20 Best Hitch Mounted Cargo Carrier (2023 Updated)

Overall, the product is ok. Aluminum frame is sturdy and the brace and tow bar are very strong. All the holes lined up well and assembly isn’t difficult. However, the fasteners they supplied to assemble the frame are awful.

They strip if you look at them crosswise. They are very low quality. The bolts to hold the frame to the tow bar are fine. But the screws aren’t. I stripped the socket with a proper sized allen wrench.

I made sure to take it easy and go slowly for the rest of them. If I ever have to replace them it will be a nightmare–especially if they are rusted. I’ll be drilling them out. Everything else about the carrier was just fine.

I would have given 4 stars maybe five otherwise but the fasteners were too poor.

This rack is a good size for smaller to midsize SUV. We needed space inside the car so bought this to hold baggage and packages. We bought the matching Max Haul bag a great combination. Worked perfectly on a 2200 mile trip just what we needed.

Easy to assemble too, if you have hitch snd need extra cargo space this is a great option.

I got it to transport a lawnmower and it does the job nicely. Will use for gas cans so I don’t have gas fumes in the vehicle. \nIt assembled quickly with four screws for the base and four for the reflectors.

I found it sturdy considering the material. It fits snug in the receiver so it doesn’t rotate much at all. I can see where the plastic corners could be damaged, so I will be careful with those; I could repair or reinforce the corners easily with some angle aluminum.

Yes, I would purchase this carrier again. We needed an extra large carrier for a large mobility scooter and this is the only one we could find big enough for my scooter. The folding ramp is perfect and after the carrier has been installed I can load the scooter by myself.

Easy pull latch release to let the ramp down and easy to fold up. The carrier folds up vertically against the car when not in use by moving a couple carter pins. Installing the carrier did take two people since we are older (63 and 70) but we did it ourselves.

The carrier is made of durable steel with mesh bottom and ramp and has high rails so the scooter is more secure. Yes, I’d recommend this to a friend.

Very heavy and sturdy. Some assembly required, but instructions were included. I would say it is very heavy and hard to maneuver for us. I am disabled (reason for needing to transport EVC) and my husband is 70 years old.

But we managed with the help of dollie on casters and some thinking. As for the carrier itself, it is perfect and minimal rattling while driving on the road.

It was easy to put together and is lightweight enough for one person to attach and detach from the vehicle. It carried a large cooler and a. portable generator no problem. You definitely need to have tie downs though because the rails are not very high.

But if they were any higher it would be harder to load it. It’s a good buy overall.

Well built and easy to put together. However, they use Phillips head screws so power equipment is too strong. Nuts and bolts are quite small which will take some patience but worth it. Hauled some mulch this morning and it did not make any noise.

The carrier was a bit damaged on receipt, there was a single hole through the metal mesh bottom but doesn’t really impact the function. Picture attached. I think the damage came from the factory because the condition of the box wouldn’t have made me think it was shipping damage.

The carrier was easy to assemble and fit our Acura MDX well, in a CURT hitch I purchased. Overall the product is very well constructed and sturdy feeling, although a few small things like weld quality and overall paint quality could be better.

But it performed well on a trip we just took, couldn’t even tell it was on the car most of the time. It did bottom out once on a steep drive out of a business but can’t do much about that.

This is a well built product. Very heavy and very big. Make sure you have a good quality hitch receiver to handle the load. The extended shank provided plenty of clearance from the spare tire. Only issue is that I cannot place the basket in the up position because of the spare tire.

This really isn’t a major issue for me as it is just as easy to remove the carrier from the hitch receiver when not in use.

This one is perfect! Houston to St. Louis with no problems at all. Probably a good 250 lbs on it. After researching and reading 1000 reviews I went with this one and would most definitely buy again (not that I’ll need to).

Reviews did mention rusting, so I went ahead and purchased rust prevention spray paint. There is a bit of rust and it is hard to match the holes on the hitch in order to insert the pin so just measure and mark (mind you I built and installed this completely by myself.

I’m a 31-year-old mom. ) Those are the only faults I found! Easy assembly-just take your time and read the instructions. Screwing the bolts was the most time consuming part. My SUV is low to the ground so I knew I needed the curved hitch.

Still scrapes sometimes over steep hills and bumps, no biggie. The straps are fine but I still used 2 bungie cords over the top and duct taped the excess strap. Also purchased two adhesive reflectors, less than $2, from walmart to add to the back.

Some reviews I read complain about shaking and wobbling. Every bolt should be as tight as possible except for the folding joint. I tightened just enough to be able to bend it. Also nice to have a hitch pin with O-rings.

