LOST JEEPS :: View topic - Hitch mount cargo carrier

Been thinking about buying the hitch carrier I saw a wal-Mart for $50 and use it to carry fuel when I take the CRD to MI for a VW TDI GTG MD weekend.

Now there's an idea! I didn't even think about a hitch carrier. Now I've got a good reason to go and get a hitch put on this beast!

One advantage of being employed by DC, 25% off on Mopar aftermarket goodies. :wink:

Actually, I've already purchased four 5 gallon jugs at Wal-Mart. Plan was, instead of every other weekend making the 40 mile round trip to fill up on B20, make it a monthly affair by filling up the Jeep and the jugs. Hitch carrier would eliminate any concerns about spilling any on the rear carpet.

I love the idea of the hitch carrier. I've been shopping them since I first bought the truck. My biggest problem with it is the positioning of the spare tire. It takes away a bit of the usable space on the carrier. But I still think it's the best cargo option.

Watch the weight limit on that $50 one. I've seen the weight limits on these things range from 1000lbs all the way down to 100lbs. As far as I'm concerned, if it won't hold 500lbs, it's not worth my money. I think the lowest 500 I've seen was $89.

Here are some of the places I've been shopping:

trailerhitches.com

hitchfinder.com

etrailer.com

stowaway2.com

versahaul.com

and I wish this one didn't have the rise...it has a 1000lb weight rating!!
rvtoyoutlet.com

That 6" rise would really come in handy if you were doing some minor off road driving. That would give a lot more road clearance if you were coming out of a creak bed or heavy rutted area. That may be the one I get, but I need to look at the one in Wal-Mart just to make sure it is not what I want. Wonder what the shipping cost would be on that puppy?

Yeah, I love that 1000 pounder too. The 6" lift would be great for getting out onto the beach and up into the mountains (or even in and out of some parking lots I've been in). But the proximity to the spare is what concerns me. They only provide the dimensions of the basket. I can't find the hitch/rise/bar dimensions and can't calculate if it will extend beyond the spare. Maybe get a hitch extender too?

The shipping options from rvtoyoutlet on that item (55lbs) are:
UPS Ground ($40.33)
UPS 3 Day Select ($97.33)
UPS 2nd Day Air ($145.50)
UPS Next Day Air ($199.36)

So we're looking at $110.32 for the unit shipped.

The only reason I haven't purchased this one is the thought of losing the ability to open the rear door without completely unloading the cargo carrier (if the rear door will actually swing open with just the 6" lift and cargo basket in the way). I really want a swing-away model...

...but they're all in the $500 range. And I'm finding it hard to substantiate that. I can get a little Haulmark 6X10 trailer for about $2000. Is a swingaway carrier really worth 1/4 the cost of a trailer that I'll probably buy anyway. Granted, I wouldn't have to tag the carrier like I will a trailer, but it wouldn't carry near as much either. This is why I've been shopping since September. :roll:

If I could find a swingaway the held 500lbs or more for around $200 I'd be in heaven.

And just to keep things on topic...my Liberty still ticks...I'm going to try adding 8 ounces of PS white bottle to my fillups again since I can't find any good diesel locally.

Wouldn't the spare tire get in the way of that hitch basket? Forgive me if I missed part of this discussion earlier...

LibertyCRD wrote:

Wouldn't the spare tire get in the way of that hitch basket?

Yep, that's a potential when buying. It's also something that makes me tentativle to buy something over the Inet because I'd really like to see the thing in person and measure things if I can't get all the dimensions from the online retailer. At worst, if it sits under the rear tire, you might lose a bit of your storage space. You would also have to unload the whole thing to open the KJs swing gate.

That's why I want the swing-away (and we might potentially need a hitch extender depending on hitch-to-basket dimension). That would set it behind the tire and give the ability to swing it off to the passenger side (negative note: this would block curb loading into the truck).

LibertyCRD wrote:

Forgive me if I missed part of this discussion earlier...

No worries. My thought process is sometimes so convoluted that I can hardly keep up with what I'm thinking.

dog_party wrote:

LibertyCRD wrote:

Wouldn't the spare tire get in the way of that hitch basket?

LibertyCRD wrote:

Forgive me if I missed part of this discussion earlier...

