Towing A Trailer - Honda 2005 Odyssey Owner's Manual

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Towing a Trailer

Your vehicle has been designed to
primarily carry passengers and their
cargo. You can also use it to tow a
trailer if you carefully observe the
load limits, use the proper equipment,
and follow the guidelines in this
section.
Exceeding any load limit or
improperly loading your vehicle
and trailer can cause a crash in
which you can be seriously hurt
or killed.
Check the loading of your
vehicle and trailer carefully
before starting to drive.
306
Load Limits
Total Trailer Weight:
maximum allowable weight of the
trailer and everything in or on it
depends on several factors. See
page for the driving limits for
307
your towing situation. Towing a
load that is too heavy can seriously
affect your vehicle's handling and
performance. It can also damage
the engine and drivetrain.
The Tongue Load:
the tongue of a fully-loaded trailer
puts on the hitch should be
approximately 10 percent of the
total trailer weight. Too much
tongue load reduces front-tire
traction and steering control. Too
little tongue load can make the
trailer unstable and cause it to
sway.
The weight that