I couldn’t even tell I had this on the back (besides the gas mileage from the extra weight). And instructions clearly state to even the weight out. Now, I’ll use it for camping and such. One of my best purchases and great price for the quality!.

Thumbs up. Fantastic. I’m a 79 year old disabled woman who refuses to quit playing and go down quietly. I could no longer pick my mobility scooter up by myself and lift it onto the carrier I did have on my RV because of shoulder surgery.

So. I bought this one, my son put it together and mounted it on the RV hitch and I was off on another adventure!!! I can use it by MYSELF to load and unload the scooter (a 3 wheel CTM) and I can once again go exploring my wide, wonderful world.

Thanks Walmart for making this available and thanks MaxxHaul for designing this one. I appreciate you both.

Once the unit is attached to the vehicle, it is very easy to load scooter onto. The only issue I have is that my license plate is covered when the scooter is on. This unit has given me my freedom back at a very affordable cost.

I’m happy with this product. Assembly was straightforward. Materials and fit were good. I have already used it to carry a generator that is about 120 pounds and had no problems. I’ll also be carrying a lawnmower and other items that are getting too heavy for this old man to lift into the pickup bed by myself.

Delivery took two days from order date. Same price as Amazon, but since I’m not on Prime, Amazon takes MUCH longer for me to get stuff. I much prefer Walmart if product and price are close.

I purchased this to haul my wife’s new Electric Trike. I was able to modify it with a motorcycle chock to hold it in place and be able to hold it in place. It works excellently and my wife is able to load her E-trike and travel to wherever she wants to go.

We are planning a few trips and this will make it easier to travel. I bought this trailer because it was the largest one I could get. I wish it would have been a little wider, but it is working fine for us.

Exactly as described. Very reasonable price. If you want to use the fold up feature on your wrangler you’ll need to purchase a short extension for the hitch coupler.

Extra carrying space for items you don’t want in your Jeep. The carrier doesn’t allow you to open your tailgate. So only pack things in the cargo area that you can reach from the seats

The basket served its purpose of providing the opportunity to have more cargo. It takes quite some time to assemble. Use power tools if you can. The frame hangs quite low to the ground and often scrapes on the pavement.

Every variation in elevation needs to be approached slowly and cautiously and/or at an angle. The little red plastic plug on the end of it was gone within the first few minutes, once the frame scrapes on the ground.

I will need to find something to replace it so the metal bar doesn’t get water in it and start rusting out. I added reflectors at the side and the bottom of the frame, so when it’s tipped up, and not being used, the black metal bar can be seen.

Would be nice if there was some way to pull up the frame once it’s loaded, so it doesn’t hang so low to the ground. Next time I may try something.

Some of the part numbers in the instructions do not match the actual parts. The bolts provided do not do a sufficient job of a solid assembly. The hitch connect tube fits to loosely over the connect frame.

If I were to fold up the cargo carrier I believe it may hit the rear door of my new Blazer. I wish I never would have purchased this product on line thru Tractor Supply.

Assembly could be easier. I thought it came assembled. Could also be a bit higher off the ground.. I do love it though, so far. Happy i bought it.

This one is perfect! Houston to St. Louis with no problems at all. Probably a good 250 lbs on it. After researching and reading 1000 reviews I went with this one and would most definitely buy again (not that I’ll need to).

Reviews did mention rusting, so I went ahead and purchased rust prevention spray paint. There is a bit of rust and it is hard to match the holes on the hitch in order to insert the pin so just measure and mark (mind you I built and installed this completely by myself.

I’m a 31-year-old mom. ) Those are the only faults I found! Easy assembly-just take your time and read the instructions. Screwing the bolts was the most time consuming part. My SUV is low to the ground so I knew I needed the curved hitch.

Still scrapes sometimes over steep hills and bumps, no biggie. The straps are fine but I still used 2 bungie cords over the top and duct taped the excess strap. Also purchased two adhesive reflectors, less than $2, from walmart to add to the back.

Some reviews I read complain about shaking and wobbling. Every bolt should be as tight as possible except for the folding joint. I tightened just enough to be able to bend it. Also nice to have a hitch pin with O-rings.

I couldn’t even tell I had this on the back (besides the gas mileage from the extra weight). And instructions clearly state to even the weight out. Now, I’ll use it for camping and such. One of my best purchases and great price for the quality!.

Very pleased with this cargo carrier. Solid construction with powdercoated steel. Assembly was very straightforward; however, it’s important to note that to avoid any issues you’ll need to hand tighten all of the hardware prior to tightening down.

