# Car-Top Luggage Carriers, and Trailer Hitches **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 15, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214 "2010-04-15T14:35:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/1 "2010-04-15T14:35:29Z")
1. Do you need a luggage rack to utilize a car-top luggage carrier, or can you just slap it up on the roof (and secure it, of course)? 2. About how much does it cost to retrofit a compact car with a trailer hitch? TIA ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/2 "2010-04-15T14:40:37Z")
I can answer #2. It depends. I bought the trailer hitch setup for my 2005 Subaru Baja, and installed it in about an hour in my driveway. It was about $250, but the car was pre-wired for an easy trailer hitch installation. U-Haul wanted nearly $400 for the whole thing, hitch, wiring, and installation. Depending on the complexity required to wire the electrical connection, it could add a little to this. You won’t be able to pull a whole lot with a compact car. My car can pull about 1500lbs, but I don’t come anywhere close to that. This would be a small pop-up trailer, or couple of motorcycles on a utility trailer. I currently pull a 14’ aluminum boat on a light trailer, with a small engine, which doesn’t weigh more than a few hundred pounds. The easiest thing to do is to call a few places nearby, including checking with the dealer for any package they sell… you may not have them install it, but it gives a baseline on pricing for parts. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/3 "2010-04-15T14:42:00Z")
trailer hitches should be secured to something substantial which the rear of compact cars don’t have. a compact car will not have the power nor drive train to tow a trailer. does your owners manual say it is suitable for towing? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/4 "2010-04-15T14:44:11Z")
Just do what [this guy did](http://www.snopes.com/photos/automobiles/lumber.asp). ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/5 "2010-04-15T14:45:48Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > Just do what [this guy did](http://www.snopes.com/photos/automobiles/lumber.asp). Turn green and make a face? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/6 "2010-04-15T15:14:26Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > Just do what [this guy did](http://www.snopes.com/photos/automobiles/lumber.asp). I wonder how far they got like that. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/7 "2010-04-15T15:15:54Z")
The Curt Mfg. [website](http://www.curtmfg.com/) lets you put in your car’s year, make, model and spits out which of their hitch models will work. Some cars have frames with pre-drilled holes and spotwelded nuts so all you have to do is bolt on the hitch. It’s an easy DIY project. But if not, you’ll probably have to have it welded on or have holes drilled. I’ve seen smaller cars with hitches…you just need to know the limitations of your vehicle. I’d check the manual and see if it has a section on towing. Of course you might also be interested in one or more of the many other uses for the receiver other than towing, like to attach a bike rack. My Curt hitch cost about $140 but that didn’t include the wiring. I installed it myself if about 40 minutes. Can’t help on the luggage rack/cartop carrier thing. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/8 "2010-04-15T15:39:19Z")
My parents used to have a car-top luggage carrier, the kind that looks like a large Rubbermaid tub. They didn’t have a luggage rack; the thing attached to the edges of the windows, I think. Maybe bungee cords were involved somehow. But anyway, no luggage rack required. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/9 "2010-04-15T17:49:52Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > You won’t be able to pull a whole lot with a compact car. I don’t plan to pull much, just a PWC and trailer. And maybe a roll-behind luggage trailer. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/10 "2010-04-15T19:15:06Z")
A luggage rack is not necessary, though it might make things a bit easier. I have a car-top carrier from ~25 years ago, looks like [this](http://www.virtute.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/image.png). It has two straps on each side that are meant to grab onto the rain gutters (here’s a photo of a [bracket that hooks to a rain gutter](http://www.glacierbaysports.com/cart/images/thule-387-high-foot-rain-gutter-foot-pack.jpg)). Most cars now don’t have rain gutters. The straps could be hooked into the [window opening](http://www.discountramps.com/cargoImages/car-top-carrier-2.jpg) or into the [door opening](http://www.lakelandgear.com/images/car_top_carrier_accessories/Car_Clip_Straps_CD.gif). However, if they weren’t designed for that, it’s possible the hooks could scratch the paint. I would expect that modern carriers have hooks designed for door openings and/or window openings. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/11 "2010-04-15T20:12:53Z")
Check out Thule and Yakima for the car-top carriers - they’ve made it simple, if expensive, to get just the right bits and bobs to securely mount racks and bins. Part of what makes them expensive is the modular design - the base collection of hardware will accept a bicycle carrier in the summer and a ski rack in the winter, for example. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/12 "2010-04-16T13:38:25Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I don’t plan to pull much, just a PWC and trailer. And maybe a roll-behind luggage trailer. What’s the make/model of the car? As mentioned upthread, this information is widely available, and likely in your owner’s manual as well. Once we have that info, we can give better answers. > [@johnpost](#): > > trailer hitches should be secured to something substantial which the rear of compact cars don’t have. a compact car will not have the power nor drive train to tow a trailer. I’d disagree, and say that with proper installation, any car could have a hitch installed safely. It may (will) have a lower tow weight rating, and tongue weight limits, but I’d see no impedement in any car that I’ve climbed under in the past 20 years in the US. The OP states he’s not looking for a great capacity, probably well under 1000lb, which probably isn’t far away from the maximum load of the vehicle’s interior. 4 good size men, and their luggage weighs somewhere in that range. He may also have restrictions on the routes he can take, crossing the Rocky Mountains may be right out, but the OP is in IL, which isn’t on my radar as being a particularly steep part of the US. Braking capacity probably isn’t an issue with light loads, and the given terrain. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/13 "2010-04-16T16:12:28Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > What’s the make/model of the car? 2007 Toyota Yaris. The manufacturer in the link **SmellMyWort** provided indicated that they can work with the Yaris, so I’m in the clear. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-top-luggage-carriers-and-trailer-hitches/536214/14 "2010-04-16T22:52:25Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > … I have a car-top carrier from ~25 years ago, looks like [this](http://www.virtute.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/image.png). It has two straps on each side that are meant to grab onto the rain gutters (here’s a photo of a [bracket that hooks to a rain gutter](http://www.glacierbaysports.com/cart/images/thule-387-high-foot-rain-gutter-foot-pack.jpg)). Most cars now don’t have rain gutters. The straps could be hooked into the [window opening](http://www.discountramps.com/cargoImages/car-top-carrier-2.jpg) or into the [door opening](http://www.lakelandgear.com/images/car_top_carrier_accessories/Car_Clip_Straps_CD.gif). However, if they weren’t designed for that, it’s possible the hooks could scratch the paint. > > I would expect that modern carriers have hooks designed for door openings and/or window openings. We picked up many of those when our area had “get rid of all the crap in your basement/garage” day, perfect condition, usually just needed new straps. When we finally tracked down the straps (Sears, IIRC) I was amazed by the variety of replacement clips. There was a clip that would at least work, if not be the perfect shape, for any given roof/door frame. We also ended up with ~6 of [these](http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02872010000P?vName=Automotive&cName=Exterior+Accessories&sName=Car+Top+%26+Hitch+Carriers&mv=tr), fold-up, hitch receiver mounted, cargo carriers. CMC fnord!