No worries. My thought process is sometimes so convoluted that I can hardly keep up with what I'm thinking.

Don't forget, you'll have the option of front mounting pretty soon

Depending on what you were needing out of the back or to put in the back you could just pop the glass up. But yes it could be a PIA if you had a flat.

Dog_party I think I have even managed to insult myself on a couple of ocassions, so I know what you mean.

The tongue rating for the libby is 750lb isnt it?

Jeepjeepster wrote:

The tongue rating for the libby is 750lb isnt it?

I'm baffled. I just looked it up on google, looks like we're both right. Here's the first site I found:

http://trucks.about.com/library/bl/bl_05jeepliberty.htm

It lists the following for max tongue weight:

2.4L: 300lbs
3.7L Manual: 525lbs
3.7L Auto: 750lbs

I can understand that with the manual transmission, I'm limited to 3500lbs instead of 5000lbs, probably due to some difference in the transmission that they didn't want to deal with. But why on earth would tongue weight be affected? The automatic is like 40 lbs heavier, but that's it!

Make sure you get a bumper sticker that says "I dare you to rearend me" or like the pinto "Rear end me and we both die"

Se7enLC wrote:

Make sure you get a bumper sticker that says "I dare you to rearend me" or like the pinto "Rear end me and we both die"

Hey I had one of those on my 74 Pinto.

This hitch carrier is 500 lbs at Wal-Mart.

What brand is the carrier at wally world? I cant find it online, I may run to our crappy wal-mart and see if they have it.

Harbor Freight Tools has a few nice hitch mounted carriers. I really like this one with the wheel and handle kit, would be great for camping, you dont have to unload everything, just pull it off and wheel it aside. It runs $69.99

They also have an aluminum one for $79.99

Both of these are rated at 500 pounds.

