Hitch Mounted Cargo Carrier Recommendation for a 2015 Jeep Wrangler

Question

Question:

First question. Your response for my last set of questions stated if the distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the furthest point out on my spare tire is less than 9inch this carrier WILL fit when folded. Did you mean if the distance was less than 9inch this carrier WILL NOT fit when folded? Maybe I am looking at it backwards? The distance for my 2015 Wrangler is 8 and 3/4 inches. It was close so I got out a levelt o make sure I was not fudging the distance one way or the other. If there is no wiggle room on the 9inch break point I probably need to go with the MaxxTow 17x50 non-folding carrier as you recommended. I would prefer the larger folding option but can probably go with the smaller carrier as it does not stick out as far in the back and is not as heavy to move around when it is dismounted. Plus I will be able to have the rear door fully open when there is no cargo on the carrier. If I go with the MaxxTow I have another question. Can you tell me how far it is from the hitch pin hole center to the inside edge of the front railing of the basket? I can survive with the reduction from 20 to 17 inches in width but will probably lose some of that because it looks like the spare tire will overhang the center portion of the carrier. That is where the heaviest cargo should go so I need to know what I will have left. I can do the math on how much distance I will lose lengthwise once I know what I am losing in width. I plan to unload the carrier at night and use the carrier as a camping table inside my rear hatch tent. I will probably fabricate some boards to put across the top of the carrier railing to make the table top flat as opposed to using the bottom bars as the table surface. So....I do not care about the height of the cargo as I will not have to open the rear door of the Jeep when my carrier is loaded. I just need to know what I can pack in the center of the rack between the spare tire and the back railing. Thanks

asked by: Will P

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

The etrailer Folding Cargo Carrier part # e98874 that you referenced should work well on your 2015 Wrangler and clear the spare when folded up. If you check out the video I attached you will see that this carrier should clear the spare when folded up and should allow the rear gate to open slightly when the carrier is folded down. It should work well for you.

expert reply by: Jameson C

1

Will P.

4/22/2015

I got a response from Jameson C. on my question earlier today about a fold up hitch cargo carrier for a 2015 Jeep Wrangler 2 door hard top. It is the Sahara package if that makes a difference. The response was to get a e98874. It will allow the carrier to lock in the upright position without the spare tire preventing it. My question also asked if the tailgate would open far enough to allow the top glass to fully open above the top tailgate corner. After reviewing the video which uses an older model Wrangler I still have the same questions. Plus, I read all the responses form the previous buyers of this carrier. One was a red flag to me. Paul B. wrote on 12/31/14 that the carrier hit the spare tire of his 2015 Sport Wrangler before it could be stored in the upright position and the shank needed to be 2inch longer. The receiver hitch in the video of the older model sticks out quite a bit from the rear bumper. Maybe 4inch or so. The end the receiver on my 2015 is close to being flush the the rear bumper. I am concerned that Paul B. may be right. Also if this is the case the the tailgate will not open nearly enough to allow the top glass to open over the top of the tailgate. If this is the case I might as well get another model where the spare tire clears the carrier all together when the tailgate is opened which probably means a non-folding model. And if this is the case your response to Paul B. was he did not do his homework before purchasing a product. That may have been a little rash. So,will the e98874 work on a 2015 Wrangler 2 door hard top with regard to my two questions. If you truly dont know, is there a receiver extender that will give the clearance it will need if it does end up being too short and will this decrease the load rating from 500 Lbs? Or what is the return policy if it does not work? Or should I go with a different make and/or model.

Reply

Jameson C.

4/22/2015

Sorry for any confusion. First though, the comment you referenced by Paul B. was not responded to by someone from etrailer. The response was from another customer who decided they wanted to respond to the Paul B.'s review. In order to determine if the # e98874 will clear the spare of your Jeep when folded you will have to take one simple measurement that I should have mentioned earlier. You will need to measure from the center of the hitch pin hole to the furthest point out on your spare tire. If that distance is less than 9 inches this carrier will fit when folded. For a carrier that would fit underneath the rear gate so that you could open it fully you would want the # C18145. Check out the review video I attached for this carrier that shows that it can open fully.

Reply

Will P.

4/23/2015

First question. Your response for my last set of questions stated if the distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the furthest point out on my spare tire is less than 9inch this carrier WILL fit when folded. Did you mean if the distance was less than 9inch this carrier WILL NOT fit when folded? Maybe I am looking at it backwards? The distance for my 2015 Wrangler is 8 and 3/4 inches. It was close so I got out a levelt o make sure I was not fudging the distance one way or the other. If there is no wiggle room on the 9inch break point I probably need to go with the MaxxTow 17x50 non-folding carrier as you recommended. I would prefer the larger folding option but can probably go with the smaller carrier as it does not stick out as far in the back and is not as heavy to move around when it is dismounted. Plus I will be able to have the rear door fully open when there is no cargo on the carrier. If I go with the MaxxTow I have another question. Can you tell me how far it is from the hitch pin hole center to the inside edge of the front railing of the basket? I can survive with the reduction from 20 to 17 inches in width but will probably lose some of that because it looks like the spare tire will overhang the center portion of the carrier. That is where the heaviest cargo should go so I need to know what I will have left. I can do the math on how much distance I will lose lengthwise once I know what I am losing in width. I plan to unload the carrier at night and use the carrier as a camping table inside my rear hatch tent. I will probably fabricate some boards to put across the top of the carrier railing to make the table top flat as opposed to using the bottom bars as the table surface. So....I do not care about the height of the cargo as I will not have to open the rear door of the Jeep when my carrier is loaded. I just need to know what I can pack in the center of the rack between the spare tire and the back railing. Thanks

Reply

Jameson C.

4/23/2015

The 24x60 etrailer Cargo Carrier # e98874 that you referenced measures 9-1/2 inches from the center of it's pin hole to the nearest portion of the railing of the carrier when folded up. If the distance from your hitch pin hole to the furthest point out on the spare tire is less than 9-1/2 inches the carrier can fold up. For more info on how to take this measurement and how it affects clearance check out the help article I attached on the subject. Since your hitch pin to spare tire clearance is 8-3/4 inches this carrier would be close, but have a clearance of 3/4 of any inch. . The # C18145 does not fold and has a distance of 6-1/2 inches from the pin hole to the nearest edge of the carrier, but like in the video I attached shows, the railing should fit underneath your spare tire.

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