Gaari Means Car. Car Reviews & Car News

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Tzvi D. Amsel (Lakewood, NJ) –

  

I checked a lot of online resources. This was the absolute best value Folding Basket that I could find. I bought through the Amazon site, but used the Southwest Wheel vendor, as they were the cheapest at $115, yet still included free shipping . The shipment from the Midwest to New Jersey was only about 3 days, even though I did not upgrade the shipping. The direct Amazon price was more expensive, and their free shipping might have been slower. I received it on Saturday. The outer shipping box did seem a little flimsy, and was slightly torn. However, the inner Valley box was in good shape. All the parts were there. The directions to assemble the actual basket were ok, but there were no directions on how to assemble the folding shank. You’ll have to figure it out from the provided illustration or give them a call. (The hitch pin with the 2 holes is for the folding part. The little chain goes into the extra hole on the pin, then attach the other side of the chain to the a little hole on the shank. Use the 1 hole pin to attach the shank to the vehicle.)

I got the hitch ok into the 2″ receiver on my Tahoe. It’s not a tight fit, so it can shake a little side to side, but that did not affect the use of it. The 60″ width was a perfect fit for the back of the 2001 Tahoe, as it did not block the back-lights. With the folding shank on and open, I was able to open the back hatch door, as long as the luggage wasn’t piled too high. Without the folding shank attachment (which makes the basket extend further back from the vehicle), the door probably would have be blocked. There is an option when you originally set up the basket, to have it done in a way that it sits further back, but I don’t think that the bolts were designed to allow changing those positions back and forth. When the shank was folded up the back hatch can’t be opened, but it’s simple to fold and unfold the shank. The weight rating is 500lbs, but that includes the actual hitch/shank weight of about 70lbs. For regular luggage and coolers I will never get near that. I piled on 2 coolers, 1 large suitcase and a few small ones- double height. Secured with bungee cords, it held great for a 1300 mile road trip. Much easier to load and unload then a roof rack. The included rail was a big help in keeping things secure, and didn’t cost any extra then other systems that didn’t have the rail. Though of course, if your carrying something odd shaped it could get in the way. If the road is wet you might get some splash from the tires, as the basket is grated on the bottom (though that helps for securing the load). You can buy covers or DIY with a tarp.

The only issue that I could think of was the blocking of the license plate. With luggage on I moved the license plate to the back of the basket and secured it with plastic ties . When I folded it up I cut the ties and repositioned the license plate, again with new ties (not expensive). Otherwise,even when the shank was folded the plates were blocked at least a little. Some states might also require a lit up license plate for night use.

You can get fancier attachments, but this was a great deal.

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