Malone Auto Racks Top Tier Utility Trailer Cross Bar System

This is a great kit! I was a little disappointed when I first received the rack because the box was all tore up and some of the bags of hardware was opened. With that being said I am so glad I didn’t return it. I was able to convert my cheap Carry On trailer into a duel purpose trailer. Like other reviewers said I did need to slightly modify how I installed the rack. Instead of using the plates and self tapping screws for the bottom I drilled two holes at each post in the side of my trailer. Then I used the provided U Bolts to hold it secure. It’s super sturdy.(picture attached). The only other thing I’ll probably do is paint the rack black to match the trailer. I had this rack on the highway with no issues. Great buy!

I don't have a luggage rack on my Durango R/T so my choices for canoe racks are very limited. My other problem was lack of equipment storage with 6 passengers. I looked everywhere for a 'canoe trailer' or 'kayak trailer', but they were very expensive and had limited space for equipment storage. I stumbled onto the Malone Top Tier system by accident. Like another reviewer stated, it is not well advertised. I decided to make the leap and buy a little 4' x 8' utility trailer from a local supplier and ordered the Top Tier online. To my astonishment, it arrived in 2 days. Instructions were clear and concise and included photos (instead of today's ridiculous renderings which never help). I measured everything up and installed the support posts as close to the front and rear as possible in order to maximize the 'span' between the mounting rails. It didn't take too long, especially because I decided to buy a carbide bit to drill the holes in the trailer (highly recommended). I tested the setup before the trip and found 2 minor design flaws that were easily correctible with a little ingenuity: 1. The width of the rails are barely long enough for 2 canoes, even with my maximum span of 7.5'. Any less than that and the canoes would not have fit due to the width of the center cross-section where they came in contact with each other. Plus there are no hooks on the rails so the canoes tended to slide off the end, due to the proximity - about 1.25" from the end - even after hitting minor bumps in the road. I purchased four 1/4" x 2" eyehooks, drilled holes about 3/4" from the end of the rails and inserted them. Not only did it keep the canoes from sliding off, it also offered an additional option for strapping them down. 2. The 'clamps' that attach the top rails to the support posts will slip if using ratchet straps to secure the cargo. In this case, when I tightened down the canoes during the test run, the clamps slipped somewhat and allowed the straps to eventually loosen. Not good. Solution: Drill horizontally through the clamp and rail, run a 3/16" x 2" bolt and attach with a nylon stop nut. This will keep the clamps from sliding and the ratchet straps from loosening. Problem solved. The rack performed flawlessly on a trip to northern Ontario, Canada. 600 miles each way, plus an 18-mile expedition on a very rough logging road. Did not experience one problem with the rack. This rack enabled me to carry 3 canoes (with some modification to the tailgate) and over 300 pounds of gear in a little trailer. The rig was the envy of countless onlookers at rest areas, gas stations and the border crossing. Several Canadians (who are well known for their watercraft and cargo hauling) marveled at the idea. I can haul a 4-wheeler or Waverunner plus various cargo and equipment (under the rails) while carrying canoes, kayaks or paddleboards. All while enjoying plenty of elbow room inside the cab of my SUV. If Malone makes these minor modifications, they will sell thousands of these. I have actually agreed to build 3 more of these rigs for friends and family members. One more tip, buy an 18" hitch extender to provide more space between the vehicle and trailer. This will limit the canoe or kayak hangover on the rear and will draw less attention from law enforcement. Not necessary with kayaks less than 12'.

I was looking for something to carry my kayaks on as well as building materials such as plank wood etc. while also having the bed available. These racks have worked out perfectly. Along with the Malone Sea Kayak racks mounted on the bars it's just what I was looking for. I would highly recommend this product.

Product itself is an amazing concept. Material isn’t the beefiest, but I’m not sure if that was the manufacturer’s intent. Bought to fit over atv trailer so when we go camping our personal pontoons or kayaks can go above bikes and quads. I had to buy 2-10’ unistruts to do this. Works as it should. My personal complaint is I wish the verticals were higher. It’s pretty low to the deck of the trailer.

No bolts were included, now I’m going thru the hassle of returning the product.

I'm not sure how long Malone has offered this Top Tier rack for utility trailers. I just got it today and installed it on my 5 x 8 Big Tex utility trailer. All and all, pretty good. There is not a lot of info out there on this rack, so I decided to pony up and write a quick review. First off, Malone makes no mention that this thing is designed for "L" Channel top rail utility trailers only. The "L" channel are the cheapest of the cheap utility trailers. Think Big Box store. My trailer is one rung up. It has round top rails. Malone makes no provision for this. They should list this info in their Amazon ad. Anyway, I did some in the field engineering and made it all work with my round tube top rail. I had to spend about $50 buck on additional bolts and hardware. I wanted to make sure it was as robust as it could be, so I through bolted the Malone to a bottom rail of my trailer as well. I'll include some pix if I can find out how to do that with the Amazon review process. After working out the details of installing the Malone Top Tier on my round top tube trailer, I strapped a couple kayaks up top and took a drive. It worked as I had hoped it would. I think this rack is going to do just fine. I like the benefits of an actual utility trailer for "big trash day" and I can still haul my kayaks and bikes around to boot. It just doesn't make much sense to buy a small trailer that only hauls kayaks. I've got some more mods planned, and I plan to update my review when I have it all smoothed out. If you are trying to maximize the potential of your small utility trailer, the Malone Top Tier is a fairly solid piece of kit for kayak transport.

I wanted a better option for racks on my trailer for my kayaks and canoe. These are great and still allow me to use the trailer for hauling cargo. They are very well designed and sturdy. Assembly was easy even with the limited instructions. I had two damaged end caps and the box looked like ups dragged it to my house behind the truck. An e-mail to Malone and had all new caps a few days later. These are tall enough to fit a large ATV under them. They are a bit taller than I would like for easily loading my x-factor kayak solo, but I can manage. They could be cut to a lower height as desired but would lose some of their benefit for hauling gear. My craft ride on a Yakima mako saddle and hully roller. The boat is about at the same height of the roof of my 4runner. Great purchase, their were few reviews when I purchased. I would buy them again.

We’ve had these racks for three years and they have been great. We adapted them to our needs, since we had a wood-sided trailer. But we used some of the attachment parts to attach it to the trailer sides and it is super solid. We also cut down the height a bit to fit our needs. One downside was that the clamp holding the top bar to the side bars tended to slip, so we drilled a hole and put a screw through the top bar and no more slippage. We put kayaks on top, bikes and other gear in the trailer. Plus the trailer is open for hauling other items, trash, etc. Many people have admired our set-up and one guy even followed us to a gas station to ask where we got it!