of hea vy ca ra vans/trailers. The
coupling socket load should never fall
below 25 kg.
In the case of caravan/tra iler loads of
1200 k g or more, the c oupling socket load
should not be less than 50 kg.
When m easuring the coupling sock et load,
make sure that the draw bar of the loaded
caravan/trailer is at the same heig ht a s it
will be when the c aravan/trailer is coupled
with the towing v ehicle loaded. Particularly
important for c aravans/trailers with
tand em axle.
Re ar axle load during towing
When the c aravan/trailer has been coupled
and the towing v ehicle is fully lad en, the
permissib le rear axle load (including
oc cup ants) may be ex ceeded :
z on the S aloon by
z on the Esta te with
4 cylinder engine by
z on the Estate with
6 cylinder engine by
z on the Estate Ex ecutive by 35 kg
z on the Estate Ex ecutive
with engine Y 26 SE
manual transmission b y
z on the Estate
"increased payload" version
with 4 cylinder engine by
z on the Estate
"increased payload" version
with 6 cylinder engine by
z on the Estate
"increased payload" version with
engine Y 26 SE
manual transmission b y
Additional rear ax le loa d, see identification
plate.
If the perm issible rear ax le load is
exceeded by the am ounts listed, a
ma ximum speed of 60 mph (100 k m/h)
app lies. If national regulations specify a
lower maxim um sp eed for vehicles tow ing
a caravan/trailer, this must b e observ ed.
50 kg
45 kg
1)
Sales des ig nation – see p ag e 216.
40 kg
1)
a nd
50 kg
30 kg
35 kg
1)
a nd
50 kg
171
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