Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer
installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Rating: 
34 reviews
Code: 6500
Retail:$202.17
Price:$148.95
Shipping Weight: 49 pounds
Shipping SpecialThe heavy duty all steel construction helps make this our most popular cargo carrier. It features a large 20x48 tray for the Class I or Class II trailer hitch and has an adjustable base that provides excellent ground clearance and makes for a great fit on vehicles where the hitch is positioned further under the vehicle.
Hitch mounted cargo carrier. 20" x 48" platform. Fits 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" receivers. 300 lb. capacity.
Adjustable Fore and Aft for Best Fit 
The top picture shows a bottom view of the cargo carrier where the Receiver Arm is adjusted for a minimum distance between the bumper and the cargo carrier. The bottom picture shows the maximum distance. The maximum distance measures 11" from the center of the pin hole to the back edge of the cargo carrier. |
Video of 20x48 Cargo Carrier Fits 1-1/4" Trailer Hitch Receiver Hitch
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer
installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today we are going to take a look at the 20 by 48 cargo carrier from Draw-Tite, part number 6500. The carrier measures 20 inches by 48 inches and is designed to fit both Class I and Class II 1-1/4 inch hitches. It has a weight capacity of 300 pounds but you also need to keep in mind the tongue weight capacity of your hitch and vehicle. There is a series of six mounting holes on the backbone of our cargo basket. These mounting holes allow you to move the position of the shank so that you can adjust the clearance behind the rear of your vehicle. Now we are ready to mount it on our vehicle. 0:35
Installation is easy. Just fit the shank of the carrier inside your receiver hitch and install your pin and clip or locking hitch pin. With our carrier installed and the pin and clip in place, we are ready to load up and hit the road. When loading your cargo carrier, make sure your load is balanced evenly from left to right and your heaviest objects are towards the center. You can use things like a cargo net, ratchet straps or bungee cords to secure your load. Today we are going to be using a pair of ratchet straps to tighten our cooler down on our carrier. 1:25
The side rail along the base of our carrier is 3 inches tall. This lip will help our cargo stay contained within the carrier and keep it from sliding off. The floor of the carrier is made with a steel mesh. The steel mesh allows the carrier to be light yet strong at the same time. Make sure that you do not use the steel mesh as an anchor point. On the corners is reflective red tape that helps other drivers see the carrier behind your vehicle. Now let us take the car out for a drive and see how our carrier preforms. And that does it for the 20 by 48 cargo carrier from Draw-Tite, part number 6500.
Customers Who Purchased This Hitch Cargo Carrier Also Bought...
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (34 Customer Reviews)
by: Randy P02/10/2010
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Rock Solid, welded... This is no cheap cargo rack that you bolt together, this thing is tough. Using it on my Honda fit for extended road trips, way cheaper then a roof rack set-up, and no wind drag sticking up, keeps a low center of gravity.2705
by: Phil A06/23/2011
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Good solid product. Works well with Rola cargo bag.17748
by: EJBleendreeble01/14/2011
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Pretty sweet deal This cargo carrier arrived within four days of my placing the order. Etrailer offered a) the best price I could find; b) no sales tax; c) free shipping (I ordered another product too). I received e-mail alerts from Etrailer every step of the way. You can't beat that .... Now to the cargo carrier itself. First, the good stuff: It appears to have been designed and constructed to withstand a nuclear attack. It isn't elegant -- one of the welds doesn't match up quite right -- but it's solid and stout. The paint seems to be applied well, but this is one of those things you can't know about until you've owned the product for a while. The shank engaged with my hitch snugly. In an initial test drive, I could not hear or detect any movement from the cargo carrier -- no creaks or bangs. The Rola bag I ordered for it fits perfectly. The design permits you to mount the carrier at varying distances from your vehicle and is clever and useful. OK, the not-so-good: The instructions that are in the PDF file on the Etrailer site talk about installing "corner marker" rods and brackets, but there are none in the package as received. Etrailer says that you must purchase a pin and clip separately, but the PDF instructions imply that they are included. In fact, mine arrived with a pin and clip, but they were too big to use (go figure ....). This doesn't matter, as I already have one. Somewhere between China and my house, the entire package had taken a hit so heavy that it had torn the angled shank right out of its corrugated cardboard container, so it was banging around loose when I came to open the package. The question is whether this happened on the journey from China to Etrailer, or from Etrailer to me. If it was the first of these alternatives, this implies that Etrailer didn't inspect the packet before it shipped it to me. But perhaps the US freight carrier did it .... Regardless, it didn't damage anything other than the little clip they provide for your dash to remind you that you have the cargo carrier in your hitch; the clip was destroyed beyond repair, but I wouldn't have used it anyway. Overall verdict: Very good value, and excellent service from Etrailer.5484
