Caravan And Trailer Loads; Coupling Socket Load; Rear Axle Load During Towing - Vauxhall Combo Owner's Manual

Caravan and trailer loads

The p ermissible carav an/trailer loads are
vehic le and engine d epend ent max imum
values w hich m ust not be ex ceeded . The
actual c aravan/trailer load is the difference
between the actual g ross weight of the
carava n/trailer and the actual coupling
soc ket load with the carav an/trailer
coupled. When the c aravan/trailer load is
being checked, therefore, only the
carava n/trailer wheels – and not the jockey
wheel – must be standing on the weighing
appa ra tus.
The p ermissible carav an/trailer loads for
your vehicle are given in the v ehicle
documents. Unless otherwise stated, they
are valid for grad ients up to max. 12%.
1)
Ob serve na tion al reg ulations.
1)
The permissible caravan/trailer load should
be fully utilised only by d riv ers who are
adeq uately experienced in towing large or
heavy caravans/trailers.
The permitted caravan/trailer load applies
up to the spec ified incline and up to an
altitude of 1000 metres above sea level.
Since engine power decreases as altitude
increases because of the air b ecoming
thinner, therefore reducing climbing ability ,
the permitted towing weight also decreases
by 10% for every 1000 m etres of a dditional
altitude. The tow ing weight does not have
to be reduced when driving on roads with
slight inclines (less than 8%, e. g.
motorwa ys).
The actual carav an/trailer load plus the
actual gross vehicle w eight of the towing
vehicle must not exceed the ma ximum
permitted towing weight. For exam ple, if
the permitted g ross vehicle weight is
utilised, the trailer/caravan load m ust only
be used until the maxim um perm itted
tow ing weight is rea ched. The max imum
permitted towing weight is shown on the
identification plate – see page 196.
Ro of racks, Caravan and trailer towin g

Coupling socket load

The coupling socket load is the load
exerted by the trailer/carav an on the
coupling ball. It can be va ried by changing
the weight distribution when loading the
trailer/caravan.
The m aximum permissible coupling socket
load (50 kg) is specified on the towing
equipment identifica tion plate and in the
vehicle d oc um ents. Always aim for the
ma ximum load, especially in the case of
hea vy ca ravans/trailers. The coupling
socket loa d should never fall below 25 kg.
When measuring the coupling socket load ,
ma ke sure that the drawbar of the loaded
trailer/caravan is at the same height as it
will be when the trailer/caravan is coupled
with the towing vehic le loa ded. Particularly
important for trailers/ca ra vans with
tandem ax le.

Rear axle load during towing

The permissib le ax le loads must not be
exceeded.
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