Family Truckster - 2023 Edition

[john_pifer]

Here’s our family road tripping vehicle.

Yakima CBX rooftop cargo carrier (Yakima aero cross bars and towers) and Arksen (Amazon) folding hitch-mount cargo basket.

If interested, I talked extensively about the Yakima CBX and crossbars, etc here

Wife and I in front, the 2.5-yr-old, 1.5-yr-old, and the 5-month-old in the middle row.

It does have the fold-down 3rd row, which will be more useful in the future. For now, there’s plenty of cargo room back there.

Works out well!

 

[Number_35]

Congratulations on your expanding family!

What's the weight of the hitch-mounted carrier when loaded?

Your hitch is probably Class 2 or 3, but when running the bike rack on our Mazda5's Class 1 hitch, I added a strap up to the top of the hatch to reduce the tension on the hitch and rack.

 

[dnewton3]

I've always had a soft-spot for the 4Runner and LX460. Don't know that I'll ever own one, but I sure to respect them for their capability and durability. You've got a nice looking rig there!


Here's some unsolicited advice ... don't load/store your rear carrier such that the license plate is covered/obscured. LEOs love an easy reason to pull you over, and that's about as easy as it gets. You'd probably travel thousands of miles and never get hassled, but when you least expect or want it to happen, it will. I've always told folks "If you don't want to get pulled over, don't do things to get my attention."

 

[john_pifer]

Congratulations on your expanding family!

What's the weight of the hitch-mounted carrier when loaded?

Your hitch is probably Class 2 or 3, but when running the bike rack on our Mazda5's Class 1 hitch, I added a strap up to the top of the hatch to reduce the tension on the hitch and rack.

I think the receiver cap. is 500 lbs, and so is the basket’s. However, I realize that the arm of the carrier adds leverage to that equation.

Regardless, I’ll never put anywhere close to that amount of weight on it.

I had a cargo box loaded with assorted stuff - bottled water, drinks, food and coffee and kitchen stuff, along with some water/pool play stuff.

So, the cargo box probably weighed 50-60 lbs.

I am in search of a better cargo box because the one I bought at Lowe’s Here is neither watertight to heavy rain such as what we went through on the way to the gulf coast (necessitating the tarp you see in the photo), nor is it very sturdy, the lid having been deformed a bit from the tie-down straps. It works, but it’s not ideal.

Also need to get a good cooler.

 

[totegoat]

Looks like a good family car.