The box containing this item had none of the nuts, bolts, etc. listed in the assembly instructions. I contacted the seller, who told me to contact the manufacturer, which I did. I should have just returned the item then, but it was big and heavy. The manufacturer seemed responsive, although they were clearly exasperated (with me?) by the second phone call. I did receive the parts (with two items still missing!) after two weeks and multiple phone calls. I was told three times I would be called or emailed about the status of their attempt to provide the parts, and did not hear anything two of the three times.

We purchased this carrier for use with our 2010 Jeep Sahara. Assembly was quick and easy. The carrier mounted right up without any clearance issues, even with the oversized spare tire. The basket rails make securing cargo with ratcheting straps a breeze.
Highly recommended!

Okay, let's look at the product description:

* Black, weather-resistant powder coat finish

The powder coat finish looks good coming out of the box. However it was soon apparent that it's *just* weather resistant, not scratch resistant. By the time I'd assembled the basket on our driveway that much was clear.

* Fixed shank provides for extra ground clearance

Okay.

* Total weight of cargo and carrier should not exceed 500 pounds

We used this last weekend on the back of our CR-C to haul a bunch of camping gear up to the Sierras. I used two Rubbermaid storage boxes packed with gear and it fit with room to spare. Rubbermaid 1172 ActionPacker Storage Box, 24-Gallon

* Easy to install

Yeah, it wasn't bad. I recommend assembling the basket on a lawn though to help preserve the painted finish. Mounting it to the vehicle was easy, only made slightly more difficult by doing it solo and using this hitch pin: Softride 25219 QuietRide Hitch Pin See my review on that item to see what the pain was.

* Formed 2 inch square extension bar is reversible to be used in drop or rise position

I used this on our CR-V in the drop position, which was the only way the rear door would open. Ground clearance was a lot less in that position; we scraped the road a couple of times going in/out of driveways during fuel stops. (Only when my wife was driving...I would never do such a thing!) lol

One *IMPORTANT* note:

Last year we rented a cargo basket for our camp trip. It worked great, which prompted this purchase. The main difference between the rental basket and this one is the outer rail; this one is just a round bar, where the rental had a 8" solid metal lip all the way around.

It wasn't until we finished the 3-hour drive that I appreciated the difference. The open space of this basket's design allowed the hot exhaust to spew directly into the load...which melted a 6 inch hole into the Rubbermaid container directly behind the exhaust pipe. (By "directly" I mean 12-14 inches) We lost a ground tarp and two flashlights, all melted from the heat...and almost had fiery excitement along the highway since there were also two bottles of lantern fuel in that box! When I pulled them out they were hot to hold; a close call for sure - had they been packed on the other side of the box things could have gotten ugly. Maybe I should have noticed this, but between the rush of packing and the memory of the last cargo basket working so well it slipped by me. In any case, if you use this basket be aware of the location of your exhaust pipe versus the load.

All of the positive reviews are as claimed. The basket is solid and the side rails helped keep the items stable. Overall, we are very pleased to have it. One big WARNING - your exhaust pipe might not like this basket. When we first loaded the basket, the car exhaust pipe was a good 6 inches below the basket. When we got to the camp site, everything looked fine. I started to put down the ground tarp and noticed it was significantly melted - look like I took a torch to it. Thinking back, it was on bottom of the basket. When we returned from camping, I propped up the grill on the side of the basket - leaving an air gap where the tarp had been. When we returned home, the basket at that spot was really warm but nothing else had melted. Bad luck? Bad design? Unfortunate coincidence of basket and pipe? I am glad we bought the basket, however, just need to remember to not put meltable things on that side at the bottom of the basket.

The packaging gets knocked around during shipping, but all was well when opened. Very easy to put together by yourself. Happy with the hitch and the price paid on Amazon.