Hitch carrier vs spare tire basket

[Mjolnir]

Hey y’all, I’ll be making a trip up the east coast in a few months and I’m looking for opinions or recommendations on which is the better solution. I’m not sure if I’m better off with a hitch carrier or a spare tire basket like the one from JCR. They both seem to have pros and cons. The trailer hitch is more easily removed but the spare tire carrier seems more sturdy. I’ve seen some stuff on a couple threads but wanted to hear from others hopefully. And if anyone has recommendations for brands too, thanks!

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[PWillette]

Unless you have good reinforcement on the tailgate I'd shy away from adding more weight to the spare tire.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Unless you have good reinforcement on the tailgate I'd shy away from adding more weight to the spare tire.

Agreed, the question then becomes how much weight? I'm making my own tire basket but only for really light stuff, and I have a Hammerbuilt plate. I don't want to give up departure angle and a hitch basket is a royal pain with a swing gate.

 

[HotdogThud]

paging @broadicustomworks

 

[fordbroncowildtrak2023]

I have a hitch basket. When it is on, I cannot open the tailgate or the window. Maybe something to drop the hitch would help. Anyway, something to consider.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Well now, can I distribute some real-world wisdom (think Trial and Error)?

As a ST owner without shelling out the $2K for a Gobi I was faced with the same dilemma.
Wanted/needed more room to store some outdoors-stuff, well, outdoors.
I like the Tire-mounted situation and almost did it.
Instead I got a rack that mounts to the tire, but can fold down to both a hitch-type basket and has a second-level fold down for a table. Came set up with bolt patterns on the sides for Pax mounts.
It also has adjustable rubber feet that rest against a T bar that goes in the hitch to alleviate a lot of the stress it places on the tire/gate/hinges.

To be transparent and blunt, it was NEVER designed to work in the situations I put it through in Moab (or the ditches that run across intersections in the SW USA cities apparently). I Killed mine last week in Moab.
It started in Amarillo when I cruised through an intersection at about 40mph, completely unaware that both the side street I was exiting and the one I was entering had engineered water drainage ditches.
Airborne a bit, come back down and crash. I lose one of the rubber feet (but find it a few minutes later on the sidewalk and reinstall it). The rack comes crashing back down and bends the T bar slightly. I Shore it up with a ratchet strap around the tire, get it snugged back up.
FF to Fins and Things in Moab.
Departure angle is a big deal coming off of those. Even without anything hanging out of the hitch, the receiver itself is asking for it there.
Bent it even more. Completely collapsed the threads of the adjustable feet into the tubes.
I doctor it up some more to survive the rest of the trip.
Currently reworking the design some to use swing-away carrier type latches to have a firm, positive engagement with the T bar for the future.
But I know 100% the limitations of trail riding with it now.

The same would apply to a hitch basket.
IF your only plan is highway use and some light service roads/easy trails to get to camp/fishing spots, you would be fine.
IF you have to depart a decent decline, scale an incline, crawl any rocks, or articulate much, you'll hate life.

FWIW I do have the Hammerbuilt reinforcement and it is, confidently, the only thing that saved me from warping the piss out of my gate.
This setup will work for most stuff I do while hauling gear and I am still happy with the design. It just needs a few tweaks for my use. YMMV.
I'm not going to name the company or bad-mouth it in any way. The owner has been awesome to deal with and is working with me on replacement feet and brackets, even though he did not have to.
I am working with him on these prototyping of different ways to secure it, hoping it works, and hoping it will be something he can capitalize on in the future.

Long story short version: If light duty stuff, hitch basket is handy but gets in the way of the gate.
If you do a tire-mounted only basket, definitely invest in a quality reinforcement for the gate and hinges.
Personally I'll end up getting an Exo-rack more than likely and not worry about it again, or a swing-away carrier combined with a revised method on the current rack I already have.
Both are going to run about the same price for me.

