Show what you tow!

Fair enough. Well, here's the other half then, why bend it if you are not trying to clear the stock metal bumper? Only reason I bent mine was so it would tuck in behind.

BTW - was there a concern about cutting the black piece at the bottom of the bumper? Only reason I did that to mine was to keep the ground clearance for driveways and such. And I hate big drop/rise ball mounts.

Don't get me wrong, I like the work. But I have a curious mind and building projects like this get the imagination going. Keep up the good work!

Jason

I have loads of 5/8 stuff and 1/2" stuff.

Car and hitch won't care whos holding it on...

Thread lock and a good snug twist.

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk

SilverGhost - No problem on the questions, that's the whole point of this forum to share ideas and learn.

I could have just left the 2x3 tube straight - but two things influenced my decision to put a curve in it.

1) In my original sketches, I was considering a "box" shaped design with vertical uprights on the far left and right sides. To make this work and not have to cut into the painted part of the bumper, those vertical uprights need to be close to the body.

2) The original factory metal bumper stuck out 4.5" from the outer mounting flange bolts (that tore out), so I made this one stick out the same distance at the same location so it would fit the bumper cover without any issues. There might be more room there, but it was just one less thing to worry about.

I cut the lower valance (the textured black piece) so it would slide around the 2x3 box tube. I then put the receiver as high and as far back as it would go but not interfere with the valance. I could have raised the receiver up a couple more inches and cut out the vertical part of the lower valance, but, I thought it would look bad and it would have made the receiver stick out the back farther because there is body right behind there.

Fix_Until_Broke said:

I cut the lower valance (the textured black piece) so it would slide around the 2x3 box tube. I then put the receiver as high and as far back as it would go but not interfere with the valance. I could have raised the receiver up a couple more inches and cut out the vertical part of the lower valance, but, I thought it would look bad and it would have made the receiver stick out the back farther because there is body right behind there.

Click to expand...

This is why I prefer vertical receiver hitches like the Bosal on my Jetta and the Dalan on my Miata.

The Bosal ones do visually disappear when removed which is nice, but the lack of availability of accessories is what made my decision to go with a common 2" receiver. Now I can put the bike rack on or the ball hitch or clevis or whatever I want (and I might use all 3 of these this weekend!).

the only potential weak points I see are on the angle iron where it goes into the car.. the few inches between the tank-like cross bar and the first mounting bolts.. boxing that angle in I feel would make it significantly stronger and would hold up to more tongue weight than the chassis could handle

TDIJetta99 said:

the only potential weak points I see are on the angle iron where it goes into the car.. the few inches between the tank-like cross bar and the first mounting bolts.. boxing that angle in I feel would make it significantly stronger and would hold up to more tongue weight than the chassis could handle

Click to expand...

Then how could he have welded on the nuts?

The Bosal uses a single flat bar against the outside side of the channels.

romad - The "boxing" happens after the nuts are welded on . I have ~6" of angle left over so that would be easy to do on the left side, however on the right side, the hole in the body isn't square so I'd have to put a piece of flat across the corners of the angle iron and make a triangle out of it.

The angle is 1/4" thick so while these are good ideas, I think I'll let it be for now.

Fix_Until_Broke said:

romad - The "boxing" happens after the nuts are welded on . I have ~6" of angle left over so that would be easy to do on the left side, however on the right side, the hole in the body isn't square so I'd have to put a piece of flat across the corners of the angle iron and make a triangle out of it.

The angle is 1/4" thick so while these are good ideas, I think I'll let it be for now.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that makes sense because you're welding two pieces of angle iron then. I thought he meant using square steel tubing from a factory.

I used square tubing for mine...

2x2 square tube fits in the left side, but not in the right on my car.

didn't fit in mine on the right side either... but if you taper the end some so it's not a sharp edge, and use a bit of brute force, it goes in.. My right side is in about 12-14"

Got to tow a little with it this weekend, about 20 miles empty and 20 miles loaded with ~500lb and it was really nice. I was concerned about the receiver rattling when empty but it's quiet, even on load transitions forward/back. Feels sturdy and solid.

