Hitch mounted carrier
 

Has anyone bought one of these hitch mounted rear carrier tray?
Was looking at ebay, thought it would be easier to haul my dog show stuff -large foldable dog crate, grooming table etc. Any suggestions? Thought about the roof rack, but quite a haul to get the crate up on the roof rack.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...category=34287

Thanks in advance

only $60, can't beat that. It'll give you better gas mileage too.

I've seen them on suvs and always thought that was a good idea. I have a bike hitch rack and it is alot more quiet and fuel efficient than the roof (not to mention easier to load).

Great avatar!

I have one of those. I use it very infrequently, but it works great when I do use it. (Usually for camping)

Re: Hitch mounted carrier
 

They're nice and certainly frees up space from the back, or simply gives you more space all around.

But if you get one, I strongly recommend getting something like one of these as well:

http://www.hitchrider.com/nowobble.htm
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/piggypack/hist.html
(there're other styles as well)

Without it, the carrier will tend to "twist" in the receiver. I don't know that it would ever break, but watching them do that as they go down the road (or my own 4-bike rack do it fully loaded) scares me.

I thought the wobble was there as a sort of a crude suspension. When going over uneven pavement the bike rack does not sway, it's the *car* that does, and I think if it was mounted very tight it would definitely strain the rack at the hitch mount point.

I recently picked one up at a Harbor Freight Tools Store http://www.harborfreight.com for $39. It doesn't flold up like that one, and I had to do some minor assembly, but for the price, you can't beat it!

I guess that's possible, but my bike rack is loose enough in there that it rattles and bounces around within the receiver.

Actually, if you think about it, tying the load tight to the receiver will make the load part of the truck's suspension. The load that's back there with a platform or bike rack isn't as much as the tongue weight on a boat trailer, so I can't see it being so much that it would stress the hitch. (of course staying within the load limits on the hitch)

If you leave it loose, then the load (say it's 200 pounds) will be constantly slamming into the limits of the receiver as it bounces around. I'd rather tie it tight and have that motion be dampend by the suspension.

There's a side issue here... This will cause a change in how your rig steers because as the load tries to shift, it will put a sie-to-side, up-and-down motion at the back end of the truck. It's something to be aware of if you end up in slippery conditions.

Bet you can find one locally for around the same price - then you won't have to pay shipping.