Reciever hitch for 2003 Jetta GL TDI

[Couleetdi]

Anyone with any insight into where to purchase a good receiver hitch. I see the Jetta is only rated for 1100 pounds, so a Class 1 is fine.

I checked five local places, two never got back to me, the other three want to put a Class 3 hitch on, with a power box for not loading the lights system down, they say. Cost: averages about $350-400. Yikes.

Hey I've done this before on other cars, but am I out of touch with reality here. I can easily wire the lights, 30 years of electrical and electronic experience here, but why a class 3 hitch, when the damn car will never pull that much.

I'm only gonna put a bicycle receiver rack on it or pull my small trailer, with no heavy loads. If I'm out of touch price wise, tell me. I live in Wisconsin.

Where is a good online source for hitches for my Jetta. '03.

Thanks Coulee

 

[nicklockard]

A lot of people buy a class I hitch reciever and stinger from e-trailer.com

I bought the Hidden Hitch, but the Drawtite has one extra mount point and is only slightly less stealthy. The hidden hitch isn't all that hidden anyway....

The electric should be a breeze for you. All you need is the electric doohickey that costs $20.

 

[JetPuf]

The car is rated in europe to tow upwards of 3500. Now, I dont town that much ever! but I suppose with the proper hitch one could. I have personally towed up to 2400 pounds with my car. A buddy of mine just did about 3200.

 

[DJFREEMA]

I bought a hidden hitch from jcwhitney.com for I think around 80-90 dollars. Its been 2 years but they were the cheapest I found. Installation was very easy but the hitch does hang down a bit and will scrape on steep driveways. I just installed air springs/air bags on Sunday and I no longer scrape! Don't pay $400 for something that only cost a hundred bucks and takes 45 minutes to install. Good luck.

 

[Birdman]

I Have always had good luck with U haul

 

[Josboy]

airbags

my hidden hitch on the wagon scrapes on dips in driveways and such. and would like to hear more about airbags...where to buy and how easy to install.

 

[pastvast]

DH installed a hidden hitch on our/my Jetta wagon. He's hauled 2,000lbs worth of stuff without problem but states that fuel economy drops into the low 30's. I think he paid ~$100 for the hitch and another $50 for the light setup and installed it himself. He spent a couple hours installing it, but that was because it was the first and he didn't want to screw up my car.

Overall, no problem with it scraping on paved surfaces. The only time it's scraped is when DH decided to try and back up a very steep grassy hill (not the brightest idea to start with). No harm done, just a bit muddy.

 

[DJFREEMA]

The airbag kit I got from Summit racing for $65. Its the Air lift 1000 kit #80753. Installation was very easy. Jack up the rear, undo the lower shock mount, pull out the spring, stuff the bag inside the spring, run the air lines, put it back together. Only takes about an hour. I only have 10 psi of air in them now and the rear is up about 1 1/2-2 inches. I'm going to lower it down to 5 psi for empty driving. It makes the rear suspension alot stiffer and bouncy but if you have any kind of load it makes a world of difference.

 

[bilzer]

I have a 16 foot aluminum boat with a 25 Hp motor and wanted to see if other jetta owners had any experience in towing a boat?

 

[DJFREEMA]

I have a 13 ft boat that I tow upside down on a utility trailer with a honda trail 70 motorcycle and mercury 15 hp 4 stroke under neath the boat. tows perfectly, probably 700-800 lbs total. Engine doesn't even break a sweat.

 

[concours]

I have a 16 foot aluminum boat with a 25 Hp motor and wanted to see if other jetta owners had any experience in towing a boat?

I tow a 700 lb. ATV, 650 lb. touring snowmobile, no sweat, blow by Powerstrokes & Cummins on hills. Boats tow easy because they're aerodynamic and have minimal frontal area. The longer wheelbase makes it sway less and back up easier than the small utility trailer. Just be sure you've got a decent ramp to launch from.

 

[david_594]

For heavy loads the euro hitch is your best option. Cost $400+ but is rated for like 3700 lbs of towing weight and 170 lbs tongue weight.

The only downside is your are restricted to a 50mm (2") ball.

 

[dave333]

For heavy loads the euro hitch is your best option. Cost $400+ but is rated for like 3700 lbs of towing weight and 170 lbs tongue weight.

I have the Bosal/Euro hitch, but I'm confused about the tongue weight vs. the max towing capacity.

Using normal trailering weight calculations, a tongue weight of 170lbs will only support a trailer weight of 1700-1900lbs. I'm really wondering where they get 3700 lbs with only 170 lbs of that on the tongue. From what I've read, that is a recipe for towing problems.

Anybody care to comment on that?

