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Tow Hitch for '13 Roadster

14K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  ren1969 
#1 ·
Anyone fitted a tow hitch for a Mini Roadster? Mine is a '13 model. I ONLY want one for a bike rack. I looked at a few on the internet and it looks like there will be a hole in the rear bumper if I were to put one in. I do NOT need wiring. I've seen some advertised as NO drilling.

If you do have a Roadster with a hitch, I would certainly like to see a picture of it. Would prefer it to be out of sight.
 
#2 ·
StarFlyr, you are asking that question on a mostly-British forum and in Britain it is not legal to fit a hitch to a Roadster - Mini have not bothered to approve (homologate) a hitch fitting and without that, it is not legal to fit one here for any reason.

US rules are completely different so you would be better off asking this question on a mostly-American Mini forum.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the reply Angib. I see several pictures of receiver hitches on Mini's. However, I can't tell if they are available on the '13 Roadster. If I did get one, I would like it to be nearly invisable as it would only be for occasion bike carriage.
 
#8 ·
Here's a picture of an EcoHitch for the Mini Roadster. It's a no-drill hitch and is completely hidden behind the bumper. Hope this helps.
Four questions...

1. Your license plate looks legit, but I thought there was a 7 character limit on personalized WA plates. So, what's the deal?

2. Did you install this hitch yourself?

3. I'm just south of Everett and wondering what dealer you used if you had the job done.

4. If you installed it yourself, where did you buy it? I've done a search for EcoHitches, but haven't found yet that says it works on the Mini.

About 10 years ago, I installed a similar hitch receiver on a '04 Prius. Then, when my wife bought an '06 Prius, I switched it over to the new model.

Overall, it looks EXACTLY what I want. Can't wait to post a picture if I can get one of these on my '13 Roadster Mini.
 
#10 ·
British (and all European) law requires that if a towbar is to be fitted:
- the car manufacturer must have approved the car for towing;
- the towbar must be fitted to the attachment points specified by the manufacturer;
- the towbar must be capable of carrying the full towing load specified by the car manufacturer.

A car manufacturer does not have to get this approval - it's something they do if they think there is a marketing benefit in having the car approved for towing. For small-volume vehicles or ones that don't seem likely to be used as tow vehicles, many manufacturers don't bother getting approval and so it is not legal in the UK to fit a towbar to them - even if it is not going to be used for towing.

As far as I know, the situation with 1st/2nd Gen Minis is as follows:

Approved for Towing
Cooper and One hatchbacks, R50/R56
All Clubmen , R55
All Countrymen, R60

Not Approved for Towing
All Convertibles, R52/R57
All Cooper S hatchbacks, R53/R56
Coupés, R58
Roadsters, R59

If anyone knows the position with 3rd Gen models, please add it.

I think the Cooper S hatchback models are not approved as the central exhaust prevents a typical European towbar being fitted. Mini obviously thought the Cooper S Clubman was the sot of leisure/workhorse that might be used for towing, so they went to all the bother of fitting twin exhausts to leave room for a towbar:


There is obviously a bit of 'injustice' at work, since many of the un-approved models have exactly the same rear bodyshell as the approved ones, so a towbar would probably bolt right on - but it wouldn't be legal.

One double check that can be done is to look at the VIN plate sticker in the left door shut. Here is the one from my Roadster:


This lists four weights in kg in the following order:
- Gross Vehicle Weight (the maximum loaded weight of the car)
- Gross Train Weight (the maximum loaded weight of car and trailer combined)
- Front Axle Weight (the maximum loaded weight of the two front wheels), often with '1-' in front
- Rear Axle Weight (you can guess this one, can't you?), often with '2-' in front

In this case, the second line is blank, because the car is not approved for towing so there isn't a Gross Train Weight. This is pretty explicit and, for example, is something that any VOSA roadside inspector (the people who check cars towing trailers/caravans) will know - in case anyone was thinking that they could buy the towbar for a hatchback and bolt it onto a Roadster.....

None of the above applies in America where they have a completely different, and much less cautious/strict, system of towbar rating/approval. So they can produce and sell 'hitches' (towbars) for all the models that are not approved for towing in Europe. And, no, an American hitch fitted to a car in Europe isn't legal because it's American!
 
#13 ·
Department of transport response

From: IVS ENQUIRIES [mailto:IVS.ENQUIRIES@dft.gsi.gov.uk]
Sent: 24 September 2014 16:03
Subject: RE: Towing

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your email dated 5 September to our IVS enquiries inbox. I have been asked to reply.

