Community Forums

khill243 · 09-25-2016, 03:30 PM

I have a 2011 Allegro Red and am trying to tow a 2009 Lexus ES350 on an Acme Tow Dolly. The problem that I am having is loading the Lexus without dragging on the front cowl. The Lexus front end is low but not more than many cars. I have a 3 1/4" drop hitch on the RV which puts the ball at 16" above ground. This is at the upper level of the ideal 14" to 16" that Acme recommends. Acme told me to lower the ball which I did by 2". The car will load with the lower ball but just barely. However, the lower ball drags on the ground when I go over the slight rise I need to go over to get my RV out of storage. The overhang at the back of the RV forces to ball close to the ground when I go over a rise. I tried a 2x8 under the ramp to load the Lexus and it helped but the cowl still dragged. I am reluctant to put two boards under the ramp.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get this car on the dolly without having to go to the lower drop hitch? I had never realized how close the hitch approaches the ground when going over a rise. Am I missing something?

Scarab0088 · 09-25-2016, 04:34 PM

Is the car's cowl dragging on the dollies rear frame cross bar or the front cross bar as you load?

If it is hitting the rear cross bar... the hitch ball is too low.
Yes, Acme says 14"-16" ball height is best, but not if the car is hitting the dolly frame.

Initial set-up needs to be on a flat...simulate roadway travel. Having the dolly clear the car at the dollies front and rear cross bar is paramount. Being 14"-16" ensures the pull bar is level and the surge brakes work best with a level head, but slightly nose high is OK.

We've got over 15,000 miles on our EZE-Tow with it slightly nose high to prevent hitch impact when driving over intersection gutters...no problems.

Best luck

khill243 · 09-25-2016, 04:50 PM

The cowling hits on the front cross (closest to RV). It clears the back but just barely. Thanks for your input.

fletch460 · 09-25-2016, 05:04 PM

I towed for a while and had this problem. Just by laying a 2x10x12 in front of the ramp with the edge of the ramp on thje 2x. Car went up on 2x and with the ramp raised the cowling clearing.

vettenuts · 09-25-2016, 05:19 PM

Which tires are on your dolly? The originals were 10" wheels but they are now testing 12" wheels. I am now running 12" wheels and tires on mine. This may help some with your issue but not sure it will solve it since it will slightly change the angle of the dolly.

My car still hits the front bar at times since the car moves on its suspension while towing and hitting bumps. I have two frame bolts that bang up the dolly in this location.

Scarab0088 · 09-25-2016, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khill243

The cowling hits on the front cross (closest to RV). It clears the back but just barely. Thanks for your input.

Ouch!!

So, apart from loading, there would probably be contact when the dolly dips into any low spot on the road...hitch rises as the RV goes up, with dolly dropping into any road drip.
The car must be really low at the cowl.

An owner of a Mini contacted ACME about a similar issue and reported here that ACME authorized very specific cuts to be made to the front cross bar's verticle section.
I would call ACME about this specific issue for advice.

Another option is to drop the hitch to make the dolly level as possible (maybe about 14") and add a caster wheel the drop hitch like:
https://www.etrailer.com/Skid-Wheels...48-979023.html

Best luck