 

[david_594]

Isnt the 10% rule for towing things that only have 2 wheels on the ground? Sort of a balance issue?

What if you are towing a car with the front wheels on a dolly? I would imagine its a totally different scenario.

 

[Sooch]

For heavy loads the euro hitch is your best option. Cost $400+ but is rated for like 3700 lbs of towing weight and 170 lbs tongue weight.

The only downside is your are restricted to a 50mm (2") ball.

True. Or, you could do what I did and cut off some of the vertical attachment point for the swan neck, and weld on a class 2, 1.25" receiver tube. Now I can use any ball/ballmount combo I need to get things the proper height.

 

[wny_pat]

Isnt the 10% rule for towing things that only have 2 wheels on the ground? Sort of a balance issue?

What if you are towing a car with the front wheels on a dolly? I would imagine its a totally different scenario.

Yes the "10% rule", tongue weight, is a balance issue. But according to my VW owners manual(2002 Jetta), the maximun tongue weight is 165 lbs.

On the second issue, there are five issues, tongue weight, and trailer weight weight, combined (both loaded vehicle and loaded trailer) gross weight, and maximun front and rear axle load. These should all be in the Technical Data Section of your Owners Manual. For my 2002 Jetta TDI per VW Technical Data, the maximun trailer weight I can pull is 1000 lbs (trailer with cargo). My total permissible weight is 4057 lbs (Jetta and trailer). The Jetta weights 2910 lbs, leading me 1147 lbs for the trailer. The maximum front axle load for a Manual transmission is 2138 lbs and for a Automatic tranny it is 2183 lbs. The maximum rear axle load for both Manual and Auto trannys are 2095 lbs. I realize that these are all different in Europe, but this isn't Europe.

Note that this is the information provided by the manufacturer of the vehicle. It is the same information provided to the US Dept of Transportation. It should not be exceeded for both liability and warranty reasons. We all know it is likely exceeded by many who pull trailers with their personal vehicles, be it a VW or not.

The manufacturer of the trailer receiver/hitch and the trailer itself also publish the information for their individual products. If it exceeds the limits of the pulling vehicle, the pulling vehicle limits apply. If it does not exceed the limits of the pulling vehicle, the hitch or trailer limits apply. They also are required to report the published info to the US Dept of Transportation.

Also note that if your were involved in a accident which was your fault and if you exceeded any of these limits, that your insurance carrier would not have to cover you. You could find yourself in court being sued for a very large sum of money. I am not saying that it is likely, but just possible.

 

[jackbombay]

For heavy loads the euro hitch is your best option. Cost $400+ but is rated for like 3700 lbs of towing weight and 170 lbs tongue weight.

The only downside is your are restricted to a 50mm (2") ball.

I cut off the the euro gooseneck ball and welded up my own 1 1/4" reciever The reciever is right up tight under the back bumper for minimal dragging through steep driveways, it's an 1 1/2" higher than the hidden hitch reciever.

 

[ray_ja]

I am hopefully one day going to purchase a TDI jetta (maybe 2003). I have a 14 foot skiff with a 30 hp motor (probably under 2,000 lbs) that I would like to pull to and from the coast (around 100 mile round trip). I know that this car can pull the load on a flat surface, but will this car be able to pull it out of boat ramps? Also, will doing this 2-3 times a year prematurely damaging the tranny or clutch?

 

[jackbombay]

Depends on the boat ramp pitch, it wouldn't be particularly hard on the tranny, but the clutch would get a workout with 1500-2000 lbs hanging off the back. Keeping the revs as low as you could while still getting the boat out would be best, but its still a lot of pressure/torque/heat for the clutch disc to deal with. If the ramp is wet you might have traction issues too...?

 

[SilverGhost]

I am hopefully one day going to purchase a TDI jetta (maybe 2003). I have a 14 foot skiff with a 30 hp motor (probably under 2,000 lbs) that I would like to pull to and from the coast (around 100 mile round trip). I know that this car can pull the load on a flat surface, but will this car be able to pull it out of boat ramps? Also, will doing this 2-3 times a year prematurely damaging the tranny or clutch?

I think recovering the boat will be the hardest. Launching you will be rolling back and pulling empty trailer out. Recovering is pulling full load up the ramp.

I have pulled a 5X8 Uhaul with est 2800lbs through Rockies and other than down shifting for a few long uphills, it pulls fine.

Let me know if you try it as I don't want to be the guine pig on this one. It would be embarrassing having to ask for a pull up the ramp.

Jason

 

[PapaBare]

What can Jetta really pull

I picked up a hidden hitch for the Jetta.

Even though the recommended trailer size is small, we have pulled our hot tub trailer (8'x18') that weighed over 3000 lb for a couple of hundred kilometers without much trouble. I did keep the speed down to 50-55 MPH and watched the EGT closely by did not over stress anything.