Author:	dog_party [ Thu Mar 09, 2006 2:30 pm ]
Post subject:	Hitch mount cargo carrier
By request...here is a shortened excerpt from a discussion started in a completely different thread...(sorry about the unintentional, failed hijack attempt).... oldnavy wrote: Been thinking about buying the hitch carrier I saw a wal-Mart for $50 and use it to carry fuel when I take the CRD to MI for a VW TDI GTG MD weekend. retmil46 wrote: Now there's an idea! I didn't even think about a hitch carrier. Now I've got a good reason to go and get a hitch put on this beast! One advantage of being employed by DC, 25% off on Mopar aftermarket goodies. Actually, I've already purchased four 5 gallon jugs at Wal-Mart. Plan was, instead of every other weekend making the 40 mile round trip to fill up on B20, make it a monthly affair by filling up the Jeep and the jugs. Hitch carrier would eliminate any concerns about spilling any on the rear carpet. dog_party wrote: I love the idea of the hitch carrier. I've been shopping them since I first bought the truck. My biggest problem with it is the positioning of the spare tire. It takes away a bit of the usable space on the carrier. But I still think it's the best cargo option. Watch the weight limit on that $50 one. I've seen the weight limits on these things range from 1000lbs all the way down to 100lbs. As far as I'm concerned, if it won't hold 500lbs, it's not worth my money. I think the lowest 500 I've seen was $89. Here are some of the places I've been shopping: trailerhitches.com hitchfinder.com etrailer.com stowaway2.com versahaul.com and I wish this one didn't have the rise...it has a 1000lb weight rating!! rvtoyoutlet.com oldnavy wrote: That 6" rise would really come in handy if you were doing some minor off road driving. That would give a lot more road clearance if you were coming out of a creak bed or heavy rutted area. That may be the one I get, but I need to look at the one in Wal-Mart just to make sure it is not what I want. Wonder what the shipping cost would be on that puppy? dog_party wrote: Yeah, I love that 1000 pounder too. The 6" lift would be great for getting out onto the beach and up into the mountains (or even in and out of some parking lots I've been in). But the proximity to the spare is what concerns me. They only provide the dimensions of the basket. I can't find the hitch/rise/bar dimensions and can't calculate if it will extend beyond the spare. Maybe get a hitch extender too? The shipping options from rvtoyoutlet on that item (55lbs) are: UPS Ground ($40.33) UPS 3 Day Select ($97.33) UPS 2nd Day Air ($145.50) UPS Next Day Air ($199.36) So we're looking at $110.32 for the unit shipped. The only reason I haven't purchased this one is the thought of losing the ability to open the rear door without completely unloading the cargo carrier (if the rear door will actually swing open with just the 6" lift and cargo basket in the way). I really want a swing-away model... ...but they're all in the $500 range. And I'm finding it hard to substantiate that. I can get a little Haulmark 6X10 trailer for about $2000. Is a swingaway carrier really worth 1/4 the cost of a trailer that I'll probably buy anyway. Granted, I wouldn't have to tag the carrier like I will a trailer, but it wouldn't carry near as much either. This is why I've been shopping since September. If I could find a swingaway the held 500lbs or more for around $200 I'd be in heaven. And just to keep things on topic...my Liberty still ticks...I'm going to try adding 8 ounces of PS white bottle to my fillups again since I can't find any good diesel locally. LibertyCRD wrote: Wouldn't the spare tire get in the way of that hitch basket? Forgive me if I missed part of this discussion earlier... dog_party wrote: LibertyCRD wrote: Wouldn't the spare tire get in the way of that hitch basket? Yep, that's a potential when buying. It's also something that makes me tentativle to buy something over the Inet because I'd really like to see the thing in person and measure things if I can't get all the dimensions from the online retailer. At worst, if it sits under the rear tire, you might lose a bit of your storage space. You would also have to unload the whole thing to open the KJs swing gate. That's why I want the swing-away (and we might potentially need a hitch extender depending on hitch-to-basket dimension). That would set it behind the tire and give the ability to swing it off to the passenger side (negative note: this would block curb loading into the truck). LibertyCRD wrote: Forgive me if I missed part of this discussion earlier... No worries. My thought process is sometimes so convoluted that I can hardly keep up with what I'm thinking. alljeep wrote: dog_party wrote: LibertyCRD wrote: Wouldn't the spare tire get in the way of that hitch basket? Yep, that's a potential when buying. It's also something that makes me tentativle to buy something over the Inet because I'd really like to see the thing in person and measure things if I can't get all the dimensions from the online retailer. At worst, if it sits under the rear tire, you might lose a bit of your storage space. You would also have to unload the whole thing to open the KJs swing gate. That's why I want the swing-away (and we might potentially need a hitch extender depending on hitch-to-basket dimension). That would set it behind the tire and give the ability to swing it off to the passenger side (negative note: this would block curb loading into the truck). LibertyCRD wrote: Forgive me if I missed part of this discussion earlier... No worries. My thought process is sometimes so convoluted that I can hardly keep up with what I'm thinking. Don't forget, you'll have the option of front mounting pretty soon oldnavy wrote: Depending on what you were needing out of the back or to put in the back you could just pop the glass up. But yes it could be a PIA if you had a flat. Dog_party I think I have even managed to insult myself on a couple of ocassions, so I know what you mean.

Author:	fish eye [ Thu Mar 09, 2006 3:25 pm ]
Post subject:
I have the one from Wal-Mart. Uhaul sells the same one for $30 more!! Anyway, I bought it to go camping when my wife and I go with another couple. Not enough room for everything, so I got that for the firewood and one of the coolers. It worked out really well, and now it is used for anything I don't want to haul around inside the jeep. Today I'll use it when I take my new tires to get mounted probably. Its a great little gadget to have. Now, on an off-road type trail, it would suck bad. Really bad.

Author:	Se7enLC [ Thu Mar 09, 2006 3:57 pm ]
Post subject:
The tongue-weight rating for the Liberty is only 500lbs, so I wouldn't go too nuts. I would definitely pick the 1000lb model over the 100lb model, but if there's a 500 or 600lb model, that would do the job as well. I wouldn't load any more weight than the 500lb max, though.

Author:	Jeepjeepster [ Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:17 pm ]
Post subject:
The tongue rating for the libby is 750lb isnt it? Theres not to many cars/suvs around that can even hold 1000lbs without WD. Thats alot of weight, Ill be getting one of these before summer. I dont know if I should get more skids, this, tires, or all of it!!

