Customer Reviews

Valley 90190 Deluxe Hitch Mounted Basket Cargo Carrier

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this for the wife's Expedition. It fits great and looks great. I found this same item at 5 or 6 different web sites, but it was cheapest here. Shipping was fast, and it only took 20 minutes to put together. I bought the basket with the folding shank, and I am glad I spent the few extra $$. This basket is great for carrying large or dirty items that you do not want inside the vehicle (gas cans, sandy beach chairs, your mother-in-law). Buy one today!

I bought this 'trailer' to haul the extra cargo for a week at the beach. It worked perfectly and I liked the fold up position for traveling without cargo which made the trailer safer for me, and everyone else on the road. It was a pain having to pull the pin every time to access the trunk, since I was traveling around town with it in the up position. Maybe Valley could redesign it a bit to make that easier like my bike rack.

From another review I read before purchasing, the side sections don't seem as sturdy as they should be to support the weight listed, but it did haul everything I needed. I liked the bar design which made tying down a tarp over my goodies easy.

After getting home, I did notice a few spots of rusted steel on the carrier, so not the best paint on it from the manufacturer. Easily taken care of with a wire brush and rust-proof spray paint.

I checked a lot of online resources. This was the absolute best value Folding Basket that I could find. I bought through the Amazon site, but used the Southwest Wheel vendor, as they were the cheapest at $115, yet still included free shipping . The shipment from the Midwest to New Jersey was only about 3 days, even though I did not upgrade the shipping. The direct Amazon price was more expensive, and their free shipping might have been slower. I received it on Saturday. The outer shipping box did seem a little flimsy, and was slightly torn. However, the inner Valley box was in good shape. All the parts were there. The directions to assemble the actual basket were ok, but there were no directions on how to assemble the folding shank. You'll have to figure it out from the provided illustration or give them a call. (The hitch pin with the 2 holes is for the folding part. The little chain goes into the extra hole on the pin, then attach the other side of the chain to the a little hole on the shank. Use the 1 hole pin to attach the shank to the vehicle.)

I got the hitch ok into the 2" receiver on my Tahoe. It's not a tight fit, so it can shake a little side to side, but that did not affect the use of it. The 60" width was a perfect fit for the back of the 2001 Tahoe, as it did not block the back-lights. With the folding shank on and open, I was able to open the back hatch door, as long as the luggage wasn't piled too high. Without the folding shank attachment (which makes the basket extend further back from the vehicle), the door probably would have be blocked. There is an option when you originally set up the basket, to have it done in a way that it sits further back, but I don't think that the bolts were designed to allow changing those positions back and forth. When the shank was folded up the back hatch can't be opened, but it's simple to fold and unfold the shank. The weight rating is 500lbs, but that includes the actual hitch/shank weight of about 70lbs. For regular luggage and coolers I will never get near that. I piled on 2 coolers, 1 large suitcase and a few small ones- double height. Secured with bungee cords, it held great for a 1300 mile road trip. Much easier to load and unload then a roof rack. The included rail was a big help in keeping things secure, and didn't cost any extra then other systems that didn't have the rail. Though of course, if your carrying something odd shaped it could get in the way. If the road is wet you might get some splash from the tires, as the basket is grated on the bottom (though that helps for securing the load). You can buy covers or DIY with a tarp.

The only issue that I could think of was the blocking of the license plate. With luggage on I moved the license plate to the back of the basket and secured it with plastic ties . When I folded it up I cut the ties and repositioned the license plate, again with new ties (not expensive). Otherwise,even when the shank was folded the plates were blocked at least a little. Some states might also require a lit up license plate for night use.

You can get fancier attachments, but this was a great deal.

need to be a little stronger in the middle if you stand on it for anything.. nice rack other then that for the price..

I bought this for 2 reasons- 0ne, to keep beach items out of the truck and two, for long trips and cargo.
We have had this thing on our 09 Ford Flex for about a month straight now- we use it almost daily and it is heavy so removal is a pain in the "arse"

For light loads [beach chairs, dump runs] it is great. We used it this past weekend on our 1st long trip and loaded it up [200lbs or so] I found it flexed a lot to the point I wondered if it was going to end up skidding past us on the highway! I tow a 2200 lb boat so I know the hitch is good- it was the "neck" part that seemed to have a good deal of play in it that allowed for about 3-5" of up and down movement. It made it but the 1st hour was spent looking in the rear-view mirror!

Other than that we love it- does the job- quite heavy- easily put together- folding option is nice and easy to use, wifey does not complain.

Poorly packed, metal pieces rubbed against each other during transport and now I have to re-paint it before I even use it (or it will start rusting first time it rains). Very heavy too, remember to subtract the weight of this carrier from your tongue weight capacity to figure if you can really haul 500 lbs.

When calling manufacturer they say it is made in the usa, but after purchasing customer found that it is labeled in China. So, this item maybe assembled in the US.

I purchased after reading other reviews. Package arrived intact and undamaged with all parts and was simple to assemble. I used it on my Honda Pilot for a week-long trip 2000+ mile trip to Florida to carry 2 large ice chests (one for cold storage and the other for extra cargo space)freeing up the limited cargo area for suitcases, etc. Previously, the cargo for 5 adults in the car blocked my vision through the rear-view mirror and made cramped quarters for all. It made a more comfortable and safer ride. It did not block access to the rear door (unless folded) and folded nicely when unloaded so I didn't have to remove and store in my hotel rooms.

We have been renting a small UHaul to travel from VA to MS in order to keep space for everyone in the car. We purchased this one before our trip this year and used it instead. It was awesome! Very easy to install and load. Allowed for the back door of the vehicle to still open and for the dog to get in and out of the back easily even with it fully loaded. Reasonably priced and definitely well worth the money!

got this for misc outdoor uses, and put it on a Yukon XL 2010. i can still open the liftgate when the hauler is in the 'down' position which is nice. i bought the anti-rattle sleeve elsewhere, although i wasn't bothered by rattling much in the first place. the fold-up feature is fantastic, wouldn't even think of buying one without it. only drawback is that this is a pretty heavy item. it's a little easier to get into the hitch if the hauler is in the folded up position, using your knees to support it while you're lining things up. highly recommend this product.