Trailer Towing - Seat Exeo ST 2011 Owner's Manual

Trailer towing

Trailer towing
Technical requirements
The towing bracket must meet certain technical requirements.
Your vehicle is intended mainly for transporting passengers and luggage.
However, if suitably equipped, it can also be used to tow a trailer or caravan.
If your vehicle has been factory-supplied with a towing bracket, all of the
necessary technical and legal aspects for trailing towing have been taking
into account during manufacturing.
Your vehicle is fitted with a 13-pole socket for the electrical connection
between the trailer and the vehicle. If the trailer has a 7-pole connector you
can use an adapter cable. This can be purchased at an Authorised Service.
If a towing bracket is to be fitted after the vehicle is purchased, this must be
done according to the instructions of the towing bracket manufacturer
⇒ page 212.
WARNING
If a towing bracket is retrofitted, the installation should be carried out by a
qualified workshop.
•
Particularly in high outdoor temperatures, it is not possible to drive up
long steep gradients without a suitable cooling system. The engine would
heat up.
•
Incorrect installation can result in a safety risk!
Safety First Operating Instructions
Notes on towing
There are a number of points which need to be checked before
towing a trailer or caravan.
– Observe the maximum permitted trailer weights ⇒ page 301.
Trailer weight
Never exceed the maximum permitted trailer weight.
If you do not load the trailer up to the maximum permitted trailer weight, you
can then climb correspondingly steeper gradients.
The maximum trailer weights listed are only applicable for altitudes up to
1000 m above sea level. With increasing altitude the engine power and there-
fore the vehicle's climbing ability are impaired because of the reduced air
density. The maximum trailer weight has to be reduced accordingly. The
weight of the vehicle and trailer must be reduced by about 10% for every
subsequent 1000 m (or part thereof). This figure refers to the combined
weight of the (loaded) vehicle and (loaded) trailer.
The figures for the drawbar load that appear on the identification plate of the
towing bracket are for certification purposes only. The correct figures for your
specific model, which may be lower than these figures for the towing bracket,
are given in the registration documents and on ⇒ page 294. Also refer to
⇒ page 301.
Distributing the load
Distribute loads in the trailer so that heavy objects are as near to the axle as
possible. Loads carried in the trailer must be secured to prevent them
moving.
Practical Tips
Trailer towing
Technical Specifications
203