Loading a low-clearance car into a trailer can quickly become a stressful experience. Whether you're transporting a race car, exotic, sports car, lowered street car, show car, or custom vehicle, the transition from the ground to the trailer can create an approach angle that simply isn't friendly to vehicles that sit close to the pavement.
The result? Scraped front bumpers or damaged splitters to contact underneath the vehicle by high-centering during loading.
Some owners resort to stacking boards, improvising makeshift extensions, raising the front of the trailer, or even removing a bumper or splitter before loading. But when you're transporting a valuable vehicle, loading shouldn't have to be an improvised or lengthy process.
Our car hauler ramps are designed to create a smoother transition into your trailer by reducing the loading angle for low-clearance vehicles.
Why Low-Clearance Cars Are Difficult to Load into Trailers
The problem isn't necessarily the trailer or the vehicle. It's the combination of the two. When a trailer door or loading ramp meets the ground at a steep angle, a low-clearance vehicle may not have enough room to transition onto the ramp without making contact.
There are several common trouble spots:
Front Bumper and Splitter Contact
The first problem can occur before the car even begins climbing the trailer ramp.
Sports cars, race cars, exotics, and modified vehicles often have low front bumpers, air dams, or splitters. If the initial approach angle is too steep, the front of the vehicle can contact the ramp before the tires reach it. For owners of expensive or highly customized vehicles, even a minor scrape can mean costly repairs. Plus, nobody wants down time as they either wait for a shop to repair the vehicle or spend their own time doing the repairs.
High-Centering During Loading
Getting the front bumper onto the ramp doesn't necessarily mean you're in the clear. Another critical point occurs as the vehicle transitions from the trailer ramp onto the trailer deck. A vehicle with a long wheelbase or limited ground clearance can potentially make contact underneath the center of the car. This is commonly referred to as high-centering. The vehicle may clear the initial approach but still encounter insufficient breakover clearance farther into the loading process.
Removing Bumpers or Splitters to Load
Some racers and performance vehicle owners go as far as removing front bumpers, splitters, or other aerodynamic components just to get their vehicles into a trailer. While that may solve the clearance problem, it adds unnecessary work every time the vehicle needs to be transported. A better solution is to address the loading geometry itself.
MaxRamps Car Hauler Ramps Help Reduce the Loading Angle
Our car hauler ramps are designed to extend the loading transition and help create a more gradual approach into or onto the trailer. Instead of asking a low-clearance vehicle to immediately climb a steep trailer door or ramp, MaxRamps helps spread that elevation change over a longer distance. A longer, smoother transition can reduce the approach angle and help provide the additional clearance needed to load low-profile vehicles.
This can make loading easier for a wide variety of vehicles, including:
- Race cars
- Exotic cars
- Sports cars
- Lowered vehicles
- Muscle cars
- Restomods
- Show cars
- Performance street cars
Whether you're heading to the racetrack, a car show, or simply transporting your vehicle from one destination to another, having the right loading setup can make a major difference on time and the safety of your vehicle.
Not Every Car Hauler Requires the Same Ramp
One of the most important things to understand about loading a low-clearance vehicle is that there isn't one ramp configuration that's right for every trailer and every car. That's why we offer several car hauler ramp options designed for different loading scenarios.
Choosing the appropriate ramp primarily comes down to two variables:
1. Your trailer setup
2. Your vehicle's clearance
Understanding both is important when selecting your MaxRamps car hauler ramps.
Solve the Loading Problem Instead of Working Around It
If you've ever used pieces of lumber, stacked blocks, removed a bumper, or had someone carefully watch underneath the car while you inch your way into a trailer, you already understand how frustrating low-clearance loading can be. More importantly, the vehicle you're loading may represent a significant investment.
Your loading equipment should reflect that.
MaxRamps car hauler ramps are designed to help create a more gradual loading transition, giving low-clearance vehicles a smoother path from the ground to the trailer. Rather than repeatedly working around an aggressive loading angle, you can equip your trailer with a ramp solution designed specifically to improve that transition.
Explore MaxRamps Car Hauler Ramps and find the setup that helps your low-clearance vehicle transition smoothly from the ground into your trailer.