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Safety Ch: - Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
You should always attach chains between your vehicle
and your trailer. Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer
so that the tongue will not drop to the road
if it becomes separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided by
the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for attaching safety
chains and do not attach them
to the bumper. Always
leave just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig.
And, never allow safety chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Because you have anti-lock brakes, do not try to tap into
your vehicle’s brake system. If you do, both brake
systems won’t work well, or at all. Before
you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and then apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure
the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are
still working.
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Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your Buick dealer. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn
or lane change. Properly hooked
up, the trailer lamps
will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even
if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned
out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not.
It’s important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs
are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long
or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to
use your brakes so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transaxle overheating.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached,
on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer
can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet.
Have someone place chocks under the
trailer’s wheels.
When the wheel chocks are
in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and shift
to PARK (P).
Release the regular brakes.
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When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important
in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, belt, cooling system and brake adjustment.
Each of these
is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s
a good idea to review these sections before you start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
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2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able
to start your Buick, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling,
set the parking brake
firmly on both vehicles
involved
in the jump start procedure. Put your
automatic transaxle
in PARK (P) before setting
the parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into
the cigarette
lighter or accessory power outlet.
Turn off all lamps
that aren’t needed as well as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. In addition, it
could save your radio!
I
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. (Your
vehicle’s battery is located under the windshield
washer fluid reservoir.)
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
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r I A CAUTION:
A vehicle can fall from a car-carrier if it isn’t
adequately secured. This can cause a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains or
steel cables before
it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle. Always use
T-hooks inserted in the T-hook slots. Never use
J-hooks.
They will damage drivetrain and
suspension components.
When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition key
in the
OFF position. The steering wheel should be
clamped in a straight-ahead position, with a clamping
device designed for towing service. Do not use the
vehicle’s steering column lock for
this. The transaxle
should be in
NEUTRAL (N) and the parking
brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the drive wheels,
unless you must.
If the vehicle must be towed on the
drive wheels, be sure to follow the speed and distance
restrictions later in this section or your transaxle will be
damaged. If these limitations must be exceeded, then the
drive wheels have
to be supported on a dolly.
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// -1 Attach T-hook chains in
front of the wheels, into the
slots
of the front shipping
brackets
on the cradle (both
sides). Insert the hook from
the inward side of the slot
and not the outward side.
NOTICE:
When attaching T-hooks to the shipping slots in
the frame rail, attach them inside of the frame to
avoid damage to the frame or front fascia.
These slots are to be used when securing to
car-carrier equipment.
Attach
a separate safety
chain around the outboard
end
of each lower
control arm.
NOTICE:
Take care not to damage the brake pipes and
hoses or the
ABS sensor and wiring.
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Attach T-hook chains into
slots in the bottom
of the
floor pan, just ahead of the
rear wheels,
on both sides.
These slots are to be used when securing to
car-carrier equipment. Attac6
a separate safety
chain
around the outboard
end
of both lateral arms.
I NOTICE:
Take care not to damage the brake pipes
and cables.
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If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if
you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely
to leak out slowly.
But
if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer
to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to
go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how
to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly
to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
A CAC ,,.IN:
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and
roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find a level place to change your tire.
To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
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