hitch basket owners - dirty?

[jacal]

For those that own/use open hitch basket type carriers:

Does your cargo get especially dirty in 1) rain or 2) gravel roads? I was hoping to use this type of carrier for fuel etc, but realized that if my fuel cans get coated with dust etc from gravel roads I'm just asking for trouble.

Any feedback is appreciated.



J

 

[Baba Booey]

I don't have one, but when I was looking at them, the instructions say not to use it on a vehicle with a straight-back exhaust pipe, which the 4Runner has. Apparently, the heat from the exhaust could melt some of your cargo such as plastic cargo covers, coolers, etc.

That being said, I have seen other vehicles with this exhaust design using them.

I thought of using one for deer hunting as a way to transport game. However, I do not want cooked venison when I arrive at my destination.

 

[sketch1]

Just as with anything on the outside of your car it is going to get dusty on a dirt road, rain as well if you are driving on a busy road.... what you could do, is buy an all weather bag for your rack.

I don't know what basket you are looking at, but I know Yakima makes bags that you can put on your naked roof, or that will fit into one of their baskets easily. They come in a couple sizes and offer beefy zippers and covers that keep the elements out.

 

[LV4R]

I don't have one, but when I was looking at them, the instructions say not to use it on a vehicle with a straight-back exhaust pipe, which the 4Runner has. Apparently, the heat from the exhaust could melt some of your cargo such as plastic cargo covers, coolers, etc.

That being said, I have seen other vehicles with this exhaust design using them.

I thought of using one for deer hunting as a way to transport game. However, I do not want cooked venison when I arrive at my destination.

I found this out first hand actually! We took a ski trip to mammoth and when we got there the plastic bin we had on the back had partially melted! Of course this was the box with my wife's stuff in it but thankfully the plastic just peeled off her clothes. On the way back I simply put down 7 or 8 layers of aluminum foil to block the exhaust and this worked great.

Jacal, you may want to look at walmart at the plastic bins. I measured the width and length of the rack then found plastic bins that fit. I managed to fit two side by side then I had two more on top of those two. I then strapped them down with the ratcheting straps and this worked perfect! The boxes were definitely a mess especially since we hit rain. Everything inside was perfect though except for the melted one. The hitch basket is a great invention and adds a ton of extra cargo space!