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Steel carriers rust and get heavy, but aluminum trays usually give up cargo space and stability. This hybrid carrier keeps the full-size capacity, adds push-button tilt access, and still weighs just 45 lbs. Your back is already thanking you.
Family travel gets cramped fast once coolers, folding chairs, camping bins, and luggage start taking over the cabin. This carrier gives you a full 60" long x 24" wide platform with a 500 lbs capacity, evenly distributed, so bulky gear rides outside while passengers keep their legroom for the drive. Long highway days feel a lot less crowded when the cargo stays behind your vehicle instead of piled around everyone inside.
Most trays out there don't tilt at all, and ones that do might turn into a team-building exercise. Many still use pull pins tucked underneath the tray, which means kneeling on the pavement, reaching under a loaded carrier, and sometimes needing another person just to hold the weight while you line everything up and don't crush your fingers. This one uses a push-button release right at the front of the tray where your hand naturally lands. Push the button and the carrier tilts for quick hatch access during fuel stops, grocery runs, or campsite setup. When the carrier is empty, it folds upright in seconds to cut down how far it sticks out in parking lots. And once the trip is over, the folding shank tucks completely into the tray so the whole setup takes up less awkward space in the garage.
Road spray, wet firewood, snow-covered gear, and muddy equipment wear down exposed metal fast during year-round hauling. Powder-coated aluminum parts and e-coated plus powder-coated steel parts add finish protection across the basket and support arm. The carrier handles rainy campground weekends, dump runs, and winter travel with less exposed metal showing through scraped areas.
Sliding a carrier into the receiver while trying to line up the hitch pin hole usually turns into repeated lifting, shifting, and guessing while the tray hangs awkwardly behind the vehicle. The pre-installed alignment collar sets the mounting position after the first install, so the carrier slides back to the same spot each time instead of making you hunt for the pin hole again. Once it's lined up, the included anti-rattle hitch pin tightens everything down to reduce movement and clunking on the road. For added security, replace the included hitch pin with the etrailer Hitch Receiver Lock ( e43JR - sold separately) to help deter theft while the carrier is mounted to your vehicle.
Stacking coolers, totes, chairs, and odd-shaped gear usually turns into a mess of loose straps, stretched cords, and one corner that still wants to lift in the wind. The Benton HotMesh Cargo Cover ( B32FR - sold separately) drops over the full load with built-in straps around the edges, then cinches down around different cargo heights. Instead of chasing separate tie-downs across the tray, you buckle the cover, snug the straps, and get on the road sooner.
If you're stacking gear high enough to block your vehicle lights, the etrailer LED Light Kit ( e67RV - sold separately) adds brake, turn, and running lights at the back of the tray for better visibility in traffic. It also adds extra visibility during rainy highway drives, early campground arrivals, and late-night packing runs.
Ratings & Reviews
This is easy to put together it works great and I love that it tilts down.
High quality peice of equipment. Excellent when combined with the light package and anti-rattle hardware. A package deal would be ideal.
Overall, I'm very happy with this cargo carrier. The build quality is solid, it feels sturdy, and once assembled it performs exactly as I hoped. It has been a great addition to my 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road.
The only issue I ran into was with the supplied threaded anti-rattle hitch pin. On my factory Toyota hitch receiver, the pin was about 1/2 inch too short to fully engage the nut and locking hardware. Rather than returning the carrier, I purchased a longer threaded locking hitch pin from etrailer. The additional thread length solved the problem, allowing me to fully tighten the carrier and install the lock.
If you're installing this on a 2025 Toyota 4Runner (and possibly other vehicles with a similar receiver), you may want to check the length of the included hitch pin before your purchase. Other than that minor issue, the carrier has exceeded my expectations. It's well-built, stable, and I would definitely recommend it.
Excellent quality. The tilting mechanism is very heavy duty the push button at the back to unlock the tilt was easy to use. Made it easy to tilt down even when cargo bag was full allowing me to still open our liftgate on the 23 tahoe then after we had luggage unloaded was nice to easily fold up while we drove around and parked. I highly recommend this carrier. Worth spending a few $ more getting this one for sure. Also no difference in fuel mileage vs the roof mounted carriers.
Do you have a question about this Hitch Cargo Carrier?
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Claire H.
7/6/2026
Thank you for bringing the issue with the locking hitch pin to our attention. OEM Toyota trailer hitches are thicker than standard hitches and typically require longer hitch pins to make up for the additional width. It's a good reminder for other Toyota owners out there, so they don't run into the same thing.