# trailor hitch / platform cargo carrier suggestions?



## toomanyhandles (Jun 24, 2009)

I am looking for feedback regarding choice of hitch plus platform cargo carriers. I'll need both, no hitch in place yet.

I have a Pontiac Vibe/ Matrix, have been hauling nucs and the occasional single deep in the hatchback, but this coming summer will be moving 2 deep hives around and am checking into my options other than getting a trailer. 

I was stalking cars in parking lots, and looked a bit online. It seems from my online research so far, whichever hitch type I pick will have a 250lb tongue weight for this car. I'd be happier with 300lb since the weight of the platform counts, but oh well...

Does anyone have suggestions / experience for the platforms themselves? Brands/ sources that have worked well and held up well?

Thanks for thoughts and stories both.


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

Have you gone to a UHAUL center and asked them about this?


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## Rick 1456 (Jun 22, 2010)

I bought one and fit it to my Gravely tractor to haul bee stuff around my property.. Got it from Walmart. $55.00 as I recall. It's cheap but it is advertised to carry 500 lbs. Boy wouldn,t push that limit if I hit a bump on a car! Works great for my Gravely though. My thoughts:
Measure and make sure a full size hive sits inside the angle iron edges, not kitty corner. Probably will want something more than 500 lbs, even if you don't plan on carrying more simply because it will be built better. Your option, but I would get one that folds up vertical out of the way. I forgot I was towing a trailer one time cause I didn't do it that often, was backing up, got distracted, and had a hard time explaining to the insurance co. how that trailer came across the highway and hit the backside of my truck


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## toomanyhandles (Jun 24, 2009)

MAXANT said:


> Have you gone to a UHAUL center and asked them about this?


U-Haul online site was great for available models and weight limits. I thought I'd put that in the post, sorry.

Nothing in that online info as to how well that type of carrier works in practice for hives, though. : )


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Sounds like you may be approaching overload. Is this a family vehicle too?


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

I have a homemade hitch made with 2 inch heavy angle iron and goes into a 2 inch receiver, on a Chevy Tahoe. I leave it on the Tahoe all summer. Use it almost every day. It will carry three, two story active hives, or it will carry 12 deeps for splitting. I think the width on mine is inside 22 inches. Bottom boards will sit down inside the angle iron frame. I ratchet strap the individual hives, then run a ratchet strap around the hives and the carrier. I think it takes a 22 ft ratchet strap to go around all this. I saw them recently at Harbor Freight for about $60.00 Didn't look real close, but whatever you do, get a really heavy duty one. cchoganjr


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## Happy Honey Farm (Feb 14, 2010)

I have that setup on the back of my trailblazer it works well if i need to move a couple of hives,equipment, and had six full honey suppers wraped in a tarp. I have the heaver duty hitch and carrier. works well for small jobs I use dads pickup for bigger jobs.


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## valleyman (Nov 24, 2009)

Folks he's talking about a compact car here. a Pontiac Vibe/ Toyota Matrix. Knowing something about the car you are talking about and otherwise hauling /towing, unless you want a mess my advice to you is to buy a small trailer then don't tow it too far, too long or too fast. The front wheel drive 4 cylinder engine nor it's transmission is not designed to haul or pull very much, very long as there are no coolers for the oil or tranny. If you have a good year and need to haul more than you normally would you are asking for trouble, and at very best high repair bills.


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## toomanyhandles (Jun 24, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> Sounds like you may be approaching overload. Is this a family vehicle too?


It is...but when I have a hive inside, for some reason I am usually the only passenger.

It looks like I can get a receiver mounted (from other source than UHaul) that can have a tongue weight of 350lbs. Is there a particular brand of platform that folks like the build quality of? Support for 300-350lb tongue weight seems reasonable, although the platform itself will be included in that total.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

How much weight are you pulling? Total trailerGVW.


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

look in your owners manual under towing. even though your not towing they give a tounge weight for the trailer and this should apply for what your carrier can carry. this weight is with a load with passengers. so if your by yourself probably the carrier max weight will be the safe max.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

valleyman said:


> Folks he's talking about a compact car here. a Pontiac Vibe/ Toyota Matrix.


 Bee careful not to overdo it. You have a huge money and time investment in your hive to make a mistake with it. Not to mention the 30k car you are tying to use as a pickup. I would watch craigs list and pick up an old used truck before I tried to use my car.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

My bad. I should have read the OP closer. I see what you are doing, not pulling a trailer. Good luck.


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## toomanyhandles (Jun 24, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> How much weight are you pulling? Total trailerGVW.


