[jgr4]

Hi Everyone! Just got my 2011 a couple of weeks ago - I might have bought the last manual transmission EOS in the U.S. - certainly in the southeast. So sad they discontinued that option in the (U.S.) 2012 models!

There isn't a whole lot of information out there about bike racks on the American EOS, so I thought I would share my experience and some pics, for anyone else that's wondering about this.

(Click for bigger images)



I got a Draw-Tite Sportframe receiver - this is rated at 200 lb tongue weight and 2000 lb towing.
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Volkswagen/Eos/2011/24824.html?vehicleid=2011208575.

For the rack I chose a Swagman XTC-2.

Some things about the install:

I had to jack up the passenger side a bit to get the receiver in place.

On my car, the passenger side bolt spacing is apparently non-standard. I couldn't put the exhaust hanger bracket bolts back into place. I called eTrailer, and they called Draw-Tite, and the spacing on the receiver is the spec'd 4 inches. I guess there's some variability between cars as to the exact placing of the exhaust brackets. I expanded the rear passenger side bolt hole by about 1/4 inch with a dremel and grinder bit to make everything fit.

http://jimandkatrin.com/images/eoshitch/bolts.jpg

The receiver pushes up the rear fairing by about 3/4 inch. It's not really noticable because it's under the car - and it might be by design to keep it from vibrating.



The main bar of the receiver touches my trunk floor - in fact it was "in the way" by about 1/8 or 1/4 inch. I couldn't push the bolt flanges flush against the frame, and had to just torque the bolts down. Again I'm chalking that up to some variability in the car.

Some of the heat shield does need to be trimmed back - the aluminum can be cut with a sturdy utility knife.

With the middle bar of the rack folded down, there's plenty of room for the top to open.



The bike closest to the car doesn't have a lot of pedal clearance, but the rack is very sturdy and I don't think it will flex enough for the pedal to hit the trunk. I'm going to put an sock over that anyway; I could bang it when putting the bike on the rack.



All in all, I'm very happy with the bike setup. The rack is sturdy and easier to deal with than the roof rack I had on my Jetta.

http://jimandkatrin.com/images/eoshitch/back.jpg

 

[David Paul]

This was a fantastic write up with beautiful, clear pictures.

It will be very valuable for those thinking of a hitch installation.

There is one more picture that I would like you to post.

A picture from the rear, without the bike rack or ballmount installed. Just the receiver only.

Thanks.



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[jgr4]

You're welcome!

Here are a couple of pics of the back. You can see the bending up of the rear fairing really well in this first one:

(click for bigger)



and here's one from an angle, which is a better view of how far it sticks out:



Cheers!

 

[David Paul]

You're welcome!

Here are a couple of pics of the back. You can see the bending up of the rear fairing really well in this first one:

(click for bigger)



and here's one from an angle, which is a better view of how far it sticks out:



Cheers!

Based on the last two pics, the hitch is almost totally unnoticable.

The slight bending of the lower valance is no big deal.

Basically, this can be removed and resold prior to trading or selling the Eos and never do any damage to the car.

Thanks for posting.



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[Rudy]

Thank you so much JGr4 for posting those pictures. I just bought a 2012 EOS and I love it and I really wanted to add a trailer hitch to transport my bike but I was afraid that is was going to be low to the ground. Thanks to you I will be placing the order next week.
Quick questions. Did you installed the hitch your self? How long did it took you to install it?

 

[jgr4]

Install time

Thank you so much JGr4 for posting those pictures. I just bought a 2012 EOS and I love it and I really wanted to add a trailer hitch to transport my bike but I was afraid that is was going to be low to the ground. Thanks to you I will be placing the order next week.
Quick questions. Did you installed the hitch your self? How long did it took you to install it?

I did install it myself. The weird bolt hole spacing took up most of my time - I would suggest measuring the holes on the exhaust carefully before putting the bolts in the frame, because it's very hard to fish them out once they're in there. Hopefully you won't have that problem, but it's easy enough to fix with a dremel or the like.

Without the bolt hole issue I would say about 2 hours for the install. A lift or a couple of jackstands, and an extra pair of hands, would make it a lot faster.

Jim

 

[VWdeluxe]

I did install it myself. The weird bolt hole spacing took up most of my time - I would suggest measuring the holes on the exhaust carefully before putting the bolts in the frame, because it's very hard to fish them out once they're in there. Hopefully you won't have that problem, but it's easy enough to fix with a dremel or the like.

Without the bolt hole issue I would say about 2 hours for the install. A lift or a couple of jackstands, and an extra pair of hands, would make it a lot faster.

Jim

I would like to extend my thanks as well for this very informative post!! And for the manufacturer of the hitch links and information. I also have a 2012 Eos and have been investigating options for carrying bikes. I am curious though, if this hitch and rack are compatible with the 2012 redesigned rear bumper.

 

[AndyRaf]

The bike closest to the car doesn't have a lot of pedal clearance, but the rack is very sturdy and I don't think it will flex enough for the pedal to hit the trunk. I'm going to put an sock over that anyway; I could bang it when putting the bike on the rack.