The "easy button" solution is a tire mounted basket/carrier and a reinforcement.
It isn't in your way of opening and accessing the back and it does not affect your departure angles.

 

[Mjolnir]

Unless you have good reinforcement on the tailgate I'd shy away from adding more weight to the spare tire.

I’ve got the RTR set up so it’s probably fine that is another good thought. Regardless of what reinforcement I’m not so sure if I do want to be adding more weight to that.

Well now, can I distribute some real-world wisdom (think Trial and Error)?

As a ST owner without shelling out the $2K for a Gobi I was faced with the same dilemma.
Wanted/needed more room to store some outdoors-stuff, well, outdoors.
I like the Tire-mounted situation and almost did it.
Instead I got a rack that mounts to the tire, but can fold down to both a hitch-type basket and has a second-level fold down for a table. Came set up with bolt patterns on the sides for Pax mounts.
It also has adjustable rubber feet that rest against a T bar that goes in the hitch to alleviate a lot of the stress it places on the tire/gate/hinges.

To be transparent and blunt, it was NEVER designed to work in the situations I put it through in Moab (or the ditches that run across intersections in the SW USA cities apparently). I Killed mine last week in Moab.
It started in Amarillo when I cruised through an intersection at about 40mph, completely unaware that both the side street I was exiting and the one I was entering had engineered water drainage ditches.
Airborne a bit, come back down and crash. I lose one of the rubber feet (but find it a few minutes later on the sidewalk and reinstall it). The rack comes crashing back down and bends the T bar slightly. I Shore it up with a ratchet strap around the tire, get it snugged back up.
FF to Fins and Things in Moab.
Departure angle is a big deal coming off of those. Even without anything hanging out of the hitch, the receiver itself is asking for it there.
Bent it even more. Completely collapsed the threads of the adjustable feet into the tubes.
I doctor it up some more to survive the rest of the trip.
Currently reworking the design some to use swing-away carrier type latches to have a firm, positive engagement with the T bar for the future.
But I know 100% the limitations of trail riding with it now.

The same would apply to a hitch basket.
IF your only plan is highway use and some light service roads/easy trails to get to camp/fishing spots, you would be fine.
IF you have to depart a decent decline, scale an incline, crawl any rocks, or articulate much, you'll hate life.

FWIW I do have the Hammerbuilt reinforcement and it is, confidently, the only thing that saved me from warping the piss out of my gate.
This setup will work for most stuff I do while hauling gear and I am still happy with the design. It just needs a few tweaks for my use. YMMV.
I'm not going to name the company or bad-mouth it in any way. The owner has been awesome to deal with and is working with me on replacement feet and brackets, even though he did not have to.
I am working with him on these prototyping of different ways to secure it, hoping it works, and hoping it will be something he can capitalize on in the future.

Long story short version: If light duty stuff, hitch basket is handy but gets in the way of the gate.
If you do a tire-mounted only basket, definitely invest in a quality reinforcement for the gate and hinges.
Personally I'll end up getting an Exo-rack more than likely and not worry about it again, or a swing-away carrier combined with a revised method on the current rack I already have.
Both are going to run about the same price for me.

The "easy button" solution is a tire mounted basket/carrier and a reinforcement.
It isn't in your way of opening and accessing the back and it does not affect your departure angles.

fantastic analysis! Thanks @HotdogThud for tagging him. I definitely don’t plan to do anything besides light trails if I was to have an extra carrier on the back. I’ve currently got the RTR spare tire support so I’m set there. I do like that the spare tire basket has options for rotopax on it. That rack you were describing you’ve used sounds like a great idea I might be tempted to invest in. I’d just kind of hate to spend an hour changing a tire if I had that basket ​

 

[Ironiguana]

I have a hitch basket. When it is on, I cannot open the tailgate or the window. Maybe something to drop the hitch would help. Anyway, something to consider.