We suggest you contact the manufacturer on this matter. There may not be any points of sufficient strength to the mount the towbar.

Assuming it can be safely mounted, we believe that you could use a towbar mounted bike carrier.

The Department cannot give an authoritative interpretation of the law; that is a matter for the courts. Enforcement of road traffic law is an operational matter for individual Chief Police Officers and their officers can issue verbal warnings, fixed penalty notices or report the motorist for formal prosecution.

Yours sincerely

James Brown
Department for Transport
 
#14 ·
Regulations are for the weakest link...

AFAIK, there are no trailer hitch rules in the US other than common sense. And I'm sure some poor *** has tried to tow something here that should never have been attempted.

The UK rules seem to cross the line, but maybe they do prevent accidents. However, installing a simple hitch on a Mini JUST to carry a bike seems a little stupid. My bike weighs around 20 pounds and I'm guessing a light weight hitch and bike rack might weigh the same or a tad more. So, 50 pounds hanging off the back of my Mini is almost meaningless.
 
#15 ·
AFAIK, there are no trailer hitch rules in the US other than common sense.
There are rules for hitch strength in the US - if it's a Class III, it must be tested to that load - but the US rules allow the hitch to be bolted to an infinitely strong test rig, so there is no guarantee that the hitch will remain on when fitted to a car, just that the hitch itself won't fail.

There does seem to be some evidence of inadequate hitch mountings on things like VWs where owners have used the (much higher) European tow rating to tow heavier trailers and ended up starting to tear the spare wheel well out of some cars, as the US hitches just bolt to sheetmetal and not to the mounting points specified by VW for European hitches.

I don't think we have any history in Britain of many hitches failing before the law came in, but then it is a pretty critical component so saying it must be strong enough isn't too big an ask.
 
#17 ·
I think you are all missing the point.
It would not be a TOWING hitch or TOWBAR it would be a bracket to mount bicycles.
In my view this would negate any law regarding towing and would not be illegal if used as such.
Providing it was "disabled " in such a way as to make it impossible to use as a towbar eg modified mounting so that a ball couldn't be fitted then in my view this would then just be a mounting bracket with no reference to the word "TOW" or "TOWING".
Just my view:)
Just to add I'm not quite sure why you say you won't need electrics as surely any bike on the back is going to obscure your lights???
 
#18 ·
IF you're not using a receiver hitch to mount the bike rack, this whole discussion is mute. As to electrics (lights), IMHO, not a big deal as the lights are clearly visible through the spokes of a bike rack.

Regardless, I'm in the US and this is COMPLETELY LEGAL here. And yes, I've seen luggage carrier racks in the UK that include lights.
 
#20 ·
Forget towing with the new MINIs!

Just FYI, MINI have confirmed to me that the new F55 (5-door) and F56 (3 door) hatches are not, and will not, be approved for fitting a tow bar/tow hitch!

Initially they told me it was to do with the power to weight ratio and lack of demand, but when I queried that, , they now stress its due to a lack of demand. We;ve towed our camping trailer very successfully for several years now behind our Clubman, but sadly I'm now being forced to look elsewhere, as MINI just aren't interested.
 
#21 ·
Just FYI, MINI have confirmed to me that the new F55 (5-door) and F56 (3 door) hatches are not, and will not, be approved for fitting a tow bar/tow hitch!

Initially they told me it was to do with the power to weight ratio and lack of demand, but when I queried that, , they now stress its due to a lack of demand. We;ve towed our camping trailer very successfully for several years now behind our Clubman, but sadly I'm now being forced to look elsewhere, as MINI just aren't interested.

Better keep my Clubbie then. MINI is missing the point.
 
#22 ·
I too am looking for a hitch for my Mini Cooper R58 Coupe SD. I have spoken to my Mini dealership and while they have tried to be helpful they have said unless the Bike rack preparation kit was installed when the car was ordered there is nothing the dealership can provide as a retro fit. Not even the roof mounted solution works on the Coupe.

I only need the hitch for a bike rack. If the car is allowed to have a bike rack as an option when new, I don't see why a device - in this case the hitch - being purchased to achieve the same goal as a retrofit should be frowned upon.

I can order one from the states and get it shipped over but if there is a UK company out there that sells these then let me know as I will happily but and fit it myself! It has to be safer than some of the strap-on bike holders you can get from Halfords!
 
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