Author:	dog_party [ Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:27 pm ]
Post subject:
You're right OldNavy. I have the rear cargo organizer in my Liberty and it's always in the up position as a "security" measure (out of sight, out of mind). So I am accustomed to having to open the rear swing gate to get almost anything out of the rear cargo area. But you're right, on a trip my rear cargo organizer is down and I can't get most anything through the flipper glass. Actually, it can be quite dangerous to open the swing gate when I'm on a trip 'cause things tends to avalanche out. Yea, I will probably get a cheaper one for the front Alljeep. I just started thinking about that after my last post. Boy, that'd be handy...especially the 6" lift one!. I'm gonna have stuff hanging alllll over this truck! Woohoo! Talk about crappy coefficient of drag! Ha! I am also going to make something like this... ...for the front hitch. That would allow me to put my canoe above the entire truck, instead of centering it over the rear-biased cabin. I guess I could just start with a cargo carrier and then weld a couple pieces of metal to it to give me both a front cargo carrier AND a canoe support. Hmmm, the possibilities are endless! I'm so glad I ordered that front receiver! I'd still like a swing-away rear cargo carrier though. Just wish they weren't so expensive. Good info Fish Eye! It's always nice to have a report from someone who actually has the item. Do you know what the cargo capacity/weight is? Is it rated up to 500lbs? Good point Se7enLC. I couldn't remember what the tongue-weight rating was on the Liberty. Does anyone know if it's rated at 500lbs because of the wheelbase of the truck? Or is it the structural integrity of the hitch iteself? Like, will 700lbs on the rear hitch lift the front wheels? Or will it rip the hitch off? If it's just a weight distribution problem, then I'm getting two 1000pounders and putting one on the front and one on the back! Ha! 1000lbs on both ends, two kayaks, two mountain bikes, a canoe, two dogs, a beautiful finacee and me. Sounds like a road-trip begging to happen to me!

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Author:	dog_party [ Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:42 pm ]
Post subject:
Missed your post Jeepjeepster. I went and looked at my spec sheet and you're both right. The tongue-weight ratings: 4 cyl manual - 300lbs 6 cyl manual - 525lbs 6 cyl auto - 750lbs CRD auto - 750lbs Unfortunately for my crazy ranting idea of distributing approx 3000 pounds all over the truck, the max payload is listed as 1150 and the max cargo is listed as 400. Pbbbbt. 400lbs? Me and my brother combined are well over that and the Lib didn't even sneeze when we were cruising around. And Jeepjeepster...just get all of it! You know you won't be able to stop yourself! I know I can't!

Author:	Se7enLC [ Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:42 pm ]
Post subject:
Jeepjeepster wrote: The tongue rating for the libby is 750lb isnt it? I'm baffled. I just looked it up on google, looks like we're both right. Here's the first site I found: http://trucks.about.com/library/bl/bl_05jeepliberty.htm It lists the following for max tongue weight: 2.4L: 300lbs 3.7L Manual: 525lbs 3.7L Auto: 750lbs I can understand that with the manual transmission, I'm limited to 3500lbs instead of 5000lbs, probably due to some difference in the transmission that they didn't want to deal with. But why on earth would tongue weight be affected? The automatic is like 40 lbs heavier, but that's it!

Author:	Jeepjeepster [ Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:46 pm ]
Post subject:
Se7enLC wrote: Jeepjeepster wrote: The tongue rating for the libby is 750lb isnt it? I'm baffled. I just looked it up on google, looks like we're both right. Here's the first site I found: http://trucks.about.com/library/bl/bl_05jeepliberty.htm It lists the following for max tongue weight: 2.4L: 300lbs 3.7L Manual: 525lbs 3.7L Auto: 750lbs I can understand that with the manual transmission, I'm limited to 3500lbs instead of 5000lbs, probably due to some difference in the transmission that they didn't want to deal with. But why on earth would tongue weight be affected? The automatic is like 40 lbs heavier, but that's it! I guess they figure if the trailer has over a 525lb tongue weight then the trailer over all weighs more than 3500lbs? Heres the one I'm thinking of ordering. I think it sticks out way to far, so I'm going to drill new holes to push it closer to the spare tire. http://www.jeepkj.com/forums/viewtopic. ... highlight= cost $70 at Target

Author:	oldnavy [ Fri Mar 10, 2006 2:20 pm ]
Post subject:
The one at Target looks like the $55 one at Wal-Mart I looked at this morning. They have a reall nice cover for it for $49 and I didn't look at the cost of the net. I guess I will get the thing tomorrow, tonight I guess I had better look and see what size hitch pin I will need. Probably 5/8" but I guess I will look before I leap. The main thing I want this for is to carry the five gal yellow fuel cans (4 or 5, and I never put more then 4 gal in them) to carry fuel on trips to VW diesel GTG's. Also it would be nice to have them for the 60 mile one way trip to fill with B10 49 cetane fuel so we didn't have to make the trip so often.

