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D Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion. If your vehicle has manual trans-
mission, prevent excessive clutch slip-
page by keeping engine rpm low and
not racing the engine. Always start out
in first gear.
D Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
D Backing with a trailer is difficult and re-
quires practice. Grip the bottom of the
steering wheel and move your hand to
the left to move the trailer to the left.
Move your hand to the right to move
the trailer to the right. (This procedure
is generally opposite to that when
backing without a trailer). Also, just
turn the steering wheel a little at a time,
avoiding sharp or prolonged turning.
Have someone guide you when back-
ing to reduce the risk of an accident.
D Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this
by making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
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D Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay atten-
tion to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed.
Steer straight ahead. If you make no
extreme correction with the steering or
brakes, the vehicle and trailer will sta-
bilize.
D Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room be-
fore changing lanes.
D In order to maintain engine braking ef-
ficiency, do not use fifth gear (manual
transmission or overdrive (automatic
transmission).
D Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle's engine may overheat
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on hot days (at temperatures over
30 C [85 F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant termperatue gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the
air conditioning (if in use), pull off the
road and stop in a safe spot. Refer to
"If your vehicle overheats" in Part 4 of
this manual.
D Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firm-
ly. Put the transmission in "P" (auto-
matic) or in first or reverse (manual).
Avoid parking on a slope with a trailer,
but if it cannot be avoided, do so only
after performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un-
der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place,
release your brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake frimly.
5. Shift into first or reverse (manual) or
"P" (automatic) and turn off the engine.
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