[SWITAWI]

Some of us consciously chose not to have a roof rack. In the FJ world that seems to be like chrome parts... Not unheard of, but not the norm either. I started looking into hitch-mounted cargo carriers and quickly deduced several things. I didn't want cheap, I did want lights, and I did want a place to relocate my license plate if it was going to be covered up. Not being satisfied with what I found at Harbor Freight, Northern Tool, or Tractor Supply, I had to broaden my search.

This is what I found, another quality Australian-born product. It's a beast at 60-ish pounds, but I will gladly exchange a few pounds of load capacity for long-term quality.

MSRP is $250 and most of the places I found online had it closer to $200. Then I found Drawtite Trailer Hitches And Trailer Hitch Accessories. Draw-tite, Reese, Valley, Curt, B&W products. out of South Carolina and, bingo! Just under $170 and only a few dollars over $200 shipped. Being in the daily shipping business myself and thinking about all the rock rail/bumper shipment horror stories I called them up. The gentlemen I spoke to assured me they used FedEx Ground and that they did not have any reported problems shipping these cargo carriers. He also told me that if I ordered through their website it would say 'UPS Ground', but they would really ship it with FedEx. So I placed my order last Friday afternoon, but they had already processed their outgoing orders for the day. When they processed orders on Monday I got an email receipt and a tracking number. Today I got my purchase. I know most of us can walk into any local auto parts or Tractor Supply and get a lot of what these guys have, but I highly recommend them.

The box is still in good shape for having been across 6-7 states with only a couple of actual penetrations. The powder coat is really a rather rough/coarse finish, and shows some marking where the basket's been grinding against the cardboard, but in all it looks good. I'll probably put it together tomorrow and then post up some pics of the finished product. Assembly should be a no-brainer.

Side Note: Even though I said before that I wanted lights, they do not come with this unit (and neither did a hitch pin) so I'll update on that later.

UPDATE: 10/08/2010
Assembly went mostly as expected. When I tried to slide the two halves of the basket together one side's pin would not go all the way in the tubing on the opposite half. Seems that in the process of welding the mesh to the tube frame some slag got into the tubing. A minute with the rat-tail file fixed that and then it all went together fine. Because the box had been in good shape I received the full set of hardware and instructions. Just bolts and Nylock nuts, no washers (which I'll probably add later on). But the biggest bugbear?.. After all my careful measuring I was sure the rear door would clear the basket without any cargo in it, and I was right. But the spare tire doesn't, LOL. Yeah, I'm laughing. Laughing at the prospect of getting one of the offset spare tire spacers most people get to carry a larger tire. Oh well. I'll update again when I get the lights on it.

 

[SWITAWI]

Okay, still don't have the light kit yet (it's on the way) but I have been using the carrier for a while now. Several things come to mind...

1. It's a heavy sum***** when you have to grab it and mount it in the receiver.
2. It handles ANYTHING that you can actually fit on it and a lot of things that won't fit. I have tightened the hell out of 4" wide ratchet strap without hurting the carrier. I had 8 square bales of hay (approx 2'Wx2'Hx4'L, 40-50lbs ea) on it completely blocking my rear view and, except for blinding oncoming traffic with my low beams, it was fine. FJ rode real nice, too!:bigthumb:
3. It's a heavy sum***** when you have to take it off the receiver.
4. When a Nissan Armada rear-ends you at the Sonic drive-thru the Nissan suffers more than the carrier. Low-mounted foglights are no match for it.
5. I know it moves around in the receiver but it doesn't clank/rattle... Probably 'cause it's a heavy you-know-what.
6. The low-flying headlights of a BMW 5-Series (in stop-and-go traffic on I35) are no match, either.

I've seen enough mangled cargo carriers that I never considered one to be 'extra bumper protection' before. I definitely need some 3M 'conspicuity' tape to make this thing as visible as possible and, as I said before, the LED trailer light kit is coming. I don't really know if those two vehicles would have actually hit the FJ or not, but they had to get pretty darn close to hit the carrier. If by some miracle I just avoided two collisions (admittedly low impact) against my plastic rear bumper cover, then I figure this cargo carrier has paid for itself. I'll admit I was starting to second guess my purchase every time I had to move it around and those aluminum carriers would come to mind, but no more. The guy in the BMW tried to yell at me about 'how far that thing sticks out'. I just asked him how close he had planned to get in the first place... I may just haul this thing around all the time. :lol:

 

[Green Acres]

I think this is just what I'm looking for. It looks like the shank has a slight rise to it. Does the door clear the cargo carrier when it is empty?

