Harbor Freight Hitch Mounted Cargo Rack Opinions

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Matthewflatt1219

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I need more storage space for my camping gear and I am thinking of getting a Harbor Freight Hitch Mounted Cargo Rack to use temporarily until i can afford a roof rack. does anyone have any experience using a Hitch Mounted Cargo Rack for Overlanding? I will only be doing mild trails and forest roads because my jeep is basically stock with mud tires and a winch. Any advice or opinions will be appreciated as I am new to Overlanding and off roading in general.
 

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Not familiar with the HF cargo rack, but had a Hitch-Haul as seen below. I liked that it came in halves, which I rotated and planned to use on the tongue 'deck' of one of the 1/4 ton military trailers I was messing with.

HitchHaul-cargocarrier.png

That particular one is no longer available, at least for now, though there are a ton of other options.

I know from experience that not all hitch mounted cargo carriers are equal in stability or strength. They range from cheaply made and flimsy imports to the rugged and very stable PakMule Cargo Carriers meant more for off-road. You can see more of the Pakmule carriers in action on various vehicles on their insta at @PakMule. I've seen the PakMule carrier in person down in the borderlands last year, on the truck owned by the company. It's an impressive, well-designed bit of kit.

Seen a ton of others in action, too, among the expedited delivery crowd as well as hunters, who both will put hitch-mounted cargo carriers on their front hitch receiver to carry small generators, firewood, etc. I may do that myself for my front hitch receiver after I install it.

Things to watch for with a hitch cargo carrier and going backcountry, even if not serious off-road, will be:

- that it changes your departure angle dramatically. Meaning, if you cross a ditch or gulley, as you climb out the other side, the more you have sticking out past the rear axle, the more your ass is going to drag and potentially hang up or get damaged. That's why you see a sharper angle on the front and rear of a lot of vehicles and on the rear of trailers; it allows a steeper approach and departure angle. More important the more extreme you get in terrain.

- that the one you choose is stable and strong enough to not move a bunch when driving dirt and rocky roads. You don't want to lose your load. Check PakMule's carrier design to see what they do to mitigate potential problems.

- that you learn to load it wisely and with balance. By nature they're kind of screwed up in principle; to have such a potential load depending on a single center point. I cringe to see what some folks do with their hitch carriers for load and balance. I won't follow them down the road.

- that it not interfere with, or be willing to work around with the way it interferes with, your tailgate or back doors. It's a pain in the ass to have to unload all or part of your gear in the carrier just to open your tailgate or doors.

Hope you find one to suit your needs just right.
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kwill

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You really don't want to go off road with a hitch rack. You'll likely tear it off. And any significant weight becomes a huge problem.
 

Shakes355

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Don't pay full price if you can help it. Enough companies make them that you can normally find them second hand on craigslist. If you only have to drop $40-50 dollars to get a carrier, I say give it a shot. Won't know if it fits your particular style until you try.

If you like it and it suits, you have the option of paying full price on a nice unit and knowing you'll enjoy it. And if it just isn't what you thought it'd be, throw it back on craigslist or stash it for a rainy day. Either way, I look at it as a cheap experiment. Good luck
 
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Road

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Oh...another thing that may help with better clearance, if you're not really off-roading, as you say, but sticking to gravel travel and forest roads, is a hitch riser, which will raise your carrier/basket. You can get them in various heights. I've had this 8" riser left in place on my van for years:

hitchriser_1144-800.jpg
 

USStrongman

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I had the aluminum one for a while. Having a JKU I had to remove the front railing on it to clear the tire so I didn't have to sue an extension to slide it all the way in. LIghtweight and as above, I turned my tongue around and mounted the ball upside down to gain at least another 8-9" of clearance. I nearly tore it off going to our cabin, but that was on a steep rocky section of the trail leading up there. Load heavy items in your rig, light and bulky outside to avoid additional rearend squat.
 
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Matthewflatt1219

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I plan on driving to a primitive camping spot to set up base camp and then a few days of exploration in the area. That Pakmule looks awesome but more than I am willing to pay. I plan to get a adventure rack when in the future. I am just looking for a cheap options to get what I need to the base camp. Thank you all for the great advise.
 
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