Folding Cargo Carrier?

[wlepse]

Last sumer I borrowed a argo carrier from a buddy and it worked out great. This year we are both going on vacation at the same time so it looks like I need to get my own. I was searching around and found a few that fold that looked nice but I am not sure if they clear the bumper on the Edge since the hitch receiver is recessed. I did contact Curt about one of theirs and found out it is no good....has anyone tried one of these?

[fishx65]

You can purchase an extender which will give you the extra length you need.

[wlepse]

Yeah considered that but don't want to for two reasons. First most of them are at least 10" long which means the carrier will sit so far back I am afraid of the carrier dragging going through transitions. Second I hate rattles and adding another loose connection will drive me crazy. I would rather find one that has a longer shank. I have seen a few on Ebay but question the build quality. Was hoping someone could recommend one.

[wlepse]

Well I thought I stumbled upon a good deal and a decent set up but now I am not sure. I recently saw an ad for Harbor Frieght saying their stel cargo carrier was on sale for 40 bucks. My buddy has one that I borrowed once before and it was good enough quality for my purposes and for $40 I can beat it. So I ran over this week and grabbed one but also ran over to Walmart to pick up their Hitch Haul folding adapter hoping the two would work together. I was able to confirm they do but not quite sure I like the way it fits on the Edge.

Pros:

• Has enough space between the carrier and the bumber for you to easily access the hatch area.
  
• The extra space and slight lift should be plenty to keep the cargo from melting due to exhaust temps.
  
• The rails will help support the cargo and make securing the load easier.
  

Cons:

• The rails also make loads that are slightly wider harder to fit.
  
• The carrier rails also just touch the bumper.
  

So my first thought was to pick up some pipe insulation to wrap the portion that touches the bumper. I figured this would prevent any sort of marking especially since the area of contact is the unpainted surface anyway. But part of me is worried this may be a bad idea and I might be better served getting a cargo carrier that has the angle iron sides. If I go that route I should gain at least two inches of clearance and I could possibly make and adaptor for my bikes. But I would lose some stability for the load. Below are some pics of the current setup...no dirty car comments...I know it is but have given up she will clean it. Please keep in mind I have a Curt hitch installed which sticks out further than most so for you may have to go with the angle iron style.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions? Really not sure which way to go. Might just pick up the pipe insulation and se what I think before running around looking for another carrier and retuning this one.

[carbonedge+]

What if you were to mount the carrier upside down on the folding adapter and then you could just flip the unit over when not in use and the bottom of the carrier would be facing the back of the vehicle in the upright position? It would obviously depend on the design of the folding adapter as to whether or not that would work, but looking at the pictures, that was my initial thought of something to try.

[wlepse]

I can give that a shot...I did try to flip the bar over and mount the sides on upside down. The through holes are slightly off center so I thought it would be enough. It was close but not quite enough and since the center bar was higher you wouldn't have a flat packing surface so I ditched that idea. But flipping it around should work, might just have to figure out a quicker mount dismount idea. I would rather this work without having to carry around two wrenches. But good idea, maybe I can mess with this more tomorrow. Going to take teh little guy to the fair today.

[NCHeel]

According to etrailer, the carrier that sits the farthest away from the car when folded is the DrawTite 6502. They say it sits 7.5" from the center of the pin when folded. This appears to be at least a couple inches more than other folding models. On my 2012 Limited with DrawTite hitch, it appears I have about 5.5" between the center of pin and the edge of bumper. Theoretically, I'll have 2" of space if I get that model. Now I just need to decide if I absolutely must get a folding model. If I do, it looks like it will have to be the 6502.

[wlepse]

Yeah I guess it depends on what you want to carry. For me I would still need it to have a rise since the hitch level is right at exhaust level and moving it back just a little bit would still be pushing pretty high temps on the tray. Also I would be concerned about transitions. The further it sticks out without getting a riser means you are more likely to bottom it out. The Edge is surprising low, especially compared to some other vehicles I have put these trays on.

[gunguy05]

I know this is an old thread, but are there any updates on the carrier from Harbor Freight? I am worried about it teetering from side to side? How has your experience been with it?

[nc_edge]

I have the smaller hitch on my 2007 edge. I bought the Ultra Tow folding hitch from northern tool. With the adapter to go from 1 1/4 to 2 inch, i can actually open my back hatch with the hitch in the folded position.

 

If walmart had the folding kit available when i purchased my hauler, i would have went that route. the rails are nice but do limit you on wider loads.