1993 GMC Sonoma Owner's Manual - Page 214

Your Driving and the Road Following Distance Stayatleasttwiceasfarbehindthevehicle ahead asyouwouldwhen drivingyourvehiclewithoutatrailer.Thiscanhelpyouavoidsituationsthat requireheavybrakingandsuddenturns. Passing You'llneedmorepassingdistanceup ahead whenyou'retowingatrailer. And, becauseyou'rea good deallonger,you'llneed to go muchfarther beyond thepassedvehiclebeforeyoucanreturn to yourlane. Backing Up Holdthebottom of thesteeringwheelwithonehand.Then, to movethe trailerleft,justmoveyourhandtotheleft. To movethetrailer to theright, moveyourhand to theright.Alwaysbackupslowlyand, if possible,have someoneguideyou. Making Turns Whenyou'returningwithatrailer,makewiderturnsthannormal. Do this so yourtrailerwheelswon'tstrike soft shoulders,curbs,roadsigns,trees,or otherobjects.Avoidjerkyorsuddenmaneuvers.Signalwell in advance. Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer Whenyoutowatrailer,yourvehiclehas to haveadifferentturnsignal flasher and extrawiring.Thegreenarrowsonyourinstrumentpanelwillflash wheneveryousignalaturnorlanechange.Properly hooked up,thetrailer lightswillalsoflash,tellingotherdriversyou'reabout to turn,changelanes, or stop. Whentowingatrailer,thegreenarrowsonyourinstrumentpanelwillflashfor turnseven if thebulbsonthetrailer are burnedout.Thus,you may think driversbehindyouareseeingyoursignalwhentheyarenot. It's important to checkoccasionally to be sure the trailer bulbs are still working. Driving on Grades Reducespeedandshift to alowergear before youstartdownalongor steepdowngrade.If you don'tshiftdown,youmighthavetouseyourbrakes so much thattheywouldgethotand no longerworkwell. 45 mph On a longuphillgrade,shiftdownandreduceyourspeedtoaround (70 km/h) to reducethepossibility of engine and transmissionoverheating. D whentowinga Ifyouhaveanautomatictransmission,youshoulduse heat trailer.Operatingyourvehicle in D whentowingatrailerwillminimize buildup and extendthe life of yourtransmission.Or, if youhaveamanual transmissionwithfifthgear,it'sbetter not to usefifthgear,justdrive in fourth gear(or,asyouneed to, alowergear). 4-60