Using Car Pod Cargo Carrier on Front Mounted Hitch of 2015 Toyota Tacoma  

Question:

Expert Reply:

It would initially seem that a front mounted cargo carrier is a good idea, but it's not a practice I recommend for three pretty good reasons.

• Having the carrier at the front restricts airflow into the radiator, which could cause the engine to overheat.
Which would be bad.

• The carrier can interfere with the truck's headlights. Which would also be bad.

• The carrier can interfere with the driver's vision of the road, leading to an unsafe situation. Which could be
really bad.

I'd recommend installing a roof rack and a cargo basket, this way the cargo will be up out of the way and not interfering with the driver's vision. The roof rack would consist of the following parts:

For the Access Cab:
Rhino Rack 2500 Series Crossbar, part # RRVA137B-2
Leg Kit, part # RRRLKVA
Vehicle specific clamp kit, part # DK046

For the Double Cab:
Rhino Rack 2500 Series Crossbar, part # RRVA137B-2
Leg Kit, part # RRRLKVA
Vehicle specific clamp kit, part # DK174

With the roof rack in place, you'll need a roof basket. The Yakima # Y07138 OffGrid would be an excellent choice, as you can see in the video I've linked for you. I'd also recommend a cargo bag like the # RL100S20 from Rightline.

This might seem like quite a bit of equipment, but it's actually about the same amount of money as the combined cost of the front hitch and the Car Pod carrier you'd asked about.

I've linked to a product demonstration video for the OffGrid roof cargo basket.

expert reply by: Mike L

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