Towing A Trailer - Honda Odyssey 1995 Owner's Manual

Towing a Trailer

Your Honda is designed primarily to
carry passengers and their cargo.
You can use it to tow a trailer if you
carefully observe some general rules.
The total weight of the trailer and
everything loaded in it must not
exceed the weights shown in the
table below.
1 : Including driver. Based on 70 kg (150 Ibs)
*
passenger
2 : Seven-passenger model only
*
Driving
The "tongue load" should never
exceed 72 kg (160 Ibs). This is the
amount of weight the trailer puts
on the hitch when it is fully-loaded.
As a rule of thumb, the tongue
load should be 10% of the total
trailer package.
For example, if the trailer and its
load weigh 450 kg (1,000 Ibs), the
tongue load should be 45 kg (100
Ibs). Adjust the trailer's cargo to
change the tongue load. Start by
putting approximately 60% of the
cargo toward the front and 40%
toward the rear. Never load the
trailer so the back is heavier than
the front.
The combined weight of the car,
all passengers and their luggage,
and tongue load must not exceed
the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
The GVWR is printed on the
Certification label attached to the
driver's doorjamb (see page 216).
The combined weight of the car,
all passengers and their luggage,
and tongue load also must not
exceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating. The GAWR is also shown
on the Certification label. It tells
you the maximum load for the
front and rear axles. It is possible
that your towing package does not
exceed the GVWR but does
exceed the GAWR. Improper
trailer loading, and/or too much
luggage in the cargo area can
overload the rear axle. Redis-
tribute the load and check the axle
weights again.