I noticed the cage wouldn’t go together as easily if I had bolted the plates on prior to the hitch receiver.

Just used this carrier for 26 hours of driving and it was excellent. Took about 15 minutes to put together by myself with an impact and a wrench. It’s very sturdy and has plenty of room. The fold feature meant that we could leave it on throughout vacation and it wasn’t in the way.

It also sets the carrier far enough back that we could use the hatch with it loaded without any issue. Also worth noting that Summit’s shipping was very quick and top notch.

Used this to carry an extra duffel and bikes for a week long beach trip. Literally gave me as much travel room as my buddy’s Ford Expedition. Easy to assemble and easy to insert into my hitch. Not too heavy or awkward for a one-person job.

Felt totally secure on the drive and tested it going fast on some speed bumps with zero issue.

The rack was easy to put together and mount but it did not come with any hick pins or pins to hold it up. There is one fit issue in the upright position, the spare tire causes the rack to not go up all the way so that you can insert the pin, it was off by an 1/8″ so the hole did not line up properly.

I had to use a smaller pin to fit the hole or you can drill it out so a normal pin will fit. I have received several compliments from other people and now they want to buy one. I can’t wait to use it deer hunting next year.

Product is well built. Big enough to carry all the luggage my family needs for week long vacation. Only negative i have is the square tubing that goes into the reese hitch i have is a little loose. Without weight on it you can here it rattling when hitting bumps on rough roads.

Sturdy enough to hold over 300 lbs of geodes on a trip from Illinois to Arkansas. Easy to install. Simple and basic. I wish it were a few inches shorter because it does not quite allow for me to open the back door of my 2021 Jeep Wrangler.

I read many customer reviews at various websites before I decided to purchase the Pro Series Cargo Carrier. It received wonderful ratings across the board, and I see why. It is solidly made, perfect size and the tongue part has a slant upwards to prevent dragging when going up or down steep slopes.

We bought it for our Ford Transit Connect, and it allows us to have much more room for the dog and supplies inside when we go camping.

I was able to fit four bikes on here completely fine. I WOULD recommend a bungie cord to strap the wheels together so the handlebars don’t turn and wheels spin in the wind, but otherwise it is excellent! I was able to open my minivan door with the tilt action, as expected.

SUPER easy to install (including installing my own tow bar/hitch, but that’s a diff. topic). It doesn’t lock the bikes in place (people could come by and just unstrap and steal them), but for the price, this does exactly what I wanted it to do.

great even on the fendered bikes (we use sponge strips to protect back fenders, front fenders do not interfere). We also use a Formosa cover (with net) and remove the batteries for travel. We protect the battery cavities with contractor garbage bags and tape.

However, the bike separation is a hair too little and we do need to remove the kick stands on both bikes to avoid interference with the clamps (takes me about 10 minutes per bike to do it super-careful to avoid compromising electrical wires).

The derailleur interferes with the clamp when mounted on the in-facing side, so the bikes travel with the kick stand sides facing each other (stands removed). Our travel vehicle is either a 2017 Ram 1500 Laramie or a 2019 Subaru Outback 3.

5 Limited.

The design is best. Foldable elements that don’t block access to back of car/suv. Relatively stable though could better with 2” direct connection rather than smaller provided. Biggest flaw is failed power-coaling of interior of structural elements.

The main cross bar (~3”x2”) starts rusting within 2 months of daily exposure. Do better Wisc!.

This is a very nice bike rack, but two things that could be improved. The bracket that fits inside the 2 x 2 tube to secure the bold needs to be a permanent fixture. It has come loose several times and got caught in the neck of the 2 x 2 tube.

A pain to retrieve. There needs to be some type of shim to remove some of the up/down motion.

Thinking of buying another one for my truck! I put a hitch on the front of my truck (2014 F150), a while back for this unit. However, I used the ‘back porch’ on the rear trailer hitch numerous times before with zero issues, probably has 10,000+ miles on it! Assembly was a snap, no issues, take your time.

My setup worked very well on the front of my truck. The only two addition I made was, I added some red reflective tape on the aluminum side and rear rails for safety and I mounted (2) 1/2-inch x 30-inch white PVC pipes on the two forward corners (or rear corners if using on the rear hitch).

I topped them off with 1/2-inch red reflective tape on the tops, so I have an idea where the porch extends to while navigating thru tight places. As for securing any tie downs, I use the bottom side rails or cross members to attach the tiedown/ratch hooks to, you don’t need any tie down points.