by: Ralph03/18/2011
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It can't get any better than this... The products we ordered were all in excellent condition, arrived in 3 days, and we paid no shipping!9691
by: Andrea10/16/2011
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So far, so good. I haven't carried things around yet, but it was super easy to put together and light enough for me to get onto my hitch even being a petite woman not handy with tools. It appears pretty sturdy and fits Rubbermaid size large boxes very well. It does come with a pin, but I'm going to look for something that locks so no one tries to steal it if I am parked somewhere all day.25655
by: Mitchell Loncorich02/03/2012
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fits on my prius perfect. 31031
by: Sean P.02/02/2012
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Bought cargo carrier to use on my Ford Explorer. Loaded it wt a large plastic storage chest, put 2 suitcases inside industrial trash bag, and strapped it all down (making sure not to exceed weight limit). Drove 600 miles for Christmas Vacation. I noticed no difference in gas mileage and everything stayed secure. I was pleased wt the product.30862
by: kim a olson01/09/2012
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basket was recommended to go with the hitch for a ct 200h....it comes out and up and gives great ground clearance....this will really add cargo capacity to the ct as the storage space behind the seat is pretty minimal....plus....its easy to install by yourself as the weight of the basket is'nt to bad29383
by: Pam01/04/2012
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Quality seems very good and fits on our Forrester well. We wanted an elevated carrier and this does the job. The cargo bag seems great but we haven't used it yet. With a 200# tongue weight limit on our Forrester, we plan to keep out cargo at 100# plus the weight of the carrier.29068
by: cargo Carrier 650012/21/2011
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very fast delivery. Product is well made and solid. A little loose in the hitch as far as rattle. I was looking at cheaper unit on same site which included anti rattle pin with carrier but opted for this better carrier. Just a little confused that this better unit did not come with anti rattle pin . Overall very good value and excellent company to deal with. Excellent communications and tracking. 28428
by: Tim L.12/19/2011
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Installed it, have not used yet but drove with it on with nothing on it. Did not shake too much, most of the time didn't feel like it was even there.28262
by: Nicole F11/22/2011
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Used on a 2007 Chevy HHR. This was perfect to get the rack up off the ground more. Can't wait to try this out for the holiday travels! 27297
by: Todd D.10/05/2011
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Just got this today and put it together so I haven't used it yet but it looks great. I have a Mini Cooper Clubman with the Mini-Fini Club-link and hitch. It protrudes from the back of the car a lot more than a normal hitch, so the adjustability of this carrier is key. I was a bit worried from the pictures because the holes don't go all the way back but as I hoped is perfectly acceptable to rotate it 180 deg (the instructions explicitly say so). In the most forward position it's only an inch or so from the bumper which is exactly where it should be. The doors do clear the platform which is the other thing I was concerned about. It does kind of block the plate so I'll probably relocate it when I use it, but the tail lights are clear even with the cargo bag on. If you have a Clubman, I don't think you could hope for better. As a test, I stood on the platform and it seems very solid.25144
by: Tim A08/26/2011
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Customer service is A+. Product arrived earlier than expected, in well padded packaging and included exactly everything I ordered. The cargo carrier is well built and appears strong. The ability to adjust the central bracket is a great feature. Fits well and looks good on my Protege5.22887
by: Steve Arlington, VA08/21/2011
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We ordered a cargo carrier that arrived a day earlier than expected. We installed it very easily and were confidently on our way the next day with no problems. We simply could not have been more pleased.22427
by: Jack R.08/17/2011
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Great platform and making adjustable to fit closer in to the vehicle was the main reason I bought this model.22049
by: Michael B.07/31/2011
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I am very happy with my cargo carrier. It was just what I was looking for. It is easy to hook up and it is very quiet. It had only two bolts and two reflectors to install and it was ready to use.20631
by: Andrew07/26/2011
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Product was exactly as advertised and arrived when promised. Quality is great, seems sturdy, and was very easy to assemble and use (attached to hitch on 2011 Kia Sportage). Also ordered the Cargo Carrier Stretch Net to go with it - probably wouldn't do that again - a few bungee cords would have worked just as well as I ended up adding them anyway as the stretch net did feel sturdy enough for my liking. Overall I definitely recommend this product and eTrailer.com!20322
by: Jim07/22/2011
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Fantastic build. Excellent engineering allowing you to adjust the for the depth of your bumper. Highly recommended and have recommended this to friends on Facebook.19844
