MaxxHaul 70107 53" x 19-1/2" Hitch Cargo Carrier - Trailer Mount Steel With High Side Rails For RV's, Trucks, SUV's, Vans, Cars 2" Receiver 500-lb Load Capacity , Black

I bought this right before a multi-day family ski trip during a brutal Sierra winter storm. It performed perfectly, and with the addition of a cargo bag we were able to carry 2 large plastic bins full of equipment and supplies for the week; bins that we had no room for in the already packed SUV.I had no problems with assembling it, but found that an extra pair of hands for inserting the top brace bolts was useful. It's not, as some say, that the holes don't line up properly; it's that for the two sides to end up straight, stiff, and taught, it requires tension on the top braces. My wife easily helped out with that step in just a couple of minutes, but I could have also managed it myself. Just follow the rule that applies to any assembly like this; don't tighten anything till all fasteners are started. The end result is a rack that feels like it's welded together........very solid.I added a HiTow dual hitch extension which raised the carrier up and away from the exhausts, and up to a more ergonomic height for loading & unloading. I'll use that this summer for carrying a bike rack and trailer at the same time, so it was well worth the $29 extra.I completed the setup with a Marksign 48" x 19" x 20" hitch carrier cargo bag for $39, and couldn't be happier with the compatibility and performance of the setup. Through 6 hours of rain and then freezing blizzard that shut down all roads to Tahoe right after we got through, my stuff arrived perfectly safe and dry. Oh, and I didn't miss climbing up to pack and unpack the cartop carrier, not to mention mounting and un-mounting the cartop carrier. This is so much easier! It's also easier to store. Love it! Oh, it did have a couple of small spots that the paint was damaged from want of better packing materials. But I'm still feeling 5 star happy with this purchase based on perfect functionality and great value.

I originally planned to purchase another carrier that cost $159.00, but I waited a bit too long, and the delivery date happened to be the day we were to leave on vacation (and this is why I purchased this item, to give me extra space). Lo and behold I even had enough to buy a waterproof bag to place my luggage inside of! All for less than the $159.00 I was originally going to spend. Putting it together took a bit of ingenuity, which my 6 year old has plenty of. The pre drilled holes didn't quite line up, but as my little genius showed me, was to align them by folding upwards the bracket that holds the 2 platform pieces together, insert the screws, then apply some pressure push them down and voila! Tighten them down, proceed to assemble the rest of the apparatus and tighten down all the nuts and bolts. DO NOT tighten down the nuts and bolts as you go along. Do this once everything is put together. I manufactured an extra metal piece for the anti- rattle /stabilizer (the piece on the right), just for some added piece of mind. We loaded about ( and I'm guessing...) 150 - 200 lbs. on the platform all in the waterproof bag, and secured it all by tying it down with some rope, both crossways as well as lengthwise. I was super tired when we got back home, and my wife had already taken all the luggage off the platform by the time I woke up. This carrier held up very well, and is sturdy as the dickens.. I had doubts before I purchased it, because of the price, but this goes to show you all that, price does not mean anything, although, for some things it might. I give item this 5 stars all around. And for reference, we traveled from farwest Texas and traveled to California and returned via Las Vegas, Nevada! All with nary a problem!

Sturdy construction and the two main platforms mated well together with holes aligned. But the top two horizontal support brackets do not fit. The holes on the arms and the main frame do not match. And yes this is after the main shaft bolts have been tightened all the way to being the two halves close together. Will be reaching out to seller.EDIT 4/3/25: the holes do indeed line up. You need to do the top horizontal support brackets first and make a V to line up the holes. Get the hardware on but do not tighten down hard. Nice hardware is on push down on both sides evenly and it will level out in order to bolt the main frame shaft. Review changed to 5 stars from 2 stars.