I did tighten up the mounting bolts to the frame and they all moved a little bit (10-15 degrees). Will continue to do this each time I use the trailer until they stop moving.

Still need to get a picture of the aluminum ball mount sometime when it's light out

I have a question, not really towing, but a hitch question. For all of you with a hitch, westfalia specifically. Are there any options for a bike rack for the westfalia hitch? I've done a couple of quick googles and didn't find much.

I bought a parts car that had the hitch on it, so i put it on my jetta, in case i wanted to pull a small trailer instead of using my truck. Lately i've been riding more and more and it would be great to be able to drive the car instead of having to use my truck just to haul a bicycle.

If I remember right there isn't anything that directly attaches without an adapter. IIRC though there is an adapter that Tesla uses I think I read that gives you a 2" receiver that will accept standard hitch inserts such as bike racks.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=5426046&postcount=3235

https://www.teslarati.com/how-to-install-tesla-model-x-hitch/

Pricey and hard to find though.

my ma's got a bike rack that straps to the trunk lid, seems to serve her well enough
might find one on craigslist for cheap enough

Lightflyer1 said:

If I remember right there isn't anything that directly attaches without an adapter. IIRC though there is an adapter that Tesla uses I think I read that gives you a 2" receiver that will accept standard hitch inserts such as bike racks.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=5426046&postcount=3235
https://www.teslarati.com/how-to-install-tesla-model-x-hitch/
Pricey and hard to find though.

Click to expand...

Hmm interesting.

[486] said:

my ma's got a bike rack that straps to the trunk lid, seems to serve her well enough
might find one on craigslist for cheap enough

Click to expand...

Ah i've seen those before but hadn't thought about them. Thanks, i'll probably go with something like this.

03 shaker said:

Hmm interesting.

Ah i've seen those before but hadn't thought about them. Thanks, i'll probably go with something like this.

Click to expand...

If you're only hauling one or two bikes, the trunk mount works fine. Make sure to look at the different attachment paint options and how easy they are to adjust.

Price for a new one isn't that much either. You have to compare the price of the bike to the rack. If you've spent a lot of money on the bike, you really don't want to cheap out on the rack. One of the reasons I put a hitch on the JSW was to have a more secure platform for the bikes.

I've seen other posts on here that you can get the Tesla adapter from the Tesla stores.

You mean like this? LINK Or this LINK

Not cheap, but designed for your hitch.

Jason

PS: They range from nearly $600 to about $150 it looks like from PF Jones.

kjclow said:

If you're only hauling one or two bikes, the trunk mount works fine. Make sure to look at the different attachment paint options and how easy they are to adjust.

Price for a new one isn't that much either. You have to compare the price of the bike to the rack. If you've spent a lot of money on the bike, you really don't want to cheap out on the rack. One of the reasons I put a hitch on the JSW was to have a more secure platform for the bikes.

I've seen other posts on here that you can get the Tesla adapter from the Tesla stores.

Click to expand...

Yeah it will be just 1 bike most of the time. Maybe 2. For sure leaning towards a trunk mount. And my bike is at least 10 yo walmart special, so not worried about hurting it haha. But whatever I replace it with, I'd like to have something nicer. Still not very expensive though. I found a Yakima 2 bike for about $130 that would probably work well. And a few for $20-30 on craigslist. But then I have to make sure they work on a jetta. It seemed like several of the posts there said something about missing straps, who knows how long those would last.

SilverGhost said:

You mean like this? LINK Or this LINK

Not cheap, but designed for your hitch.

Jason

PS: They range from nearly $600 to about $150 it looks like from PF Jones.

Click to expand...

Yeah something like those is what I was originally thinking. But for that price i'll just deal with the cheaper trunk mount option.

Not to mention another $150 +/- shipping.

