Most Popular Hitch Cargo Carrier for 2004 Ford Explorer

This carrier is perfect!! It is exactly what I was looking for to carry all the gear that 3 little kids come with!! I have a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer (same as Ford Explorer) and the fit is great. It was a toss up to go with this one or the foldable style but the rising offset works great. I opted for the light kit that is reccomended and yes, as mostly all the other reviews mention, the wiring harness is short. E-trailer really should consider supplying a longer one. However, that being said, it was not a problem to make a small splice extending it. Or, as others have suggested, buy a longer wiring harness at an auto store. Also, the suggestion to add fender washers to the assembly is an absolute must!! I cannot believe e-trailer does not supply what is, in my opinion, neccessary hardware. In all, this is exactly what i was looking for, it assembled with ease in about 30 minutes and is of sufficient quality to last for many trips.

I love this cargo carrier. It was easy to put together; just make sure you have the right tools. We loaded on a huge cooler, beach chairs and a boogie board and it made the trip to the beach so much easier.

This is a super well made carrier. Took less than 15 minutes to assemble and fit into the receiver on our Ford Explorer. Couldn't be any better than this!

Great product. Super easy assembly with an extra set of hands but could have managed by myself I’m sure. Will use it to haul deer!

Product arrived quickly assembled easily and was in use within 2 days of arrival. The information on etrailer site was very helpful in choosing the products including the hitch pin and tie down straps. Customer support and follow up is top drawer.

Love this add on trailer... easy to install easy to use...durable...nice reflectors on back. This product has been great!

One year after my purchase this is still holding up good. I use it about once a month behind my explorer with a small hitch receiver. I store it outside and it hasn't rusted. It's still solid. I've loaded it as high as my explorer on occasion (2 coolers, tent, tarps, etc), as well as used it just to go get the gas can filled. Great product and very worth the money.

Very nice and handy cargo rack. Leave it on explorer constantly. Great price and would give it five stars except for the bolts and paint finish on product.

Product arrived quickly assembled easily and was in use within 2 days of arrival. The information on etrailer site was very helpful in choosing the products including the hitch pin and tie down straps. Customer support and follow up is top drawer.

Great product. Exactly as advertised!!!! After reading many other product reviews I settled on Curt because. I’ve used their products in the past and know their quality is above reproach. The one thing that made this the best is the ease of putting it together. In 45 minutes I had it on the explorer and carrying garden refuse to the recycle landfill. Have not used on a long trip yet but will be going to Colorado in a couple weeks and will give it a good workout. I’m a graybeard and the aluminum frame makes it easy to handle, putting on and off . Reason we bought the extension was because its getting harder to put the roof rack on and off the explorer. Looking forward to years of using it. This is a top of the line product.

This carrier is perfect!! It is exactly what I was looking for to carry all the gear that 3 little kids come with!! I have a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer (same as Ford Explorer) and the fit is great. It was a toss up to go with this one or the foldable style but the rising offset works great. I opted for the light kit that is reccomended and yes, as mostly all the other reviews mention, the wiring harness is short. E-trailer really should consider supplying a longer one. However, that being said, it was not a problem to make a small splice extending it. Or, as others have suggested, buy a longer wiring harness at an auto store. Also, the suggestion to add fender washers to the assembly is an absolute must!! I cannot believe e-trailer does not supply what is, in my opinion, neccessary hardware. In all, this is exactly what i was looking for, it assembled with ease in about 30 minutes and is of sufficient quality to last for many trips.

Easy to assemble, worked great!

Perfect sized box for carry sized luggage and softball game day gear. Proven space saver. Receiver is showing signs of rust otherwise would be a ten. Would buy again.

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The cargo carrier generally performed as intended, but it took a lot of tinkering and a warranty replacement of the lid to complete things to our satisfaction. On delivery we found that both two aluminum side stiffeners had been bent during shipment, and were replaced fairly quickly. We then found excessive play in the fit with the receiver, and it was impossible to accommodate a "noise reduction clamp" properly at the hitch, so I used part of a bent aluminum stiffener to apply pressure across the connection between the receiver and the hitch. And lastly, the lid section was warped by over 1", which still kept rain out, but did not keep fine dust out, and it was very unsightly. After a bit of discussion, a replacement lid was provided at no cost, which I have not yet had the chance to inspect as it was delivered to our Arizona home over the summer, and we spend the summer in Canada.