I’ve had about 200+ pounds (full tote or cooler) each time traveling and had zero issues. As for some occasional ‘rocking’, I use a plastic door shim (for installing wood framed doors), to snug things up if need be.

We are going to our Florida Keys home from New Jersey in about a week and plan on using the ‘front porch’ to carry a concrete firefighter yard statue, about 200+ lbs. on the front hitch to bring down the trucks nose and even out the trucks load as the rear bed will have a good half ton of ‘Jersey’ topsoil, (for tomatoes), tools, materials, etc.

Yup, I’d recommend this product. Infact my oldest son has borrowed it numerous times with absolutely zero issues. I think for the money and quality and light weight, you can’t beat it! BY the way, if you take your time when assembling anything in fact, you’ll find the assembly will usually go well and also when using the item, the use common sense will go far.

Hope this helps, Stay Safe!.

Assembly was pretty easy. Directions just ok but not much to put together. Hitch stablizer a bit wonky. At least on my Jeep JL it does not bite enough of the receiver to make a difference. Additionally, if you plan on using this for a 2018 Jeep or newer, it will not fit without taking the spare tire off.

Jeep lowered the spare tire in 18 to give more rear viewing. Not sure about a JK. Without a stablizer there’s some Yaw in the carrier even under load. All that said it came packaged well with all the necessary hardware and I’ve used to run some lawn equipment back and forth already including a rather heavy snowblower.

No real issues.

Received my Steel Basket Utility Cargo Carrier today via UPS. Shipping container was double boxed for extra care in shipping for a 5 star rating. The carrier goes together rather simply and I had it ready to use in less than 20 minutes.

Mounted the unit to my 2013 Ford Escape with a factory installed 2″ trailer hitch. Backed my 26″ Ariens snow thrower up the ramp and onto the unit fairly easy. Once on the carrier you need to center the weight to avoid twisting the carrier.

I tied the blower down with cargo straps and gave it a test drive. Very little movement of the cargo carrier and performed as expected from the previous reviews I have read. I do like this unit as it uses 3 stabilizing bars for support to help maintain the cargo carrier level.

Great carrier at a great price.

I bought this to move my snowblower to my different properties in town. I’m very happy with the quality and how easy it was to put together. It’s the perfect size and it’s easy to use. It shipped fast and is a good value for the money.

Super happy with everything about this product and discountramps. com.

I bought this cargo basket for many of the reasons other reviewers bought it. I loved the fact that it had the high side walls. I purchased this item over a year ago now, have used it only twice, and it is already falling apart.

There is rust everywhere even though I stored it in a dry place. I had to apply a rust remover, re-paint and clear coat. No matter how must rust remover I put on the bolts, the rust always immediately comes back.

I will replace the bolts myself. Additionally, the springs have fully seized- tip, oil them regularly. Great design but poor quality. I wish I could get my money back or store credit.

Poor quality and construction. Used the product one time for a camping trip, carrier had much less than 500 lbs and by the time I returned one of the undermount support brackets were bent which leaves little structural integrity to the base.

On the side that would be the furthest from the vehicle the bottom pins that push through the side walls allowing the unit to fold, are no longer protruding through the side walls. In addition along that same side the pin that connects the 2 halves at the top of the rear wall has also been pulled out and is precariously hanging on.

Other than for the purpose of packaging the base of the carrier is delivered in 2 halves which makes no sense for a product expected to carry 500lbs. I would do your research and think about your intended use of the product before investing in it.

Since I couldn’t find any decent aluminum ones, I bought this one. I had put lots of reflective tape. Seems pretty solid enough to handle 2-300 pounds. We need more cargo racks to be able to support a bike rack as well.

Forgot bungee cords on the last pic, but nothing came out!.

This review is for the Apex Aluminum Tray Premium Cargo Carrier with Ramp (Item: ACC-500) After reading some of the other reviews I was a bit hesitant to purchase this item and only did so with the intention of having to customize to add strength.

I use this hauler to transport a 330 lb standard size snowdog and have about 350 mi on it. Here are some of my observations: + This is a large carrier, but I can still manage to get it on the Hitch by myself.

+ There is about a foot of space between the carrier and truck. Enough to let the tailgate down all the way without hitting. This is on a tacoma, your experience may vary. – The floor supports give a little when walking on them and does not inspire confidence, but seems fine for the snowdog which has it’s weight spread out.

– When loading, the carrier does tilt to the side, but I have not noticed any permanent deformation yet. I use a couple of 2×4’s for support now when loading and unloading. + The carrier main 2″ tube is reinforce and has an S bend in it which has not shown any signs of permanent deformation yet.

