Cargo space and the Jeep Wrangler
Wranglers are so cool because thay are so short and stubby. They are awesome offroad and have a turning radius second to none (for a truck that is). But all this comes at a price and that is interior space. Ever tried to put a mountain bike inside a Wrangler? I have and will never do it again.

My fix
There are many options to increase cargo space like leaving the back seat out, adding a safari rack, pulling a trailer or using a receiver mounted cargo carrier. I choose the last.

Finding and ordering the cargo carrier
I had ordered my hitch from a web site named etrailer.com and was very impressed with their prices and service. So back I went and they had just what I wanted. I choose a railed model by Draw-Tite that measures 60"x24" (the rear bumper of a Wrangler is about 60" wide) and costs about $120. Shipping was $23 and I consider that a great deal saying that the cargo carrier wieghs nearly 50lbs.

Received: First impressions
Upon receiving the cargo carrier, I noticed one very interesting thing. It was in much smaller box than I expected and once the box was opened, I saw that it had to be assembled. This was not the cargo carrier from the picture on their web site but a model that was very similar made by Reese. I do have to say that I was rather disappointed but life goes on and this cargo carrier will work.

Assembly and mounting
The assembly was simple but their were many inconsistencies in the instructions, good thing I do not use instructions. Once everything was assebled it did make a rather sturdy platform. There is a weak area though and that is in the middle of each side. There is only expanded metal spanning an area 24"x30" and this seems a bit weak. If I have any problems with it, I will just attach a support under the center of each side. Anyway, after assembling it, I carried the 50lbs of cargo carrier out to my Jeep and slid it into the receiver. The first thing I noticed was how far it stuck out of the receiver with the stock location of the retaining pin hole. The rail is actually further out than my spare tire and this could be both a good and bad thing.

Final thoughts
Since I did not receive the actual item that I ordered, I am not overly happy but I do believe that the cargo carrier was a good buy and will come in handy over the years to come.

Furure modifications

• To move the cargo carrier closer to the receiver, I plan on drilling another hole about 4-5" back from the original. This will allow me some flexablilty in mounting and will improve my departure angle a bit.

A few pictures