Servicing Your Vehicle If You Tow; Trailer Towing Tips - Ford Ranger Owner's Manual

When descending a steep grade with a trailer, operate in Drive
rather than Overdrive. If additional braking is needed, shift the
automatic transmission gearshift into 2 (Second) gear or 1 (Low).

Servicing Your Vehicle If You Tow

If you tow a trailer for a long distance, your vehicle will need
to be serviced more frequently than usual. Refer to the
Maintenance Schedule and Record booklet for additional
information.

Trailer towing tips

Before starting on a trip, practice turning, stopping and backing
in an area away from heavy traffic. Get to know the "feel" of
the vehicle/trailer combination.
Practice backing up. Back up very slowly, with someone outside
at the rear of your trailer to guide you. Place your hand at the
bottom of the steering wheel and move it in the direction you
want the rear of the trailer to swing. Slight movement of the
steering wheel results in a much larger movement of the rear of
the trailer.
Allow more room for stopping with a trailer attached. Trailer
brakes should be applied first, whether manually or
automatically controlled, when approaching a stop.
For a good handling truck-trailer combination, the trailer tongue
load should be approximately 10-15% of the loaded trailer
weight.
Make a thorough check of your equipment before starting out
on the road. After you have traveled about 50 miles (80 km)
stop in a protected area and double-check your hitch and
electrical connections. Also check trailer wheel lug nuts for
tightness.
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