After looking for several options to carry my kayaks, I ended up purchasing this nice little trailer. There are many great things about this trailer, but here are a few highlights:
- Built solid. This is not a flimsy thing at all.
- Rides very well. No bouncing around even when it's empty, and trails straight as an arrow.
- Handles highway speeds well
- Impeccable assembly instructions. It's the best written assembly manual, period!
- Packaging is great as well and there are no surprises (see the images I shared).
It took me about 2 evenings to put it all together; about 2-2.5 hours each. We turned it into a fun project for the whole family, so you can probably put it together in 3 hours easily. There's not much heavy lifting, so one person can do it on his own, but an extra set of hands is never a bad idea.
When you're putting it together, follow the instructions. They are very well written and all the hardware for each section is packaged separately. Don't jump ahead, because you will end up having to backtrack. Just follow the sequence in the manual.
If you have purchased the kick stand or the storage trunk, make sure you insert these into your assembly process to save time. The kick stand needs to be installed while you're putting together the coupler. The plates for the storage trunk need to be installed when you're assembling the axle springs.
For the assembly, you really need a deep socket wrench. I had a standard one and it was a tad difficult at times.
The hardest part of the assembly was positioning the bars and the kayak carriers. When positioning the kayak carriers, I mounted one flush against the hardware that connects the load bar to the U-shaped load bar support, on the outside. Mounted the second one inside with a 12" gap between the two. Did the same on the other side and it worked fine.
A few irritations about this trailer:
- The white ground wire is a tad too short. If the connection on your vehicle is right on your hitch receiver, or if you have it dangling out, it might not be a problem. However, my car had a factory-installed socket and it was too far to the left. I had to use a 12" 4-pin trailer extension to make it work.
- The coupler is a bit difficult to attach. I think this is not really a problem if I adjust the nut a bit, but so far I've been lazy.
- The rear load bar is not as stable as the front one for some reason. It's fine for carrying kayaks, bikes etc, but I wouldn't put too much weight on it when/if carrying cargo.
- 17' kayaks seem to be the longest you can carry with this. Probably 18' wouldn't be an issue either. However, if you own/plan to own anything longer, you'll need to get some sort of tongue extension kit for it.
Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase and have been quite impressed with the build quality of this trailer. I highly recommend it. It's also flexible enough thanks to the load bars. You can essentially remove the kayak carriers and put ski, canoe or bike carriers or even cargo boxes. It's a cheaper alternative to Yakima's rack-n-roll trailer.
UPDATE: I've been using this trailer for a month now. Took several drives. Handles excellent on highway speeds and is very easy to handle. I had to redo the electrical connection for the ground because I had not crimped the o-ring tight enough when I assembled it and it came loose. Not a hard repair, but it's still a hassle. I had put pictures of the product, but they seem to have disappeared for whatever reason. It has made kayaking with 4-kayaks a lot simpler. It gets a lot of attention too.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 95 x 36 x 25.5 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 300 Pounds |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 159 x 65 x 48.5 inches |
| Brand Name | Malone |
| Warranty Description | Manufacturer limited warranty for 5 years from date of purchase |
| Color | black |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Malone Auto Racks |
| Part Number | MPG462G2 |
| Included Components | Galvanized Spare Tire, 4 FoldAway-J Kayak Carriers, Microsport Base Trailer |
