Name this hitch!

[yatzee]

Hi guys,

Just took this hitch off my 01. It's badly seized together so i'm looking for a replacement.

The trick is that I probably want the exact same hitch so that I don't have to redrill the holes. I've googled and can't find a match. Anyone have an idea who made it?

 

[j_martell]

Looks like the Hidden Hitch my buddy has on his Jetta Sedan

 

[whalleyz]

Good call Martell,

link: http://www.partstrain.com/store/details/Volkswagen/Jetta/Hidden_Hitch/Hitch/2001/H2560963.html

 

[yatzee]

thanks for chiming in guys, but it's not the same - the hidden hitch attaches to the tow loop on the passenger side and then 1 hole gets drilled behind it, but mine does not. I'd rather keep the loop free.

I'm wondering if it's a custom hitch or something out of production. A friend is using a hydraulic press to get the pin out and it will not move

 

[j_martell]

true...and your hitch is square tube and the hidden hitch is round.....i could have swore his was square, but i guess im wrong.

Can I get a Participation Ribbon? lol

 

[whalleyz]

oh yeah, now that you pointed it out I see the differences. I'll keep an eye out for ya. If you haven't already tried it you might want to do a couple hot/cold cycles on the pin. If you put a propane torch to the pin it might crack the rust enough for the hydraulic press to work.

 

[yatzee]

true...and your hitch is square tube and the hidden hitch is round.....i could have swore his was square, but i guess im wrong.

Can I get a Participation Ribbon? lol

lol sure! Thanks for taking a stab at it

oh yeah, now that you pointed it out I see the differences. I'll keep an eye out for ya. If you haven't already tried it you might want to do a couple hot/cold cycles on the pin. If you put a propane torch to the pin it might crack the rust enough for the hydraulic press to work.

Will do, but it's incredibly jammed. I'd love to soak it in some ATF but I don't have a basin of ATF kicking around

 

[vanbcguy]

There's really only a handful of hitch companies. None of them appear to make exactly what you had from what I can see. I'd almost suspect that you have an older version of the Hidden Hitch as the design is nearly identical.

That said you should be able to get a new one made to match your old one. Just will probably cost a bit more than an off the shelf pre-made one.

 

[yatzee]

There's really only a handful of hitch companies. None of them appear to make exactly what you had from what I can see. I'd almost suspect that you have an older version of the Hidden Hitch as the design is nearly identical.

That said you should be able to get a new one made to match your old one. Just will probably cost a bit more than an off the shelf pre-made one.

I actually have another hitch kicking around - i'd just really rather not redrill the body

 

[Wilkins]

For what it is worth, my 05 Hidden hitch has a rectangular tube and the safety chain connections are looped rod welded to the receiver! Not like either picture above, still clearly says Hidden Hitch. If the passenger side does not bolt to the towing loop what does it connect to? That part of mine looks very similar to yatzee's.

 

[yatzee]

in the end, we're going to cut out the seized receiver and re-weld a new one. It'll probably be stronger than new!