hitch mounted bike racks for B7 Passat Wagon

[wind]

Hi guys,

Looking for words of wisdom/experience re tow-bar mounted bike racks for the B7 Passat . . .

With the vertical tow-bar hitch on the Passat it is hard to find a bike rack that can mount directly to the vertical hitch (i.e. remove the tow-bar/ball chunk of steel and fit a bike rack in its place) instead of attaching to the tow-ball.

Has anyone found a way/product that will do that? My research shows lots of horizontal hitch mount bike carriers but no vertical hitch ones . . . (had even checked with a number of suppliers)


Unless someone can tell me what they have with their B7 Passat using a vertical hitch mount, my options stand at:

1. have bike carrier custom made to fit the Passat hitch (ouch $) OR
   
2. use vertical hitch to horizontal hitch adapter (available on-line) and horizontal hitch bike carrier OR
   
3. give up on the hitch mounted version and use the more commonly available tow-ball mounted unit .

Feel free to share your thoughts/experiences on the different approaches and what you use and how reliable/good/happy you are with it.


The reason I am interested in this is that I may be needing to carry 4+ bikes at a time and the tow-ball attached versions do not seem to offer the level of secure attachment that a hitch mounted one does.

Thanks

[wind]

Anyone? Anyone at all??

Oh well, in that case . . . let's change thread direction!


For those that carry bikes: how many bikes do you carry (typical/max), where do you mount them and what gear (if any) do you use to carry them (tow ball mounted, roof-rack mounted, stick in the back etc.)?


Feel free to share your bike carrying experiences (the good as well as the bad).

[MJW]

I've used teh typical "A" frame mount that has 4 bikes (2x full size mountain bikes, 1x ladies hybrid & 1x small kids bike). At a guess it must come very close to the vertical load capacity of the VW towbar.

[Umai Naa!!]

Wind, speak to an engineering or fabrication shop about getting a slip-in right-angled (90deg) adaptor made to convert the vertical hitch into a horizontal one.

Naturally, you wouln't use it for towing, but it'd make getting a bike carrier a lot easier. If it's made from the same materials as the towbar and tongue, there's no reason why it can't be durable if it's designed and made properly. Just make sure it's a snug fit, as a small amount of movement at the tow bar, means a whole lot of movement from the bikes.

[bennygo]

Anyone? Anyone at all??

Oh well, in that case . . . let's change thread direction!


For those that carry bikes: how many bikes do you carry (typical/max), where do you mount them and what gear (if any) do you use to carry them (tow ball mounted, roof-rack mounted, stick in the back etc.)?


Feel free to share your bike carrying experiences (the good as well as the bad).

I carry 3 bikes on my Thule bike carrier: Thule Australia » Products » Bike Carriers » Thule 9503 RideOn 3 Bike

Highly recommended. Has the ability to also carry small children's bikes as well. No problems at all. All fully legal in NSW with a Bike Carrier number plate from the RTA for $35 and the light bar attached to the flat 7 pin connector.

I also use roof mounted carriers when the need arises. In total I have carried 5 bikes on my B7 wagon in a single transport session. Hope this helps.

[espresso]

Hi guys,


Has anyone found a way/product that will do that? My research shows lots of horizontal hitch mount bike carriers but no vertical hitch ones . . . (had even checked with a number of suppliers)

I'm in the same spot, except that without investigating this properly I've already bought a horizontal hitch-mount bike carrier.

Would this do the job?

Curt Vertical Receiver Adapter - 2" to 2", 4-1/4" Long, 2-7/16" Drop Curt Hitch Accessories C45013

E

[espresso]

For anyone following, it did the job. Needs a different bolt to secure it; easy enough to find in your local hardware store.

E