Vista LX with Tow Dolly

[jbayone]

OK - here's the dilemma. Just purchased a Vista LX 35F. Winne specs say not to use a drop greater than 4" I'm using the Roadmaster dolly, which recommends a 19" ball height +/- one inch. I'm calculating I would need a 10" drop hitch. yikes. The RM 10" drop hitch with roller for the inevitable bottoming out specs say it's for use with tow bar ONLY - no tow dolly. I put a Prius on the dolly, and with the low front end on that, I can't really push the hitch height any higher than the recommended 19" and expect to keep the front end on the car. Is anyone towing in a similar configuration? What are you using? Any suggestions?


Jim

[HandyJimBob]

Hi Jim:
Don't know if this will be of any use, given the amount of time that's passed since you posted your question, but here goes. We did pretty much the same as you (Vista LX 35F with a Master Tow dolly). I ended up using a 12-inch-drop ball mount, and took great care to avoid dips, such as sharp-angled transitions from the street into driveways. Over the long haul, however, the dolly proved to be more trouble than it's worth (having to drive the car dead-on-center onto the dolly, having to tighten the straps at every stop, and worrying about every loud noise behind Winnie while on the road). We now use a Blue Ox bar to tow four-on-the-ground. And, yes, the drop for this is drastic, too. In fact, it required we have a welder fabricate a 14-inch (center to center) drop extension to keep the tow bar relatively level to the toad (Chevy Sonic). And, yes, we still have to be careful of dips. Ultimately, it seems to me the Vista LX just wasn't designed to tow a car, but that didn't stop us!
--JimBob