My first impression was the box and packaging. It was clearly labeled "born in Australia" another label one the retail box shipping sleeve is "made in China" none the less the exterior of the box and sleeve gave a great impression. UPS left the box on my porch so I needed an appliance cart (purchased from Amazon many years ago) to move it into the garage. Favorable impressions continued as I unpacked the three (3) pieces that make up the basket. Two large sections slide together and are secured by four (4) bolts. Additional support is provided by two (2) crossbars that are secured by two (2) bolts for each. Additional support is offered by the piece that makes up the section the attaches to the 2" receiver on my car. It secures with four (4) larger bolts. In all assembly took less than 45 minutes. I used a 9/16 and 5/8 wrench as well as sockets to do initial sighting. A torque wrench was used to tighten to specifications. Reflectors are well made and snap into place.

I was very impressed with the quality of welds which hold this basket together. They give great confidence as to the overall strength and disability of the product. I also purchased the ROLA waterproof cargo bag to complete the utility of the basket.

I'll soon be taking a 1,000 mile trip into the Catskill Mountains of New York State and expect my load on the carrier to be just under 300 pounds. After the trip I'll let you know how the ROLA basket and waterproof cargo cover perform.

My wife and I live about 5-6 hours from any of our family and this thing has been indispensable. We have a 2010 Lexus RX350 we use it with and we are able to put almost everything on it, leaving the backseat for the kid, and the trunk/cargo area for the dog. We also bought the ROLA weather proof bag that fits on this and I would advise it's worth the price. Traveling in winter with snow/salt/sand/slush on the roads nothing got wet, damp, or dirty. Quality on both the carrier and the bag are great. I have scraped it a couple times and just hit it with black spray paint to keep it from rusting.

Nice product, but had some issues. First, when I received the box, I noticed several points where the metal had pokes through and was exposed. Then I opened the box to find a lot of areas that were scuffed or scratched and one area that was dented. Not enough to make me want to return it, as it's a large heavy box, but enough to really bother me and feel like I paid full price for damaged goods. I have seen other reviews that had similar experiences, so clearly the packaging is inadequate.

Also, as other reviewers noted, the holes where you put the bolts that connect the basket to the shank are designed too large. The head of the bolt started to pull through the hole, not to mention the black coating started flaking and coming off. So, like others, I went to the hardware store and bought 4 stainless steel washers, which solved the problem. Again, an annoyance for a brand new product.

A couple other things to note. It's already been mentioned, but no reflectors come with the basket as shown in the pictures. I know this and bought the led light kit. If you're like me and are new to the world of towing and hitches, then you will want to know that this doesn't come with a hitch pin, so throw a locking one on your order.

Pros- It's a sturdy/heavy rack. Looks great. Instructions are clear on how to assemble. Light kits are easy to install on the rack, making it a safer rack.

Cons- Packaged without care for the product, box was demolished, "powdercoating" was scratched all over from shipping. Bolt holes are too big, usually a hole is drilled 1/64th or 1/32nd over the size of the bolt, I feel like these are pretty sloppy, maybe 1/16th over. so when assembling you have to really pay attention to alignment of the pieces, especially the rack to the hitch, or it will be twisted. Also, I had to add washers to the bolts, as when you torque them to the recommended specs, the bolts wanted to slip through the over-sized holes, especially the slotted holes of the hitch/rack for the 7/16" bolts. Torquing these bolts without the washers will cause the bolts to come through the slots and round the backside of the bolt over. See pic. It really needs washers,,, I advise buying some in advance.

Overall, happy with this purchase. This is for our upcoming camping trip to Colorado, to sit on the back of my Silverado/Z71, because I want more room for our 3 dogs in the back of the truck, and yes, I have a topper for the dogs. But, anyway, this rack will allow a lot more room for them to stretch out in the back for the long trip. The large expanded metal with the black powder coated tubing makes for a great look. It's loose in the hitch, but then what isn't. The added option of being able to put lights in it is a huge plus to me. Will update after the trip when it has some miles on it, but for now, it fits the bill.

Used this recently on a camping trip in conjunction with:

Cargo bag 48" Waterproof Hitch Cargo Carrier Rack Bag with Expandable Height
LED light kit ROLA 59516 LED Light Kit for ROLA Railed Cargo Carrier
Hitch Tightener StowAway Hitch Tightener

Picked up (4) 3/8" washers at Home Depot as other stated. Temporarily mounted my plate to the carrier using zip ties. I didn't want to deal with the hassle of getting pulled over even though I was probably ok. Used neon orange ratchet straps to tie down cargo and for extra visibility of the carrier and contents.

If strapped down correctly, you can easily
stack ALOT of gear.

The carrier is heavy but not as heavy as I thought after reading the reviews. The curved chrome handles help make the handling easier.

It's a nice option for future road trips or anything bulky/dirty I don't want to carry inside the vehicle.