Really, I'm just looking for something that will securely hold a full hive/ nothing crazy for supers, perhaps the footprint of 2 hives for space purposes. So I was considering a platform rather than messing around with even a small trailer for all the reasons already mentioned. 

If the online specs are right, and I can get a receiver mounted that will accommodate 350lbs tongue weight (since a platform load will be 100% tongue weight!) the platform seems reasonable. 250lb tongue weight as a limit seems cutting it a bit close.

I hadn't looked into trailers much, since this is for a light-ish hatchback (there are definitely smaller hatchbacks out there). In some ways a trailer might be easier/ more secure, though, but again it would definitely have to be small. It's tempting but as mentioned above by others, its easy to overdo it. 

At this time, we don't (I think) have replies from non-truck owners who are using a hitch platform (not a trailer); if someone is doing it and it worked out well, that would be fun to hear. There may be some good reasons to just not do it, but it doesn't seem "overtly" unreasonable to dangle 200-odd lbs. off the back of this vehicle : )

Thanks for all the replies!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Can your hitch handle a motorcycle? If yes, then 2 hives aren't going to overload it.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

toomanyhandles said:


> At this time, we don't (I think) have replies from non-truck owners who are using a hitch platform (not a trailer); if someone is doing it and it worked out well, that would be fun to hear.


So I have a tundra and trailers etc. But, I started with my highlander and a Trailer hitch and a carrier. It worked for me for hauling un-built boxes and frame boxes etc from Mann Lake years ago before they had free shipping. Going out some drive ways it scraped on the ground etc. My Highlander is med height off the ground and I still scraped. I hope yours is higher. The more weight you put on it the more you will drag over the wrong bump of drive way incline. Never tried to put hives on it. 

I did pull a 16ft trailer from CA 700 miles with 3 pallets of frames and boxes back to WA and had to draft the trucks to get above 7 miles to the gallon. My Hybrid Highlander just did not have enough umph to do well. It was underrated for what I was pulling. We still use the hitch carrier when we need a little more space. You have to remember it is back there though. Sometimes you forget.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

Here in Fl. Many small cars 
towing jet skis I think you may do better
and safer with a small trailor 
With one you won't have tounge weight problems
I'd bet you could do more because of the axel taking
the weight JMHO

Tommyt


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## njhkt6 (Jun 29, 2011)

I was running into a similar problem last summer, and decided not to go with the platform cargo carrier. Mainly this was due to the class II rating on most small passenger vehicle hitches (essentially 200lb max tongue weight). I built a trailer instead, and it is a lot more useful than the carrier. I pulled a 500lb welder from Missouri to Pennsylvania last month behind a Honda Civic. Like others said the transmissions are not really meant for this kind of load, so at minimum put in a transmission temp gauge.


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

not sure if you have a harbor freight in your area but you can buy a 4 ft trailer rated at 870 lb. for less than 200 dollars. you have to add a plywood deck but this would be your best value. a 4x8 is 300 dollars. on sale now.


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## rkereid (Dec 20, 2009)

The limitation is the load capability of the hitch that you are installing. That load is calculated based on the hitch design and it's connections to the vehicle. When you pull a trailer most of the load is lateral (pulling) vs. bearing straight down. One difference between the cargo carrier and a trailer is, when you hit a bump with a load on the cargo carrier it usually will bounce up and down more than a trailer tongue because the trailer has weight that is countering the bouncing. This could be a problem with a max load on the cargo carrier. Some people posting here about this have larger vehicles with higher load capacity classes for their hitches. That makes all the difference.

I agree with some others here that a small trailer is a safer set up.


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## toomanyhandles (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I was a bit concerned when I started looking and the tongue weights were so much less max weight than I expected. 

The feedback helps, I'll get the same receiver installed that I would have, and then I'll get a little trailer- that does indeed seem much better way to go.

This is only going to get light use off-highway, I'll have to be careful but it should be fine. And yes, Harbor Fright is available neearby- I'll check them out! Thanks for that tip, I would not likely have looked there.

Thanks again!


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## ShadowHawk (Apr 17, 2011)

I have the HF cargo carrier. We have used it to carry extra food coolers, etc. when we were vending and had the pickup bed loaded with inventory to sell. The main issue might be the receiver-hitch size. The HF cargo carrier is a class III size. Many smaller cars/vans may only be able to be fitted with a small class I or II hitch. Just for grins - I measured the width of the carrier - and it's right at 17-3/4" deep. So yep - hives would definitely fit just fine.


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