Kia CERATO 2018 Owner's Manual page 431

Weight of the trailer
What is the maximum safe weight of a
trailer? It should never weigh more
than the maximum trailer weight with
trailer brakes. But even that can be too
heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude,
road grades, outside temperature and
how often your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. The ideal trail‐
er weight can also depend on any spe‐
cial equipment that you have on your
vehicle.
Weight of the trailer tongue
The tongue load of any trailer is an im‐
portant weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight in‐
cludes the curb weight of the vehicle,
any cargo you may carry in it, and the
people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you will tow a trailer, you must
add the tongue load to the GVW be‐
cause your vehicle will also be carrying
that weight.
The trailer tongue should weigh a max‐
imum of 10% of the total loaded trailer
weight, within the limits of the maxi‐
mum permissible trailer tongue load.
After you've loaded your trailer, weigh
the trailer and then the tongue, sepa‐
rately, to see if the weights are proper.
If they aren t, you may be able to cor‐
rect them simply by moving some
items around in the trailer.
WARNING
n Trailer
• Never load a trailer with more
weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the to‐
tal trailer load; the rear should be
loaded with approximately 40% of
the total trailer load.
• Never exceed the
weight limits of the trailer or trail‐
er towing equipment. Improper
loading can result in damage to
your vehicle and/or personal injury.
Check weights and loading at a
commercial scale or highway pa‐
trol office equipped with scales.
• An improperly loaded trailer can
cause loss of vehicle control.
6
maximum
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