1993 GMC Safari Owner's Manual - Page 202

Your Driving and the Road Hitches It'simportanttohavethecorrecthitchequipment.Crosswinds,largetrucks going by, androughroadsareafewreasonswhyyou'llneedtherighthitch. Here are some rules to follow: If you'llbepullingatrailerthat,whenloaded,willweighmorethan 2,000 pounds (900 kg),besure to useaproperlymountedweight-distributing hitch and sway control of thepropersize.Thisequipmentisvery importantforpropervehicleloadingandgoodhandlingwhenyou're driving. a Willyouhave to makeanyholes in thebody of your vehicle whenyou installatrailerhitch? If youdo, thenbesure to sealtheholeslater whenyouremove the hitch. If youdon'tsealthem,deadlycarbon monoxide(CO)fromyourexhaustcanget into your vehicle(see"Carbon Monoxide"intheIndex).Dirtandwatercantoo. If Don't letthesteel in ahitchcontactthealuminumonyourbumper. youdo, the two willcorrode. You canusesomethinglikepaint or plastic tape to separatethesteelandaluminum.Thesamesteel to aluminum problemcanhappenwithfastenerstoo. 0 Safety Chains You shouldalwaysattachchainsbetweenyourvehicleandyourtrailer.Cross thesafetychainsunderthetongue of thetrailer so thatthetonguewillnot drop to theroad if it becomesseparatedfromthehitch.Instructionsabout safety chains maybe providedbythehitchmanufacturerorby the trailer manufacturer.Followthemanufacturer'srecommendationforattachingsafety so youcanturnwithyourrig.And, chains.Alwaysleavejustenoughslack neverallowsafetychains to dragontheground. Trailer Brakes If your trailerweighsmorethan 1,000 pounds (450 kg)loaded,then its ownbrakes-andtheymustbeadequate. it needs Be sure to readandfollowtheinstructionsforthetrailerbrakes adjustandmaintainthemproperly. to install, if the trailer's brake system will use Don't tap intoyourvehicle'sbrakesystem of morethan 0.02 cubicinch ( 0 . 3 ~ ~ ) fluidfromyourvehicle'smastercylinder. If it does,bothbrakingsystemswon'tworkwell.Youcouldevenloseyour brakes. 4-46