4RUNNER (1998)
A safety chain must always be
used between the towing vehicle
and the trailer. Leave sufficient
slack in the chain for turns. The
chain should cross under the
trailer tongue to prevent the
tongue from dropping to the
ground in case it becomes dam-
aged or separated. For correct
safety chain procedures, follow
the hitch or trailer manufactur-
er 's recommendations.
CAUTION
If the total trailer weight ex-
ceeds 453 kg (1000 lb.), trailer
brakes are required .
Never tap into your vehicle's
hydraulic system as it would
lower its braking effectiveness .
Never tow a trailer without us-
ing a safety chain securely atta-
ched to both the trailer and the
vehicle. If damage occurs to the
coupling unit or hitch ball,
there is danger of the trailer
wandering over into another
lane.
TIRES
Ensure that your vehicle's tires are
properly inflated. See Chapter 7- 2
for instructions.
The trailer tires should be inflated
to the pressure recommended by
the trailer manufacturer in respect
to the total trailer weight.
TRAILER LIGHTS Trailer lights must comply with fed-
eral, state/provincial and local re-
gulations. See your local recre-
ational vehicle dealer or rental
agency for the correct type of wir-
ing and relays for your trailer.
Check for correct operation of the
turn signals and stop lights each
time you hitch up. Direct splicing
may damage your vehicle's electri-
cal system and cause a malfunc-
tion of your lights.
BREAK- IN SCHEDULE Toyota recommends that you do
not tow a trailer with a new vehicle
or a vehicle with any new power
train component (engine, transmis-
sion, differential, wheel bearing,
etc.) for the first 800 km (500
miles) of driving. MAINTENANCE
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle
will require more frequent
maintenance due to the additional
load. For this information, please
refer to the scheduled maintenance
information in the ºOwner 's Manual
Supplement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
Retighten all fixing bolts of the
towing ball and bracket after
approximately 1000 km (600 miles)
of trailer driving.
PRE- TOWING SAFETY CHECK
Check that your vehicle remains
level when a loaded or unloaded
trailer is hitched. Do not drive if
the vehicle has an abnormal nose-
up or nose- down condition, and
check for improper tongue load,
overload, worn suspension or other
possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is se-
curely loaded so that it cannot
shift.
Check that your rear view mirrors
conform to any applicable federal,
state/provincial or local regulation.
If not, install the rear view mirrors
required for towing purpose.