by: Joe F07/18/2011
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Great holder. Very substantial and well built. Glad I opted for one that raises the platform up a few inches higher than the hitch. Fits perfectly on my VW Tiguan. I will be purchasing a better pin and lock to secure to the hitch, but I'm sure the one supplied would work fine.19662
by: Neil S.07/03/2011
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In my post on the hitch, I also reviewed the cargo carrier. Let me add more. Cargo carrier was well boxed and made of quality hardware. It fits well on the Mini. Buy this cargo carrier!18457
by: Shaun B.06/10/2011
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Sturdy cargo carrier. Fit onto hitch easily as expected. Putting it together and install took about 15 minutes. It does weigh about 50 lbs so make sure the hitch can handle it plus the load. Mine is going on a Prius so I have to keep very light camping gear only on the carrier. Otherwise, it should work great for my plans.16674
by: Jess L.05/29/2011
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Very sturdy. Fits like a glove with the 24845 Draw-tite trailer hitch I bought for my Nissan Cube. Overall, this beats having to reach onto a roof rack to get our gear. 15635
by: Cliff O.05/18/2011
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Happy with the service and the 6500. It will fill my needs. Thanks14639
by: J H05/17/2011
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Quick delivery, easy assembly. The raised style ensures that the rack will not scrape exiting driveways.14475
by: Bain H04/22/2011
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The inner packaging could use some help as the bracket that was inside tore out of its cheap cardboard and was banging around in the carrier frame.There is an excessive amount of play in this unit which will result in up and down and side to side movement.I can only hope it will not result in any damage to the unit.12205
by: Joe W.04/16/2011
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I got this to haul the ice chest and tent for camping trips. It looks like it will work perfectly. The hitch has a small riser on it to keep it from hitting on inclines and it's easy to adjust the position. I only wish it had a threaded draw-bar so I could really clamp it down and keep it from rattling. It's not the lightest thing in the world but it certainly is well built and solid. I would recommend this rack.11858
by: RonS01/20/2011
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Cargo Carrier. The products I ordered came very quickly after ordering, were in great condition, and easy to assemble. The carrier is pretty straight forward so I anticipate many years of good service. 5785
by: Tony12/31/2010
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Even my wife said so. Prior to our family trip I purchased the following items for my 2004 Hyundai Tiburon: Draw-Tite Class I Trailer Hitch Receiver #24726 20x48 Cargo Carrier Fits 1-1/4"" Trailer Hitch Receiver Hitch #6500 Rola Expandable Cargo Bag, 9.5 to 11.5 cubic feet #59102 Tiburons do not have a lot of cargo space, and mine has even less as I have 2 twelve inch subwoofers in an enclosure in the cargo area. I did the installation myself, which was easy, and the setup worked flawlessly. I was able to take luggage for two adults and two teens for a three day trip without stuffing items between the kids in the back seat and floor spaces. I could not even tell I had a cargo carrier on the back of the car. My fuel economy was not adversely affected because the carrier rides behind the car instead of on top where it would cause drag. I still had complete access to my rear cargo area via the lift back. This was one of the best purchases I have made, even my wife said so. 4837
by: Bill S.01/25/2010
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Good size cargo handler Used on my Honda Fit was limited to about 150 lbs od cargo since I have a class 1 hitch. Worked perfectly for the wheelchair and other bulky equipment I brought on the family vacation. Plenty of tie down holes and you can purchase optional lights as well as a tow hitch. It was the right size for the Honda Fit. 2663
by: dano11/25/2009
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Excellent product. It slides into the hitch and that's it. Light but bulky cargo goes outside and camping trips are a breeze to pack for. The dogs like the extra room inside to stretch out. I am very happy with this rack.2558
by: Michelle I10/29/2009
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Quailty product & perfect size I already owned a 60 inch wide carrier that I used with Ram pickup but found it to be a little wide for my Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Caliber. I bought this to use instead and it works great. Quality product that’s not too big and not too small. The ground clearance it provides is terrific for the Caliber. Also.. Etrailer is the best to buy from. I will continue to purchase from them for years to come. I'm working on my third order now. 2514
by: Mike P10/23/2008
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Cargo Carrier Perfect for my HHR1381
by: GeoM06/17/2008
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Class II carrier review The carrier is not as stable as I expected it to be. The tray-to-bracket fit is not tight rusulting in the tray wobbling. Also had to buy the anti-rattle bracket to attempt to stablize the carrier to hitch connection. Have not recieved the anti-rattle bracket yet so I do not know how effective it will be970
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