showmedata
New member
[First a quick intro: this is my first post here. Got my 2013 Golf a few months ago, after nearly 12 years in an Audi allroad - I just couldn't give up AWD and the promise of a CEL every few months.]
Obviously no good ones are available for purchase, so I made one that suits my needs.
Final product:
IMG_2878
I cut a relief in the bumper cover wide enough to put in a standard receiver shear pin, but it's still 100% covered by the license plate panel:
IMG_2872
I don't have the final pic with my plate on, but just using the upper expanding plastic clips without the expansion pins seems secure enough to hold the bracket+plate on (at least for now). That bracket+plate assembly absorbs that small amount of bow easily.
IMG_2873
How did I do it?
First, I sourced another bumper bar from a part-out. A steal at $55 shipped!
Then get a receiver tube, cut a notch in the top of the bumper bar, and weld it in there.
IMG_2867
I added some ribs to increase the torsional stiffness of the bumper bar, knowing I'd be putting a lot of moment on it that it wasn't designed for. Quite possibly unnecessary as that bar is THICK and hardened/hi-modulus steel, but I had welder in hand so...
IMG_2861
Take note that the receiver tube can not protrude forward more than about 1.5" from the beam, lest it interfere with the body:
IMG_2870
To install, simply remove the bumper cover (which requires removing the tail light assemblies, according to the book). This is actually quite easy compared to some vehicles.
IMG_2866
Just 5 bolts to remove, swap the bumper beam, and bolt the modified one in place:
IMG_2871
This is one reason that this "hitch" is not suitable for towing anything significant (not to mention the strict prohibitions against towing written in the R owner's manual) - the beam is held on by 5 medium-sized bolts (I didn't measure them, but maybe M8?) in tension. The beam and its interface to the body structure is designed to take huge compressive loads, but no tensile loads at all. Factory-designed hitches for Golfs (and other VAG cars I've seen) have horizontal arms that go into the frame rails some distance, held in place by big fasteners put in (usually double) shear. I'm personally comfortable with the risk that my mod will hold my bikes on a rack, and I'll suck it up if it fails. I am not making recommendations one way or another for anybody else.
Installing a trailer wiring harness took me much longer than installing the bumper itself, but I wanted it to power tail lights on the rack. And just in case I ever *do* buy that kart I want, cuz it would need a little tiny trailer...
Cheers all.
Obviously no good ones are available for purchase, so I made one that suits my needs.
Final product:
IMG_2878 I cut a relief in the bumper cover wide enough to put in a standard receiver shear pin, but it's still 100% covered by the license plate panel:
IMG_2872 I don't have the final pic with my plate on, but just using the upper expanding plastic clips without the expansion pins seems secure enough to hold the bracket+plate on (at least for now). That bracket+plate assembly absorbs that small amount of bow easily.
IMG_2873 How did I do it?
First, I sourced another bumper bar from a part-out. A steal at $55 shipped!
Then get a receiver tube, cut a notch in the top of the bumper bar, and weld it in there.
IMG_2867 I added some ribs to increase the torsional stiffness of the bumper bar, knowing I'd be putting a lot of moment on it that it wasn't designed for. Quite possibly unnecessary as that bar is THICK and hardened/hi-modulus steel, but I had welder in hand so...
IMG_2861 Take note that the receiver tube can not protrude forward more than about 1.5" from the beam, lest it interfere with the body:
IMG_2870 To install, simply remove the bumper cover (which requires removing the tail light assemblies, according to the book). This is actually quite easy compared to some vehicles.
IMG_2866 Just 5 bolts to remove, swap the bumper beam, and bolt the modified one in place:
IMG_2871 This is one reason that this "hitch" is not suitable for towing anything significant (not to mention the strict prohibitions against towing written in the R owner's manual) - the beam is held on by 5 medium-sized bolts (I didn't measure them, but maybe M8?) in tension. The beam and its interface to the body structure is designed to take huge compressive loads, but no tensile loads at all. Factory-designed hitches for Golfs (and other VAG cars I've seen) have horizontal arms that go into the frame rails some distance, held in place by big fasteners put in (usually double) shear. I'm personally comfortable with the risk that my mod will hold my bikes on a rack, and I'll suck it up if it fails. I am not making recommendations one way or another for anybody else.
Installing a trailer wiring harness took me much longer than installing the bumper itself, but I wanted it to power tail lights on the rack. And just in case I ever *do* buy that kart I want, cuz it would need a little tiny trailer...
Cheers all.
