Fleetwood Southwind Owner's Manual page 29

• Towing equipment to consider includes a
weight distribution system, a sway control
system, a brake controller, and a supple-
mental brake control system. The weight
of your towed load in comparison to the
towing capacity of your motor home should
be evaluated during this consultation.
Installation of tow equipment must be per-
formed by a competent installer. Make sure
the installation follow the tow equipment
manufacturer's instructions.
!
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.
!
CAUTION
Towing a trailer which weighs the maximum rated
amount of the trailer hitch may in some cases exceed
the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCWR)
of the vehicle. In these cases personal cargo and/
or fluid capacities (fresh, gray and black water) may
have to be removed or reduced. Driving any vehicle
while towing a trailer that exceeds the GCWR or
exceeding the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
without a trailer may result in an unsafe condition due
to handling issues and increased stopping distances.
Example: The GVWR (loaded vehicle without trailer)
of a unit is 28,000 lbs. The GCWR (with trailer) of
the unit is 35,000 lbs. The trailer hitch rating is 7,500
lbs. Calculating the amount of cargo that must be
removed is as follows: 35,000 lbs (GCWR) – 28,000
lbs (GAWR) = 7,000 lbs. The trailer hitch is rated for
7,500 lbs. therefore 500 lbs of cargo capacity must be
removed or reduced from the vehicle. .
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.
A weight-carrying 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-
distributing, 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 equipment/
trailer supplier to determine the correct type of
hitch head assembly, hitch ball and other tow
equipment you should use for towing and level-
On The Road
05-3