Maximus 3 Comments
I have had this carrier for the past 32,000 miles. I like it a lot.
The good:
- The ease of opening your gate is nice. That was important in a carrier for me. I did not want to fool with additional latches, etc.
- It is strong and the install was pretty simple.
- The third brake light and antenna mast are nice.
- They have accessory mounts for jacks, gas cans, roto-packs, etc. I only have the Jerry can holder. It is pretty simple. It uses a ratchet strap to hold the can in, which you have to provide yourself, plus remove the hooks from, but I can say that it is rock solid.
The bad:
The isolator which the carrier closes against in order to snug everything up to prevent vibration/squeaking breaks. I have gone through two of them. They both broke fairly quickly. It is made out of a harder material. I think it may be derlin? before it breaks, the rack is virtually noise free. I do get some occasional squeaking and a rattle. The rattle comes from the cheap adjustable rod end that they use. I have been meaning to replace it with a quality U.S. made one, but just haven't done it yet. I am sure that will cure it. The problem is that due to the broken isolator, it allows the loose tolerances of the rod end to rattle. Other than that the tire squeaks from rubbing on occasion, depending on the road surface you are on. Usually bad freeway hop does it. then I can be on a rough dirt road and it doesn't squeak at all lol. I think that a rubber bumper that pushes away on the carrier when closed, such as the stock set up would be a better design. I have been meaning to play around with some ideas, but just need to make the time to do it.
All in all, I am happy with it. I find it hard to believe there is a perfect carrier out there that will open when you open your gate. I have friends who have bumper mounted units which are independent of the gate and some of those sound like they are falling apart when going down the road. I also entertained the Crawler Concepts unit, but went with the Maximus due to the available options for accessory mounts. I liked the poison spyder bumper/carrier that opens with the gate, but just didn't want to spend the coin and add the weight.
If anyone wants pics of the two issues I am referring to on my carrier, shoot me a PM with your mobile number and I will take and text you some photos.