What is the Ground Clearance for the Reese 20x47 Hitch Cargo Carrier

Published 10/07/2021

Products Featured in This Question

Light Kit for Draw-Tite, Tow Ready, and Rola Railed Cargo Carriers

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$43.10

Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4"

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$429.28

etrailer License Plate Mounting Brackets for Hitch Mounted Cargo Carrier

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$9.02

Question:

I am considering this Reese cargo carrier and have a some of questions? 1. What is the ground clearance once installed in the receiver hitch for my car? 2. Also what is the distance from the pin of the hitch to the cargo carrier. 3. Based upon my turn signals for the Infiniti it kooks like we may be blocking or partially blocking vision to the turn signals once cargo loaded. Will a light kit be required to be legal or will reflectors work mounted to the carrier? We will be adding the hitch to the car for this purpose and did not want to add wiring to the car unless required by law. 4. Finally, the exhaust in dual in the back and was wondering what we might need to do to ensure the cargo we are transporting which will probably be suitcase hard shell and stroller and metal dog cage. Also may use a cargo case to enclose some of these items.

asked by: REBECCA S

Helpful Expert Reply:

Great questions! Not everyone thinks ahead when it comes to this kind of stuff so you are definitely ahead of the game. I went ahead and numbered your questions so I can number my responses and make it easier to follow along.

1. The Reese Cargo Carrier # 63155 has a 3" rise in the shank which means that the bottom of the carrier will be 3" higher than the top of the inside of your hitch receiver. When we installed the Curt # C11510 on a 2016 Infiniti QX50 we measured 13-1/2" from the ground to the top inside of the receiver so this means that the bottom of the carrier will be 16-1/2" off the ground if you installed the Curt hitch.

2. This carrier measures 11" from the center of the hitch pin hole back to the platform.

3.I do believe that you're correct in that the carrier and cargo on it would cover up those lower lights, but if the lights about halfway up your vehicle also have the stop/turn/tail functions then you should be fine legally. If your cargo will be obscuring your turn functions then I do recommend installing wiring, like part # 119250KIT, to make sure that you won't be getting pulled over. This will enabled you to then use the Light Kit # 20174 which installs right into those sockets on the carrier. You can also use the Mounting Brackets # e98944 to move your license plate to the back of your carrier so it's more visible.

4. The best thing you could do here is to load your cargo so that things that aren't prone to heat damage will be closest to the exhaust. There isn't anything currently in the industry that I know of that will install as a shield, but you might be able to get creative and use some wood or metal as a shield between the exhaust heat and your cargo.