[DesertRat]

so i just recently bought myself a receiver hitch carrier for the TW from Harbor Freight. i will be going on a road trip from San Antonio TX to Tucson AZ. thats 900 miles-ish one way. i hope to get in a little bit of desert riding! should be fun! i found a couple of different manufacturers that make to style product but i was unhappy with the prices. i was able to get this one for $120 (used coupon). this was actually the cheapest i have seen any of this style product. they normally run twice that from any other manufacturer. i read some reviews about it with no real negative comments. so im taking a chance and thought i would share my experience with you all. i will be leaving no later than friday morning. i will try to post a little something shortly after i make it to Tucson about how the hauling went and then again after i make it back home. this rack is by no means perfect but i really do like it so far. it appears to be pretty sturdy. test drive went very well. below are some pics of my bike on the back on my 2000 Nissan Xterra. sorry they are a little fuzzy. camera has seen a little abouse from 6 year old and 20 month old. and yes, i will take better day pics and give this rack a full review upon my return. thoughts/comments of any kind are welcome. all i ask is please, dont be rude.



DezertRat

 

[mtkd]

Hate to derail the thread but I am the champion of it! Is that the plastic 4 Gallon Clarke tank?

 

[RisingSun]

Well have fun riding in Tucson. I would carry a gun though just in case. There is alot of drug runners in the desert around here lately and the wild life is starting to wake up out of their winter slumbers lately as well

 

[admiral]

so i just recently bought myself a receiver hitch carrier for the TW from Harbor Freight. thoughts/comments of any kind are welcome. all i ask is please, dont be rude.



DezertRat

Last month, pops-in-law and I made a homemade receiver carrier. It will be interesting to hear what your thoughts are when you complete your trip. I've only used mine once so far on my pickup, and you can't even tell the TW is back there. Your rig is a little smaller, so will wait for some of your feedback as well. I probably won't use mine that much, but nice to have it around. Have fun on your trip.

 

[Rainman]

Looks great! Did the auxiliary lights on top of the Xterra come with it? Something you added? I assume those would be your "new" blinkers, brake, and taillights.

 

[DesertRat]

Hate to derail the thread but I am the champion of it! Is that the plastic 4 Gallon Clarke tank?

its actually only about a 2 gal. it came with the bike when i got it. but i am looking to get the 4 gal.



DezertRat

 

[DesertRat]

Looks great! Did the auxiliary lights on top of the Xterra come with it? Something you added? I assume those would be your "new" blinkers, brake, and taillights.

i got those from Harbor Freight as well, $10 and they work great! i figured they bike would block all my rear light so i just picked them up. it was a good thing too.



DezertRat

 

[DesertRat]

[quote name='admiral' date='07 March 2012 - 03:10 AM' timestamp='1331111437' post='38729']

Last month, pops-in-law and I made a homemade receiver carrier. It will be interesting to hear what your thoughts are when you complete your trip. I've only used mine once so far on my pickup, and you can't even tell the TW is back there. Your rig is a little smaller, so will wait for some of your feedback as well. I probably won't use mine that much, but nice to have it around. Have fun on your trip.



Admiral,



your home setup looks great! i was wanting something more like what you made but i dont have the equipment to pull that off. but right off the bat your setup looks good enough. i dont think any of my experience can help. but i will let you know upon my return.



DezertRat

 

[DesertRat]

Well have fun riding in Tucson. I would carry a gun though just in case. There is alot of drug runners in the desert around here lately and the wild life is starting to wake up out of their winter slumbers lately as well

oh yea. im a tucson native. i know how that goes. im always strapped. i have one open carry and one conceled carry. there have been many of nights where illegals trample through my camp taking my water and food. ok, only twice. but still! the craziest thing that i have seen was about 11 years ago. my dad and i were out camping/hunting and right before dust, a non-DoD helicopter drops a crate about a mile away and to hills over. my old man and i decide to take a peek at whats going on. well we dont know 100% what was going on but we waited and watched the general area where the crate was dropped and withing 25-30 minutes there was what appeared to be 12 illegals rushing in the direction of the crate. we concluded that it might have been illegals smuggling drugs at the same time. but who knows... i can tell you one thing, they WERE up to no good. needles to say, my old man called AZ game and fish and the next thing we knew there was a handful of border patrol agents all over that area.



DezertRat

 

[Stromper]

TIE WHEELS TO THE RAIL... ask me how I know



I also switched to ratchet straps will go over rims to the rail and back



I am adding a cross bar to the front of the carrier so handlebar straps pull inline with forks

 

[RisingSun]

oh yea. im a tucson native. i know how that goes. im always strapped. i have one open carry and one conceled carry. there have been many of nights where illegals trample through my camp taking my water and food. ok, only twice. but still! the craziest thing that i have seen was about 11 years ago. my dad and i were out camping/hunting and right before dust, a non-DoD helicopter drops a crate about a mile away and to hills over. my old man and i decide to take a peek at whats going on. well we dont know 100% what was going on but we waited and watched the general area where the crate was dropped and withing 25-30 minutes there was what appeared to be 12 illegals rushing in the direction of the crate. we concluded that it might have been illegals smuggling drugs at the same time. but who knows... i can tell you one thing, they WERE up to no good. needles to say, my old man called AZ game and fish and the next thing we knew there was a handful of border patrol agents all over that area.



DezertRat

Things have stepped up in recent months just to get you aware. Goodluck and safe travels.

 

[rtbuckingham]

I transported one of my TWs from Los Angeles to Washington, DC with this exact Harbor Freight setup. I did this with my 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser. The trip, which included some mild off road bits, went perfectly--camped the whole way across. Yey, the Harbor Freight product is not as sturdy as the more pricy options (I would assume), but it gets the job done.



-DCTW

 

[evan]

I've been thinking of getting a carrier. wanted to make sure the big rear tire of the tw would fit in the rail. thanks for the post. I'll check the harbor freight in my area.

 

[DesertRat]

Things have stepped up in recent months just to get you aware. Goodluck and safe travels.

roger that! thank you for the heads up RisingSun.

 

[DesertRat]

TIE WHEELS TO THE RAIL... ask me how I know



I also switched to ratchet straps will go over rims to the rail and back



I am adding a cross bar to the front of the carrier so handlebar straps pull inline with forks

Thanks Stromper! As soon as i get home today i will make sure the wheels are properly secure.



DezertRat

 

[darnold87]

I have that same carrier and like it a lot. Got it for $109 on sale with a coupon. Only used it a couple times (on my wifes Honda CRV) but it worked great for the t-dub... A little heavy for the CRV though. Just use plenty of ratchet straps on your bike, just in case. I didn't even install the front wheel clamp...

 

[Retrofit]

TIE WHEELS TO THE RAIL... ask me how I know



I also switched to ratchet straps will go over rims to the rail and back



I am adding a cross bar to the front of the carrier so handlebar straps pull inline with forks

OK.... i'll bite... "how do you know?" Im always up for a good story. include pictures.