We have since rebuilt the front of the trailer to get the tongue weight and trailer weight down. It is now 2957 Ib and about 550 lb tongue weight. A little more than I bargained for but the Jetta pulled it along without any problems.

We need an emotion icon for putting on a flame suit!

 

[david_594]

.... What was the tongue weight before?

 

[PapaBare]

Tongue weight?

.... What was the tongue weight before?

I don't know, but due to the amount of wood that was there that we removed, it was heavier.

 

[enatman]

the euro hitch...is that the bosal?

 

[DPM]

Might be, although it could also be Westfalia or one of the many other manufacturers.

 

[milehighassassin]

The Jetta weights 2910 lbs, leading me 1147 lbs for the trailer. The maximum front axle load for a Manual transmission is 2138 lbs and for a Automatic tranny it is 2183 lbs. The maximum rear axle load for both Manual and Auto trannys are 2095 lbs.

Jetta (MK IV) does not weight that little. Dry it might weight that much but put tranny fluid, coolant, full tank of fuel, and all your other fluids in it, along with your spare tire and jack, and a driver and gear etc, and you are much closer to 3500.

 

[ishmael010]

Hitch receiver supplier...

I'm looking for a hitch receiver for my '03 Jetta TDI as well, U-Haul did not have the proper setup for my model, two different ones were sent out, each one had issues with the muffler, frame rails, etc...of the '03 TDI. I have no intent to tow anything, but want the freedom to use a hitch-mounted bike rack and ski rack, to keep from scratching up my roof/trunk from those types of racks that mount there. In this respect the Bosal would not work for me. Too expensive as well. Has anyone had any success finding a hitch supplier with a hitch that fits properly in the USA? I'm in Western Wash St.
Thanks!

Ishmael

the euro hitch...is that the bosal?

 

[SilverGhost]

I'm looking for a hitch receiver for my '03 Jetta TDI as well, U-Haul did not have the proper setup for my model, two different ones were sent out, each one had issues with the muffler, frame rails, etc...of the '03 TDI. I have no intent to tow anything, but want the freedom to use a hitch-mounted bike rack and ski rack, to keep from scratching up my roof/trunk from those types of racks that mount there. In this respect the Bosal would not work for me. Too expensive as well. Has anyone had any success finding a hitch supplier with a hitch that fits properly in the USA? I'm in Western Wash St.
Thanks!

Ishmael

Sedan or Wagon? Different hitches for either. AFAIK Hidden Hitch is only current maker of a hitch for the wagons.

Here is three for sedans from eTrailer.com <click it!

Jason

 

[ishmael010]

My bad! Its the sedan. I found it interesting that U-Haul, who was recommended to me by the bike shop I found the hitch-mounted bike rack at, only to find that the hitch suppliers they used didn't have one for my model. I went and looked at the ehitch page, thanks for the heads-up. The last one is not for the TDI, it was one of the hitches sent out, wouldn't work or fit. The other two look better, the big issue is reaching above and across the top of the muffler.

Dane

Sedan or Wagon? Different hitches for either. AFAIK Hidden Hitch is only current maker of a hitch for the wagons.

Here is three for sedans from eTrailer.com <click it!

Jason

 

[SilverGhost]

My bad! Its the sedan. I found it interesting that U-Haul, who was recommended to me by the bike shop I found the hitch-mounted bike rack at, only to find that the hitch suppliers they used didn't have one for my model. I went and looked at the ehitch page, thanks for the heads-up. The last one is not for the TDI, it was one of the hitches sent out, wouldn't work or fit. The other two look better, the big issue is reaching above and across the top of the muffler.

Dane

I had one on my Golf from DrawTight. Didn't look as pretty, BUT a much sturdier design. The Hidden Hitch looks "prettier", but is not as strong a mounting. Main issue I have with HH is the torsional load on the hitch from a bike rack/carrier/tongue weight will tear the metal of the spare tire well over time. The DT counters this problem by having an additional support attach to the front of the spare tire well.

My opinions on this are based on my towing 2800lbs (more or less) on several trips with out any signs of damage to the mounting areas. Even after the hitch was removed there was no ill effects to the body work (other than the holes drilled).

One of the members down here in FL has a HH on his Jetta and had the sheet metal of the spare tire well deform and bolts come loose. His solution has been to weld sizable reinforcement plates in to support the hitch. He tows an A-liner camper.

Jason

PS; I removed the HH when I installed a custom fabbed hitch. Two inch tubing inside the metal bumper with a 2" reciever flush with the lower valence. Still tinkering with a final design, but it works and 99% inside the body work.