Author:	dog_party [ Fri Mar 10, 2006 2:52 pm ]
Post subject:
Sounds like a good purchase OldNavy. Five 5-gallon jugs of diesel at, what? 7lbs/gallon...175lbs on there. Just make sure it's not rated for only 100lbs. Even a 300lbs rating will be more than enough. I don't think anyone should worry about the tongue weight being different on the different models. Just go with the highest number. I would only look for specific hitch numbers if you're running something other than the MOPAR hitch receiver. The different manufacturers might list different numbers. I am curious about the breaking point of these hitches though...kinda makes me wonder.

Author:	Se7enLC [ Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:07 pm ]
Post subject:
Make sure you get a bumper sticker that says "I dare you to rearend me" or like the pinto "Rear end me and we both die"

Author:	oldnavy [ Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:
Se7enLC wrote: Make sure you get a bumper sticker that says "I dare you to rearend me" or like the pinto "Rear end me and we both die" Hey I had one of those on my 74 Pinto. This hitch carrier is 500 lbs at Wal-Mart.

Author:	Jeepjeepster [ Fri Mar 10, 2006 4:09 pm ]
Post subject:
oldnavy wrote: Se7enLC wrote: Make sure you get a bumper sticker that says "I dare you to rearend me" or like the pinto "Rear end me and we both die" Hey I had one of those on my 74 Pinto. This hitch carrier is 500 lbs at Wal-Mart. What brand is the carrier at wally world? I cant find it online, I may run to our crappy wal-mart and see if they have it.

Author:	oldnavy [ Fri Mar 10, 2006 5:53 pm ]
Post subject:
Can't remember the brand name, but will be going to Wal-Mart in the morning to buy it and will let you know. Fish eye can probably tell you more about the thing, as he already owns one he got at Wal-Mart.

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Author:	05kjrenny [ Sat Mar 11, 2006 4:31 pm ]
Post subject:
i have the one from walmart and the only problems we found is that it is very loose in the hitch,but a couple of straps from corner of carrier to hitch works for that,the other problems is when we caryy a big cooler 112 quart it will not clear tire so a hitch extension and a couple of new holes is all i needed to solve that problem ,all in all its a good carrier for the cheap price

Author:	oldnavy [ Sat Mar 11, 2006 5:35 pm ]
Post subject:
Jeepjeepster wrote: What brand is the carrier at wally world? I cant find it online, I may run to our crappy wal-mart and see if they have it. Masterbuilt is what it says on the box.

Author:	ga_repoman [ Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:27 am ]
Post subject:
anybody else catch the fact that the swingaway is the only nice thing about that product It's carry capacity is only 160 pds .. for 500 dollars or more ouch

Author:	jeremesh [ Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:09 am ]
Post subject:
Harbor Freight Tools has a few nice hitch mounted carriers. I really like this one with the wheel and handle kit, would be great for camping, you dont have to unload everything, just pull it off and wheel it aside. It runs $69.99 They also have an aluminum one for $79.99 Both of these are rated at 500 pounds.

Author:	jsc7002 [ Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:58 am ]
Post subject:
I got the one from walmart for $50 to put my dirt bike on which weighs 200# at most and it said rated for 500# it was too flimsy so i tore it apart and reinforced it w/ 3/16" strap and it does great now

Author:	TnRebel [ Tue Apr 29, 2008 5:48 pm ]
Post subject:
jeremesh wrote: Harbor Freight Tools has a few nice hitch mounted carriers. I really like this one with the wheel and handle kit, would be great for camping, you dont have to unload everything, just pull it off and wheel it aside. It runs $69.99 They also have an aluminum one for $79.99 Both of these are rated at 500 pounds. Hey the first one would be great for Deer Hunting to haul the deer back to the jeep with ease.