1993 GMC Suburban Owner's Manual - Page 228

0 Willyouhavetomakeanyholes in thebodyofyourvehiclewhenyou install atrailer hitch? If you do, then be sure to sealtheholeslater when you remove the hitch. If you don'tsealthem,deadlycarbon monoxide (CO) fromyourexhaust can getintoyourvehicle(see"Carbon Monoxide" in theIndex).Dirtandwatercan,too. Safety Chains You should alwaysattachchainsbetweenyourvehicleandyourtrailer.Cross thesafetychainsunderthetongue of thetrailer so thatthetonguewillnot drop to theroad if it becomesseparatedfromthehitch.Instructionsabout safetychainsmaybeprovided by thetrailermanufacturer. Follow the manufacturer'srecommendationforattachingsafetychains.Alwaysleavejust enoughslack so you can turn with yourrig. And, neverallowsafetychains drag on theground. to Traikw Brakes If yourtrailerweighsmorethan 1,000 pounds (450 kg)loaded, then it needs its own brakes-andtheymustbeadequate. Be sure to readandfollowthe so you'll be able to install,adjust and instructions for the trailer brakes maintainthemproperly. Don'ttapintoyourvehicle'sbrakesystem if thetrailer'sbrakesystemwilluse morethan 0.02 cubic inch (0.3 cc)of fluid fromyourvehiclesmastercylinder. If it does, both braking systemswon'tworkwell. You couldevenloseyour brakes. 0 8 Will thetrailerbrake parts take 3,000 psi (20 650 kPa)ofpressure? If not, thetrailerbrakesystemmustnotbe used withyourvehicle. If everythingchecksoutthis far,thenmakethebrake fluid tapatthe port onthemastercylinderthatsendsfluidtotherearbrakes.Butdon't use coppertubingforthis. If you do, it will bend andfinallybreak off. Usesteelbraketubing. Dr!whcJ with a Traik?s. Towing a trailerrequiresacertainamount of experience.Beforesettingout fortheopenroad,you'llwant to get to knowyourrig.Acquaintyourselfwith thefeel of handlingandbrakingwith the addedweight of thetrailer.And alwayskeep in mind thatthevehicle you aredriving is nowagooddeal longerandnotnearly so responsive as yourvehicle is byitself. Before you start,checkthetrailer hitch andplatform,safetychains,electrical If thetrailerhaselectricbrakes, connector,lights,tiresandmirroradjustment. startyourvehicle and trailermovingandthenapplythetrailerbrakecontroller by hand to be surethebrakes are working.Thisletsyoucheckyour electricalconnectionatthesametime. 4-60