I have the exact same setup (same receiver/rack), but I'm finding there's too little clearance between the inboard bike pedal and the trunk (maybe 1/4 inch). I only need to carry one bike, so it's not a big deal, but this is something to watch out for.

 

[PeterEos]

Thanks so much for all of this great info. After almost a year of thinking about it, followed by much research, I came to nearly the same solution for my 2012 Eos Executive. I just ordered the Draw-Tite hitch from U-Haul and I'm having them install it. With a $10 discount for ordering the service online, the total came to about $220 installed--can't beat that. I chose a U-Haul location just across the bridge from me in NJ that's in a nice area, and seemed to know their stuff based on my phone conversations with them. Good follow-up too when I had questions.

For the rack, I also ordered a Swagman based on reviews, functionality, and price. I chose the Trailhead 2-Bike rack model 63360 pictured below, which has both positions aft of the main post, and supports the bikes on a pair of arms consisting of a U-shaped braket which folds down flat for storage, or when the bikes are off. It is also available for 3 bikes or 4, but I decided I didn't want that much weight hanging off the hitch, and that 2 bikes was the practical max with this car. The 2-Bike rack ran me $129 through U-Haul, the best price around for this rack as it turns out. For $28 I also ordered a Swagman rack lock so I don't have to fold up and remove the rack every time I park the car at a bike trail. I got the lock from eTrailer.com, as U-Haul doesn't even have the lock on their website. It turns out eTrailer had a better price on the same hitch by $20 to $30, but it was already ordered through U-Haul so I didn't bite.

Above you'll note that a vertical measurement is shown but the critical measure is the distance between the hitch-pin hole and the vertical bar of the rack, which in this case is 8.5 inches. According to what I've read about this hitch, it measures 7" from the hitch-pin hole to the aftmost part of the bumper, so that should leave about an inch and a half between the rack and the bumper.

Lastly I ordered a Draw-Tite black rubber cap from eTrailer.com to cover the end of the hitch and keep out dust and debris for the other 95% of the time when I'm driving the car without the rack mounted. The rack, lock, and rubber cap should arrive here in the next few days, and then I just wait for the call when the hitch arrives at U-Haul and set the appointment time. It's tentatively scheduled for February 8th, but could be sooner according to the shop.

Once it's done I'll post some pics for the rest of you bicyclists out there with a 2012 or 2013 Eos.

 

[PeterEos]

Had the hitch installed yesterday, and it's been raining ever since. Once the weather clears up and I have a chance, I'll take some pics of the bike rack with and without a bike mounted. In the meantime, here are a few quick shots of the installed hitch. The technician at U-Haul was very experienced, and completed the job in about 90 minutes. It would have been faster but he had trouble lining up one of the holes on the hitch with the corresponding hole on the frame rail. With some coaxing he eventually got it lined up and got the bolt in place. The hitch fit snugly against the lower edge of the rear faring, and did not appear to push it up in the middle as was seen with the 2011 Eos installation above.

 

[PeterEos]

DrawTite hitch on 2012 Eos

Here are a couple more shots showing just how inconspicuous this hitch is...

 

[PeterEos]

Yesterday I was able to go pick up my bike and mount it on the new rack, and as promised here are some pics.

In this first pic you can see that the hitch's vertical bar is about 5 inches away from the bumper. Other than the inboard foot pedal, the entire bike is behind the hitch's vertical bar, though it appears otherwise due to the angle of the photograph.

In this next shot you can see how the bike is positioned on the two arms of the rack. The cradles and straps attach to the horizontal bar of the bike (which slants downward in this case), and also to the bike's vertical bar to reduce front to back motion, but I also bungeed the bike frame and front wheel to the vertical bar for added stability. The bungee attaching the frame to the bar also secures the inboard foot pedal, keeping it in a high position at the maximum distance from the trunk lid. The bike's quick-adjust seat was removed for greater rearward visibility and to reduce the weight hanging off the back of the car, and it was stowed in the trunk. Incidentally, the rack and bike (with seat) weigh about 30 to 35 pounds each.

Below, you can see the clearance between the bike's inboard foot pedal and the trunk lid, which is about four or five inches. Also, you'll note the bike is leaning rearward instead of being vertical. That is due to the position of the cradles on the two support arms, which I later adjusted further forward to correct the angle. I opened the trunk lid with the bike in this position and still had a couple of inches clearance betweeen the foot pedal and the trunk lid.

In this last pic you see the rack fully swung out, and note that the roof opens with about six inches clearance between the trunk lid and the rack & bike. Best of all, the bike(s) don't have to be removed to swing out the rack! The only problem is that the parking distance sensors see the bike and are therefore rendered useless for parking, and they will also prevent the roof from opening or closing unless you have a way to bypass the sensors. In my case, having SmartTop with a late model Eos, the remote function is unable to access the sensors, and therefore will operate without querying them.

BTW, the shiny chrome cylinder to the left of the hitch in the rear end pic is a hitch pin lock, for leaving the rack mounted while the vehicle is unattended. When not in use the rack can be folded and fits diagonally in the trunk below the luggage cover so as not to interfere with roof operation.

Happy Biking!

 

[ChrisSkor]

Great pictures and tips. You helped take fear out of adding a hitch.