Mercury 1997 Cougar Manual page 164

Do not exceed the GVWR or the GAWR
specified on the Safety Compliance
Certification Label.
Limiting Your Vehicle's Load
The load that you add to your vehicle must not
exceed the maximum load stated on the Safety
Compliance Certification Decal attached to the
left front door pillar.
To figure the weight of your vehicle's load, add
the weights of:
the driver and passengers
luggage and any other items that you put in
your vehicle
the tongue load of the loaded trailer
the weight of any equipment that has been
added to your vehicle since it was delivered
to your dealer
If you do not know the actual weights of these
items, use the following procedure to figure the
weight of a load:
1. Weigh your vehicle without the driver,
passengers and luggage. You might take
your vehicle to a shipping company or an
inspection station for trucks.
2. Then weigh your vehicle with the driver,
passengers and luggage.
3. Subtract the first reading from the second to
figure the total weight of the load.
RWARNING
163