Trailer Towing - Chevrolet Malibu 2012 Owner's Manual

9-46 Driving and Operating

Trailer Towing

Before pulling a trailer, there are
three important considerations that
have to do with weight:
The weight of the trailer.
The weight of the trailer tongue.
The total weight on your
vehicle's tires.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
454 kg (1,000 lbs). But even that
can be too heavy.
It depends on how the rig is used.
For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and
how much the vehicle is used to
pull a trailer are all important.
It can depend on any special
equipment on the 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.
Ask your dealer for trailering
information or advice, or write us at
our Customer Assistance Offices.
See Customer Assistance Offices
(U.S. and Canada) on page 13 5 or
Customer Assistance Offices
(Mexico) on page 13 5 for more
information.
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is
an important weight to measure
because it affects the total gross
weight of the vehicle. The Gross
Vehicle Weight (GVW) includes the
curb weight of the vehicle, any
cargo carried in it, and the people
who will be riding in the vehicle.
If there are a lot of options,
equipment, passengers or cargo in
the vehicle, it will reduce the tongue
weight the vehicle can carry, which
will also reduce the trailer weight the
vehicle can tow. If towing a trailer,
the tongue load must be added to
the GVW because the vehicle
will be carrying that weight, too.
See Vehicle Load Limits on
page 9 11 for more information.