Owner`s manual

171
Caravan/traile r loads
1)
The permissible caravan/trailer loads a re
vehicle and engine-dependen t ma ximum
values which must not be e xceede d. The
ac tual caravan/trailer load is the difference
between the a ctual gross we ight of the
ca ra van/trailer and the act ual coupling socket
load with the caravan/trailer coupled. When
the caravan/trailer load is being chec ked,
theref ore, only the ca ra van/trailer wheels –
and not the joc key wheel – must be stan din g
on the weighing apparatus.
The permissible caravan/trailer loads for your
vehicle are given in the vehicle documents.
Unless otherwise stated, they are valid for
gradients up to max. 12 %.
The permitted trailer load must only be used
by drivers with a de qu ate ex pe rience driving
large or heavy trailers.
In higher ele vations the en gine performan ce
and gradability may drop so that it may not be
possible f or the pe rmissible caravan/trailer
loads to be fully utilized in mountainous
territory.
Coupling socket load
The coupling socket load is the load e xerted
by the c aravan/trailer on the c oupling ball.
It can be varied by changing the weight
distribu tion when loading the trailer/caravan.
The maximum pe rmissible couplin g socket
load (75 kg) for the towing vehicle should
always be aimed for, particularly in the case of
heavy carava ns/trailers. The coupling soc ket
load should never fall below 25 kg.
In the case of caravan/trailer loads of 1200 kg
or more, the coupling soc ket load should not
be less than 50 kg.
Whe n measuring the c ouplin g socket load,
make sure that t he drawbar of the loade d
caravan/trailer is at the same height as it will
be whe n the caravan/trailer is coupled with
the towing ve hicle loaded. Particularly
important for caravans/trailers with tandem
axles.
Rear a xle load during towing
Whe n the caravan/trailer ha s been coupled
and the towing vehic le is fully la de n, the
permissible rear axle load (including
occ upan ts) may be ex ceeded:
z on the Saloon by 50 kg
z on t he Esta te with
4 cylinder engine by 45 kg
z on t he Esta te with
6 cylinder engine by 40 kg
z on t he Esta te Ex ecu tive by 3 5 kg
z on t he Esta te Ex ecu tive
with engine Y 26 SE
2)
and
manual transmission by 50 kg
z on the Estat e "increase d
payload" version with
4 c ylin de r engine by 30 kg
z on the Estat e "increase d
payload" version with
6 c ylin de r engine by 35 kg
z on the Estat e "increase d
payload" version with
engine Y 26 SE
2)
and
manual transmission by 50 kg
Additional rear axle load, see identification
plat e.
If the permissible rea r axle load is exc eeded
by the amounts listed, a maximum spee d of
6 0 mph (100 km/ h) applies. If n ationa l
regulations specify a lower maximum speed
for vehicles towing a c aravan/trailer, this must
be observed.
1)
Obser ve national regulations.
2)
Sales designation – see page 216.