I can't say I'm entirely happy with my purchase. The instructions were more confusing than helpful. Note in "instruction.jpg" photo of STEP 1 that the text says to put the 8 small bolts in from the inside first, but the drawing clearly shows them as going in from the outside. The last step says to place the ramp onto the receiver as shown.... glad I didn't throw away the box because there is no drawing that shows ramp installation. Actually, the photo on the box was more helpful than any of the instructions. Also, I need to make a trip to the hardware store to buy longer medium bolts because the ones that came with the carrier were not long enough to fully engage the self locking feature of the nylon lock nuts. At a minimum a couple of threads should protrude beyond the nylon. See photo "nut.jpg". The bolt threads don't reach the end of the nylon, so the self locking feature is not fully engaged. I did tighten the nut, but that was as far as it would go. I think once I get back from the hardware store with the new medium bolts and after I reverse the 8 small bolts (I followed the drawing and not the text of the instructions), I'll be OK with the carrier.

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"Instantly Get Rid of Wobble and Upgrade With Lights" This is not a 5 because ramp should be longer & there should be some type stabilizer to temporary hold bike while strapping down, I'd pay more for those upgrades. The wobble can instantly be solved by hooking Tie-Straps closest to vehicle directly to the receiver where you hook your chains, rather than hooking them to the provided holes on carrier itself. You of course use the provided strap holes ones on the opposite side. When strapped down as stated, the carrier now becomes one with the vehicle & @ 80mph there is no wobble. (*TIP: Put ramp back in its place before strapping down or else it won't fit with the strap hooks in the way.) I upgraded mine with lights for both safety reasons & not needing the Police any reason to pull me over. It was very simple and cost me nothing but time & maybe $50. I recommend this product whole heartedly.

Really regret buying the less expensive cargo baskets. It has been nothing but problems since I got it. First off the rack sat to low in the trailer hitch which I didn't realize was causing it impossible to catch the threads. It took me an hour to realize it now I have to raise up the basket with a car Jack to align the threads so I can put the bolt in. Next when the cargo basket is in the upright position the holes don't line up and I have to hit with a hammer to get the bolt in. The only thing it has going for it is when it is finally in place it does the job of hauling our stuff. My advice to anyone else spend more and get better quality product.

This shipped to me quickly! We are using it to transport our paddle boat to a few local fishing holes around the lake and it works perfect behind my 2010 Ford Explorer. Thanks for making a lightweight durable product! Even my wife can attach it to the back without any help

The trailer hitch, cargo basket, and ramp arrived in three days. Everything I needed to put products together except tools were included. It took less than a hour to install hitch and put basket assembly together including ramp. The prices on each item were much cheaper then there competitors for the same or better quality. Know I never have to haul anything inside my SUV. I found E-trailer to be the best in the business. I have a fairly large snow blower and it loads and unloads very easily.

I received the package in a pretty rough exterior condition but everything was fine inside. The previous comments about having to cut away the expanded metal flooring in order to install the carriage bolts wasn't true in my case. Apparently, this quality control issue has been addressed by the manufacturer. Assembly went well and wasn't complicated. A different carriage bolt with a longer square shoulder should be used. The shoulder doesn't grip too well to the square cutout in the frame and even while pressing firmly on the head of the bolt, it wanted to turn as I was tightening the nut. All in all, it seems to be a solid product and I look forward to using it.

I bought this to carry a Westinghouse igen4500 on the rear of my 5th wheel. So far it's been perfect for the job. The quality is very good. The carrier is sturdy and is highly adjustable. I searched for a long time for the smallest carrier that would fit my generator with the greatest weight capacity. The TorkLift, while a bit expensive, fit the needs perfectly. I had extra reinforcements welded from my trailer frame to the hitch point, added an anti-rattle receiver lock and we now have the perfect generator carrier solution. Hope this review can save others time in their search for the same kind of solution.

My new Cummings Generator was too large to store in our 5th wheel and too heavy to load and unload in the bed of our truck. With the 500 pound capacity and the 2" hitch, the Tork Lift was the perfect solution. The generator fit perfectly, the heavy duty steel construction is amazing and the installation was simple. THANKS ETRAILER and TORK LIFT for the LOCK & LOAD UNIT!!