 

[SWITAWI]

Apologies for the long delay between updates. :wave:

First off... The carrier's main support has a 2" rise and no, the rear door does not open fully on a non-modded FJ. And that's because the stock spare hangs just below the bottom of the door. The tire hits, but the door clears. When I measured before I bought this carrier I only measured up to the bottom of the door... duh.

Since I decided to keep the carrier anyway I bought the LED light kit and a spare tire spacer from Warrior Products. The lights are bright as hell and the spacer is pretty subtle with a stock spare on it. The only forum member I've met in person (bibbt) didn't even notice the spare was slightly off-center 'till I pointed it out, and since the tire is still the stock size (and I don't plan to go to 285s anyway) the back window still opens. The little 'hood' on the OEM spare mount was surprisingly resistant to my grinder (couldn't wait for my friend's portable band saw), but it came off in the end and I hit the mount with some spray primer and satin black before putting on the spacer. I had originally though the spacer would only move the tire straight up vertically, but because it can be rotated to a 10, 12, or 2 o'clock position I was able to clock it at an angle towards the driver's side and keep it a little lower for that precious bit of rear view. A pleasant side effect is that I can now reach behind the spare to clean off the road grime without tearing the skin off the back of my hands.

I don't know if this spacer (in the 12 o'clock vertical position) would allow a 285/75-17 or 35-inch tire to clear the carrier.

I didn't have anyone else around to step on the brake pedal for a picture, but I can tell you it really lights up vehicles behind me at night.

So all in all I'm happy with it and that's not just 'cause it's saved me from at least three minor rear collisions in two months. Would I rather not have spent an extra $60 on the spare tire spacer?.. Maybe, but that turned out okay too. The light kit wasn't exactly cheap at $50, but the non-LED version was $30 and these LED trailer lights are $20ea by themselves. I wish the wiring ran down the carrier's beam instead of just jumping straight to the rear bumper (you'll see it in pics 5, 6, & 7), but I'll splice in a longer piece on my own at some point.

So it's not perfect, but I like it. :cheers:

 

[Greg2378]

i ordered one from amazon 159.00 with free shipping also got the light set

 

[Loadtoad]

I picked up the Everthere carriers and love it because i can fold it up and put in the back of the truck or bring into the hotel room if need be.

 

[SWITAWI]

i ordered one from amazon 159.00 with free shipping also got the light set

Man, that is a nice price! :bigthumb: Just remember that if you have the actual Toyota hitch the spare tire will not quite clear the basket rail. That's one reason why you see the chrome bar is turned upside down at the front of my carrier. I was trying every little thing I could think of to get another inch. The Reese hitch sits low enough it will probably be fine.

I picked up the Everthere carriers and love it because i can fold it up and put in the back of the truck or bring into the hotel room if need be.

Those are really sweet. I almost went with a fold-up of some type but I really wanted extra lights and a place to mount my license plate when I pile things on. I'm glad we both got what we wanted. :cheers:

 

[Greg2378]

I'll post pics this weekend

 

[Greg2378]

Just to keep it short, heres some pics

It came in a oversized box with no damage

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very easy to put together

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door and tire cleared

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realy like the lights

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i recomend this to anyone needing more room :clap:

 

[SWITAWI]

Door and tire cleared

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That is so great that it cleared. I wish mine had at first, but oh well. I can't quite see your hitch though. Do you have the Toyota hitch that's got the notch in the bumper cover...

Or do you have an aftermarket hitch (Reese/Draw-Tite/Etc) that is completely below the bumper cover?..

Knowing this would answer the only question I have left on this subject.

 

[Greg2378]

I think its factory but not sure, I bought the FJ used.

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[SWITAWI]

I think its factory but not sure, I bought the FJ used.