If you go for a trunk strap on, make sure you protect the areas where it attaches.

Good reason for going new.

Lightflyer1 said:

If you go for a trunk strap on, make sure you protect the areas where it attaches.

Click to expand...

Very true. For now i'm not too worried. The clear coat is peeling in places. I want to get it repainted/new clear coat. Then I might be more concerned for sure.

Westy bike rack

I ordered from here and it was only $230 for a nice Thule rack
https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/...2-bikes-328231
I had to rewire the lights, and chose to buy a couple more Thule locking knobs. I upgraded the wheel straps with some Rockymounts spare parts and love it. It gets lots of compliments. It folds totally out of the way of the hatch.

I’ll try and get an updated pick here, but you can see it pre-upgrade in post 3157 in this thread.

Jedadiah said:

I ordered from here and it was only $230 for a nice Thule rack
https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/...2-bikes-328231
I had to rewire the lights, and chose to buy a couple more Thule locking knobs. I upgraded the wheel straps with some Rockymounts spare parts and love it. It gets lots of compliments. It folds totally out of the way of the hatch.

I’ll try and get an updated pick here, but you can see it pre-upgrade in post 3157 in this thread.

Click to expand...

That's sweet and looks great on your car. A lot of options to consider.

Supporting a bicycling event last weekend:



It's hard to tell in the photo, but I recently coated the entire trailer with Herculiner. It looks great! Time will tell if it's tough enough to take a beating when applied to wood, and especially the plastic fenders. I also had the cargo box wrapped. It turned out good and has stopped all leaks at the rivets.

Scott

Jedadiah said:

I ordered from here and it was only $230 for a nice Thule rack
https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/...2-bikes-328231
I had to rewire the lights, and chose to buy a couple more Thule locking knobs. I upgraded the wheel straps with some Rockymounts spare parts and love it. It gets lots of compliments. It folds totally out of the way of the hatch.

I’ll try and get an updated pick here, but you can see it pre-upgrade in post 3157 in this thread.

Click to expand...

Blocking the taillights was one of the few complaints on my Yakima rack. I don't think I've seen that Thule setup for sale in the US. Also part of the reason I got a kayak trailer that I can also use for the bikes.

The best rack I've bought recently just straps over the pickup tailgate. You put the down tube in the cradle and the front wheel hangs outside the bed. Bikes sit upright and are easy to see from the cab. Well, mostly the bikes sit upright. I've had to use a little redneck ingenuity and use an old inner tube attached to the tie downs and then pulling on the bike seat.

StealthTDI, the more pictures I see of your trailer the more I love it!

This was taken Friday 10/5.....made for a stately 455 mile ride back home from Pennsburg, PA to western Maine. Despite burning some oil and an as of yet unconfirmed BHG at 544K on the engine, My old B4 hauled the mail once again. This would be the third Clausing lathe a B4 of mine has hauled and the biggest and heaviest to date hence the rented trailer

The weigh slip is a bit deceiving....

steer axle 1900 lb
drive axle 1880 lb
trailer axle 2920lb
gross weight 6700lb

the scale is divided into I think 5 different platforms all designed to hit a rig's axle or group of axles so weights can be taken at each axle. To get my axles on 3 different platforms, I had to pull about 10 feet short of where a rig's nose would be and had to get out and walk onto the forward platform to speak to the scale house so the steer axle is heavier than it should be and the 'drive' axle lighter.

It would really be nice if you would resize the pictures to 800x600 or something that doesn't blow the margins out on the page. It makes reading anything difficult after your posting of the huge, huge pics.

Lightflyer1 said:

It would really be nice if you would resize the pictures to 800x600 or something that doesn't blow the margins out on the page. It makes reading anything difficult after your posting of the huge, huge pics.

Click to expand...

eh, switch to 100 posts per page, you'll be outraged to find the screen's even further stretched from #3230

There's been a vB extension for auto resizing pictures to screen size, been out for years now. No idea why more forums don't use it.