CG CAPTIVA 7 Owner's Manual page 261

9-5
Chapter 9
TOW AND LOAD
TOWINg cont.
Recommended procedure for
attaching a trailer
When a trailer is hitched to the vehicle,
it places a weight on the tow bar. This
weight is called the 'tow ball load'.
If the tow ball load is too light or too heavy,
the steering and handling of the vehicle
may be affected.
Tow ball load
As a general guideline, for single
axle trailers, the ball load should be
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approximately 10 % of the loaded trailer
mass. For heavy trailers with more than
one axle, the ball load should be in
the range of 5 % - 10 % of the loaded
trailer mass.
Note If the tow ball load exceeds 158 kg refer to mandatory equipment in the Towing
equipment table further on in this chapter.
The tow ball load can be adjusted by correctly packing the contents of the trailer. For
example, by moving items forwards or backwards within the trailer so as to change the
balance of the trailer.
Check the tow ball load before coupling the trailer to the towing vehicle.
If the attitude of the vehicle is compromised,
adjust the vehicle and trailer load within
the specifications to improve the attitude. If
the vehicles attitude cannot be corrected,
use a load distribution hitch.
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