Largest Hitch Mounted Cargo Carrier for 2006 Mitsubishi Montero with Class III Trailer Hitch

Question:

I would like the know what the largest class 3 hitch cargo carrier is I can purchase? I currently have a 24x60 carrier and would like to see if they make a 32 or 36x60? Thank You

asked by: Paul N

Expert Reply:

Your current carrier offers about 1,440 square inches of cargo space. There are a few carriers with a bit more room, but nothing that's dramatically larger.

Cargo carriers can't get too much bigger than that because as they get wider than 60 inches, they can transmit too much torque on the connection between the basket and the shank that slides into the receiver. As the carrier gets longer, the weight of the gear carried on the rack gets too far away from the hitch receiver. As the weight gets further away from the back of the vehicle, the leverage applied to the hitch increases. If this leverage becomes too great, it can literally bend the receiver tube or cause the attachment points between the hitch and the vehicle to fail. In other words, if you want a wide carrier, it won't be very deep. Conversely, a deep carrier can't be very wide.

expert reply by: Mike L