Coupling Socket Load; Rear Axle Load During Towing - Vauxhall Astra Owner's Manual

The a ctual caravan / trailer load plus the
actual gross vehicle weight m ust not
exceed the maxim um perm itted towing
weight. For exam ple, if the perm itted gross
vehic le weight is utilised, the ca ra van /
trailer load must only be used until the
max imum permitted towing weight is
rea ched. The max imum permitted towing
weight is shown on the identification
plate – see pag e 250.
Coupling s ocket load
The c oupling socket load is the load
exerted by the carav an / tra iler on the
coupling ball. It can b e varied by changing
the w eight distribution when loa ding the
carava n / trailer.
The ma ximum permissible coup ling socket
load (75 kg) for the towing v ehicle is
indicated on the towing equipment
identification plate and in the v ehicle
documents. Alway s aim for the m aximum
load, particularly in the ca se of heavy
carava ns / trailers. The coup ling socket
load should never fall below 25 kg .
When mea suring the coup ling socket load,
mak e sure that the drawbar of the loa ded
carava n / trailer is at the sa me height as it
will be when the caravan / trailer is c oupled
with the towing vehicle load ed. Particularly
important for caravans / trailers with
tandem axle.
192
Re ar axle load during towing
When the carav an / trailer is coup led a nd
the towing vehic le fully loaded (including
all occupants), the perm issible rear ax le
loa d (see identification plate or v ehicle
docum ents) may be exceeded by 75 kg. I f
the perm issible rear axle load is exceeded,
a max imum speed of 62 mph (100 km /h)
applies. I f na tional regulations specify a
low er ma ximum speed for vehicles towing
a carava n / trailer, this must be observed.
Tyre inflation pressure
When driving a towing vehicle, increase the
tyre pressure to the appropriate value for
the maximum load, see pages 274 to 282.
Also check the pressure of the trailer wheels
and the spare w heel.