Fleetwood Bounder 2011 Owner's Manual page 92

• Towing equipment to consider includes a
weight dishibution system, a sway conh'ol
system, a brake controllel, and a supple-
mental brake control system. The weight of
your towed load in comparison to the tow-
ing capacity of your motor home should be
evaluated dll1ing this consultation.
Installation of tow equipment must be per-
formed by a competent installer. Make sure
the installation follow the tow equipment
manufacturer's insh·uctions.
A
WARNING
Do not exceed the rated load of the motor home, or
the rated load of any axle. Exceeding the
GVWR,
GAWR, GTW
or
GCWR
of your motor home can
cause handling problems, a vehicle crash, damage
your motor home and void your warranties.
The way your motor home handles and responds
will be affected by the way the towed unit is
loaded. If the tongue weight is too light in rela-
tions to the GTW, handling and response will
change and your motor home will operate less
safely. Careful load planning and safe experi-
mentation with different loading patterns in
what you are towing can avoid this risk and
make your driving and towing experience safer
and more enjoyable.
Your motor home is equipped with some of the
equipment required to tow a trailer, automobile
dolly, or other towed load.
The equipment supplied with your motor home
is called the "hitch receiver" . This component is
attached to the motor home frame. The square
tube opening "receives" any of a wide variety of
hitch head assemblies. The "hitch head" is the
component that includes the hitch ball.
Hitch head assemblies are available in both
"Weight-Distributing" (load-equalizing) and
"Weight-Carrying" types. A weight-distributing
hitch uses spring bars attached to the trailer
tongue A-frame assembly to transfer some of
the trailer tongue weight to both motor home
axles.
On The Road
A weight-canying hitch head assembly does not
use spring bars. All of the tongue weight of the
trailer bears down on the hitch assembly which
loads the motor home rear axle. For this reason,
the maximum load you can tow with a weight
carrying hitch head assembly is limited.
In addition to weight-carrying and weight-dis-
tributing, your hitch may also have a dinghy
towing rating. This rating will apply should you
tow a motor vehicle with all four wheels down.
The ratings associated with the particular hitch
receiver supplied with your motor home are
noted on the weight tag and on a label affixed to
the hitch receiver.
It is important that the devices which attach to
the hitch receiver equipped with your motor
home are rated to equal or exceed the loads of
your towed trailer, automobile dolly, or other
towed load.
The weight label on your hitch receiver provides
the maximum trailer weight rating and the maxi-
mum tongue weight rating. It is important that
these ratings not be exceeded.
Consult with your dealer or towing equip-
ment/trailer supplier to determine the con'ect
type of hitch head assembly, hitch ball and other
tow equipment you should use for towing and
leveling the load you intend to pull.
If you intend to tow, take advantage of reading
and studying literature that is available from
vehicle manufacturers, the National Highway
traffic Safety Administration, equipment manu-
facturers, trade associations, and publica-
tions/books about how to tow.
A
WARNING
Failure to understand and follow these guidelines as
presented in this section could result in damage to the
motor home frame or body, could cause unstable driv-
ing and handling characteristics, and will restrict your
warranty coverage.
05-3