That is definitely an aftermarket hitch. From what I understand, back in the day Toyota didn't have enough hitches to meet the demand so a lot of FJs got these installed by dealerships. Nothing wrong with their towing functionality. All the major receiver hitch manufacturers (Reese, Curt, Draw-Tite, etc) have been making these kinds of units for years and they'll meet the FJ's Class III tow ratings with no problem (500lbs Tongue Weight, 5000lbs towing). The only 'advantage' the OEM Toyota hitch has is that it tucks up into the bumper just a bit more, giving a better departure angle when you're coming off of a very steep incline. Lots of FJ owners prefer that and I like mine, but end result is that I had to modify my spare tire mount to clear my basket and you did not. That's what I've often wondered.

Thanks for the input and good luck hauling stuff. Just make sure you get a small set of bolts/nuts/washers for that license plate location. My first load covered up my plate and I got all of 3-4mi before getting a warning. :cheers:

 

[Greg2378]

thanks i will, don't need a ticket

 

[Desert Dawg]

Love how tough this thing looks. Nice find and thanks for all the pics.

 

[SWITAWI]

Thanks to DARK AGE 53 for asking...

Hitch-Vise model HT-3. Highly recommended for cargo carriers, hitches, or even receiver-mounted recovery points as it does stop excessive movement and noise. It does crowd the pin hole some (seen below), but I am still able to use a locking pin (seen above just barely).

$30 + shipping at Hitch-Vise Fit Guide for 2 inch factory and aftermarket hitches
:cheers:

 

[Luthier]

Re: ROLA 59502 Hitch Cargo Carrier or Surco Option

I have a stock 2010 fj with standard (P265/75R16) tires and a tire cover. I use a Surco 24" X 60" Cargo Carrier (Model # 1205). If you get the nonfolding model the tire and door will clear it just fine when opened.

If you run around a lot with the carrier empty, and want to fold the carrier into a vertical postion, you can buy Surco's Basket Hinge (Part # 1206). Buy a 3/4" combination wrench (3/4" open end at one end, box wrench at the other) at a garage sale or flea market. Cut it in half. When it's time to run with the carrier empty, slip the carrier into the basket hinge, use the two 3/4" wrenches to hold it place, mount it to the truck, fold it up, and run with the carrier vertical. Takes 10 minutes.

 

[SWITAWI]

Cool, thanks for input. I haven't updated here for far too long. In the last 18 months I think the ROLA has been off of my FJ for maybe three-four weeks in total. I pretty much carry it full-time and with those LED tail lights it has served me well in several low-visibility situations as well as keeping the tailgaters at bay during the daily commute into San Antonio. When I first got it my buddies said things like, "You're not gonna carry that thing around all the time, are you?" Now it's more of a tone of disappointment when they notice that I don't have it. I call it 'my placebo for truck bed envy', lol. The original powdercoating has held up pretty well considering the abuse I've heaped on it, though there a few chipped, bare, rusty spots now. I've toyed with ideas of painting it with bedliner to make the floor grippy as well as protected from the elements, as opposed to just more paint or powdercoat. One of my friends suggested a 'military tan' color if I did paint it, which is an interesting thought considering my Sandstorm FJ. I'll try to post up some pics of the rust spots and powdercoat wear soon.

:cheers:

Forgive the errors, my tablet typing makes them mandatory.

 

[SWITAWI]

Crap, double-posted. Consider this saved for the pictures...

 

[Aggieland]

What tail lights did you guys buy? they look sharp any link to them on here? thanks

 

[SWITAWI]

Trailer Lights used on carrier...

Standard oval trailer lights will fit, and can get the plugs, wire, and lights at an auto parts house or tractor supply. I bought the kit from etrailer - LED Light Kit for Draw-Tite, Tow Ready, and Rola Railed Cargo Carriers etrailer Accessories and Parts 98174LED for $50 because the LED lamps were $20/ea anyway and the harness was pre-made so I didn't have to mess with it. A word of caution, my harness was almost too short. Conventional lights are more like $10/ea, so that setup would only put you back $30 or so, but I wanted LEDs. The darn things are BRIGHT, especially when flashing along with my yellow turn signals. And there's no denying that five brake lights make an impression in heavy traffic.

FYI though, the wiring and the plug on the lights will protrude into the carrier about 3/4-1in. Sometimes I actually unplug them and run without them because what I'm carrying keeps pushing a light out of the mounting grommet and it's hanging by the wiring as I go down the road.