Quote:
Originally Posted by darcane
You can buy a receiver hitch for about $150. Then get a cargo carrier that mounts in the receiver hitch like this one:
Amazon.com: TMS T-CCR1948KB Heavy Duty Hitch Mounted Cargo Basket Luggage Carrier Hauler, 2-Inch: Automotive
For $40. (I've never used this particular carrier, but it looks reasonably well made, especially for the price)
Then get some waterproof totes and strap them in when you go. That's well within your $500 budget and keeps your luggage in your wake as well as down low so it's easier to get into it. It does make the rear hatch harder to use though... |
I used a big cargo basket on the Durango. The Mazda hitch is only a 1 1/4", so I need a basket that small. I could always have my dad make a basket out of aluminum, that would save a lot of money.
The only two downsides to the basket is that it acts a lever on the rear suspension and once loaded, I can't open the trunk to let the dogs out. It can turn a little weight into a big load for the axle. Kind of like a pipe on a breaker bar... My old Durango had something like a 9,000 pound towing capacity with a max tongue weight of 500 pounds (I think). One time I had about 300 pounds on the cargo carrier, with only the 70 lb dog in the back and the rear suspension was noticeably lower and it handled a bit different.
I put three bikes on a bike rack on the Mazda5 last year and the suspension sagged as well.
But, having a trailer hitch would open the Mazda up to other options, like a decent bike rack.