– The struts on the truck have problems rebounding fully in cold weather, but that is not a reflection on the performance of the carrier. All in all a pretty good carrier for my use. I took away a star for flimsy floor support and lack of support on loading side.

I did not find the directions easy to follow. The directions should be a bit more explicit and right under the corresponding pictures. Make a deal with a middle school to have kids put a ramp together following your descriptions.

One middle school in (I believe Hartford CT) does that. The pin that should secure the ramp when it is folded up, does not reach the hole. I use a small bungee cord to decrease the occasional rattling.

When the ramp is folded in and the carrier and ramp are folded up, they block the view of the brake lights and turn signals. I had to go to a U-Haul station to improvise lights under the ramp that will show when the ramp and carrier are folded up against the car.

When I move from my drive way to the street and V. V. the ramp scrapes on the street, when it s loaded with electric trike and regular bike. I have no space to store a small trailer, but otherwise that would have been better.

While this ramp appears well-built, it lacks some clear necessities: There is no clear way to secure the ramp to the deck while in the raised position. Nor is there a way to prevent it from wobbling back and forth in this position.

Additionally, when in the up position the ramp blocks view of the license plate and the brake lights. These factors mean I cannot leave the ramp attached to the vehicle when not transporting my scooter, making it necessary to re-mount and un-mount it when I need to transport.

So I cannot give this product better than 3 stars, sorry.

The box I received was obviosly a return from a prior customer. The hardware bag had already been opened and prices were all over the box. The instructions for assembly were ridiculously indecipherable.

It didn’t assemble properly and I had to use a lot of brute force to make nuts and bolts fit. I would have returned it but I needed to use it and would not have been able receive a new one in time. It sits crooked on the back of my truck but does the job.

The cargo carrier delivered properly all good construction except for the hitch end simply a bit longer than I wanted, had to modify to that it inserts into the receiver further in, better fit and so the load is carried better.

Still a great product and price. I’m using it on an RV trailer and on an SUV. Versatile unit.

Easy to put together and fits on the back of my Jeep with an oversized tire. That was my biggest need as most hitch baskets don’t have a long enough arm to do so. Would have given it 5 stars but one of the key bolts for assembly wasn’t threaded so I had to pick one up from the hardware store.

Purchased this for a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. Assembly took under 30 minutes. I read some reviews where the alignment of holes are a concern. I did not see this issue, there was some adjusting to get the bolts through however not something I would require to re-drill or bore them out.

One assembled installation took about 30 seconds then off we went. What an affordable and beneficial addition to an SUV! I stood on this for a while to set up my roof racks also. not wobble or issues.

Finish is good, fit is good. I would recommend. FYI, the assembly instructions are a bit misleading, you can’t rely on the 2 cross/connecting channels to align the rack, you need to lift each side a bit until the holes line up then feed the bolts through – that should help.

You would thing that assembling on a flat surface everything would line up but seriously for this price do you expect and +/-. 005 tolerance?.

Purchased this for a family camping trip after realizing our SUV was going to be at it’s limit space wise. Got it assembled in about 5 minutes. Only recommendation is to use blue loctite on all the nuts.

Yes they have lock washers and secure nuts, but a little blue thrown in there before tightening and this thing is rock solid! Only complaints are the paint isn’t as durable as I’d like. First bungle strap hook left a decent scratch that went right to the metal, a nice place to start to rust.

Nothing that can’t be touched up easily, but still bothersome. Other complaint is the same for almost any hitch basket, it wobbles once installed. I’m sure a tightening sleeve would take care of it but it’s not too bad.

I would gladly purchase this again and highly recommend it.

Here’s what I like (after my 650-mile test run). 1) it worked as expected 2) I could not see any wear-and-tear on it (still looks pretty sharp!) 3) It wasn’t that expensive Here are some things I’m neutral on: 1) the price – a couple of days after I bought it, I found a similar unit that could double as a roof rack at NAPA for the same price! I thought that the price from Harbor Feight would have been noticeably lower than elsewhere 2) the dimensions really didn’t align well with the plastic totes from Home Depot, Costco.

It would be cool if H. F. sold totes that would fit in these dimensions 3) it did wobble in the hitch, but not so much. I thought it would be worse on the road, but it behaved surprisingly well. 4) general warning – my friend had one of these and it sat right next to the exhaust which melted some of the things he was carrying.

My car has a downward facing exahust and everything that I was carrying was fine – so, make sure that your exahust doesn’t hit the stuff you are carrying.