Page 1 of 1

Hitch Mounted Carrier

Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:40 pm
by Paul_NJ
I’ve got one big old snowblower (Toro 826), and two places to clear 10 miles apart. So far only one gets cleared. I’d love to be able to cart the snowblower back and forth. Does anyone have any experience with hitch mounted cargo racks? I've got a Yukon with a Class 3 hitch, which has a tongue weight capacity of 600 lbs.

The typical deer carriers aren't deep enough (I need at least 28 inches deep and those are all 20 inches) and the ones I’ve seen online for wheelchairs and such vary in price from 100-600 dollars, so quality must vary a lot. And the high end is too expensive. Seems like building one would be simple enough: some 2 x 2 x 3/16 angle for a frame, expanded steel for the floor, and 2 inch square tube to run from the hitch underneath the whole thing. Guess you could strap the snowblower to the frame. My concern is that I'd think the platform would rock sideways a lot along the hitch mounted tubing with the bulk and weight (maybe 250 lbs?) of the snowblower on it. Does anyone use anything like this, or built one? I’d appreciate any suggestions or experience doing something like this. Here’s a photo I found on the internet of one somebody built to show what I'm talking about.

Thanks

Re: Hitch Mounted Carrier

Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:01 pm
by Eugene
Why not use your trailer?
Image

Re: Hitch Mounted Carrier

Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:14 pm
by Paul_NJ
You've got an excellent memory! That little trailer is not rated for driving on road. I need to pull it with my truck 10 miles each way. I have a larger road trailer, but don't want to be dragging it around, parking, and loading/unloading in the snow.

Re: Hitch Mounted Carrier

Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:37 pm
by Bigdog
It should be easy enough to add some stabilizer bars from the carrier to the hitch. An angle iron protruding forward from the carrier and passing just under the hitch crossbar would limit movement.

Re: Hitch Mounted Carrier

Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 9:05 pm
by ricky racer
It wouldn't take much to fab up your own to meet your specifications. If you don't have access to any fab equipment, surely you know someone who could build what you want. If not, sketch up what you want and a local fab shop can make what you want.

I fabed up mine for use behind my cub.

Image

Image

Image

Re: Hitch Mounted Carrier

Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 9:15 pm
by Buzzard Wing
I have one that came with a package. I haven't used it much (8' bed) but it did seem pretty stable when I did. I would think you could lash a few hundred pounds to it without difficulty.

Mine looks to be home-made and is pretty rugged. I was thinking of pushing Rick P to make the fast hitch receiver so I could use it on a Cub. I will snag some photos and dimensions if you want.

Re: Hitch Mounted Carrier

Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 9:34 pm
by John *.?-!.* cub owner
I have one that started out almost identical to the one in your picture, but over time I made it deeper to take a wider scooter, and yes, it will rock side to side if the load is balanced. The trick is not center the load. My scooter has most of it's weight on one end, and when I haul a friends electric wheel chair I park it on one end. Some of the carriers come with a locking bolt that is supposed to stabilize it, but I have never seen one so don't know what it consists of.