I use this with my hitch basket:
https://www.kuat.com/product/pivot-2/ (cheaper if you find a sale on Amazon)
It also pushes the basket out a bit more so the tire doesn't get in the way.

 

[fordbroncowildtrak2023]

I use this with my hitch basket:
https://www.kuat.com/product/pivot-2/ (cheaper if you find a sale on Amazon)
It also pushes the basket out a bit more so the tire doesn't get in the way.

That is slick! Thanks for that link!

 

[Jason]

I use this with my hitch basket:
https://www.kuat.com/product/pivot-2/ (cheaper if you find a sale on Amazon)
It also pushes the basket out a bit more so the tire doesn't get in the way.

Did you get the passenger side or the driver side swing? I could see either working or not working depending on dimensions.

 

[broadicustomworks]

I’ve got the RTR set up so it’s probably fine that is another good thought. Regardless of what reinforcement I’m not so sure if I do want to be adding more weight to that.

fantastic analysis! Thanks @HotdogThud for tagging him. I definitely don’t plan to do anything besides light trails if I was to have an extra carrier on the back. I’ve currently got the RTR spare tire support so I’m set there. I do like that the spare tire basket has options for rotopax on it. That rack you were describing you’ve used sounds like a great idea I might be tempted to invest in. I’d just kind of hate to spend an hour changing a tire if I had that basket ​

It's not that bad, really.
I mean, it would take extra time if you had to unload the basket of stuff, of course.
But it is held on to the spare via standoffs that take the place of your lugs. 3 quick 3/4" nuts removed via wrench or socket and the whole apparatus lifts off.
It is all made of aluminum so it's not heavy on its own.
I guess I could go ahead and link the manufacturer here, as the failure isn't due to their design, just my use of it in unfavorable situations...
I do highly recommend it just due to the user-friendly things it brings. Trips to the beach and whatnot it would be worth its weight in gold.

https://www.rucrak.com/

 

[Ironiguana]

Did you get the passenger side or the driver side swing? I could see either working or not working depending on dimensions.

I went back and forth on that decision I got the driver side because the tailgate can swing out farther than the Kuat and I thought maybe that could cause a problem. In my mind I was also envisioning using a cooler in the hitch basket as a table/counter but I never do that. It still works for me but you can make arguments for the passenger side also. Don't know if it matters that much.

 

[Mjolnir]

It's not that bad, really.
I mean, it would take extra time if you had to unload the basket of stuff, of course.
But it is held on to the spare via standoffs that take the place of your lugs. 3 quick 3/4" nuts removed via wrench or socket and the whole apparatus lifts off.
It is all made of aluminum so it's not heavy on its own.
I guess I could go ahead and link the manufacturer here, as the failure isn't due to their design, just my use of it in unfavorable situations...
I do highly recommend it just due to the user-friendly things it brings. Trips to the beach and whatnot it would be worth its weight in gold.

https://www.rucrak.com/

Very creative system! Thank you for the link. Might consider altering my rear set up if I go this route.

 

[RUZ]

Just got this in today. Not too big or heavy. Haven't had a chance to load it down yet.

https://www.quadratec.com/p/quadrat...jumbo-cargo-storage-bag-2-inch-receiver-hitch

Basket is 12" from the hitch pin, 4.75" from the top of the tube. Tailgate opens if it is unloaded. I don't think I will have to worry too much about blocking taillights or plate.

 

[Mjolnir]

Just got this in today. Not too big or heavy. Haven't had a chance to load it down yet.

https://www.quadratec.com/p/quadrat...jumbo-cargo-storage-bag-2-inch-receiver-hitch

Basket is 12" from the hitch pin, 4.75" from the top of the tube. Tailgate opens if it is unloaded. I don't think I will have to worry too much about blocking taillights or plate.

Nice! Let me know how it handles once you load it down and try it out. Thinking my best solution might be combining a decent carrier with the Kuat pivot.

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