Receiver Hitch Carrier Platform

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Hey all, been a while!I'm looking to build a platform that mounts to the backof the truck using the receiver hitch for our annual trip to the Outer Banks.  I've looked at Cabela's etc, but they are all 20" deep by 60" wide.  To fit my coolers in a row, I need 24" deep (could go as short as 22", but want a little extra room).I'm at work and forgot to measure the receiver on the truck.  The 2" receiver is 2" OD for the insert correct?  What wall thickness should I look at for a square tube?I was going to use 3/16" by 1 1/4" angle for the sides, invert two half way between the square tube and outside edges to help support the floor, and then add angle braces from that angle back to the tube to help provide rigidity (hope that makes sense).And my last question is, what type of expanded metal do I need to ask for?  It should be a 24"x60" platform supporting 500 lbs.So to sift through all my yammering:What size square tube do I need to fit in a 2" truck receiver (2" right?) and what wall thickness should I get?What grade, weight, or designation of expanded metal would you suggest?Thanks
Reply:neimadI built one of those carriers for a friend of mine awhile back. He specified all the materials. By the time it was done, a standard bolt on reciever wouldn't hold it!  I had to set it up with two  recievers.To answer your question:Yes, the tube is 2". I used 1/4 wall for stregnth, it really needed it! 1/4 was, and I believe is, the heaviest I could go. I wanted all the shear stregnth I could get since the carrier weighed about 6-700 lbs fully loaded. The hitch I got was rated at 500lbs. by using two, I had a safe distribution. (BTW, This was on a motor home that had no trailer hitch to begin with. I added the small bolt on recievers just for the carrier.) I used 3/4 #9 flattened expanded metal for the bottom and 1 1/2 # 16 for the sides. Bottom was heavier for stregnth, and lighter sides to cut down on weight.Hope this gets you started.Don
Reply:On the expanded metal, is 3/4 #9 mean that the opening of the holes in the metal are 3/4" in size and it is #9 guage (close to 3/16") thick?Thanks
Reply:3/4 #9 hole openings are .563" x 1.688". Overall thickness is .120" (1/8).