HI.
Have a nissan Leaf ( 2016 ) and a mazda 6 ( 2006 ), both have old school 50MM towbars on them which was great for our bikes. In the leaf we don't tow anything, in the Mazda i do tow occasionally.
Have recently wanted to change bike racks and looking at some Hitch Based options. I know that Leaf's have a Hitch based unit via a few companies that are compatible with the car however its a good 500+ to swap over ( i don't need the light wiring as that's already there and i assume bolt mounts would be similar. ) Tried to see if i could buy bar only and do the install myself, but manufactures not keen to sell just a bar and so id be paying for fitting via them as well. Could see the bar second hand to offset some costs as a possibility. Seeing a mix of 50 - 60 - 90KG downward weight limits, unclear as to what is setting that limit. Have read overseas that 200 - 300 LBs is possible. Aussie has 90KG options as well. So not sure if its an arbitrary limit given Nissan don't rate the car for towing, and maying there is a limit for towing certification?
For mazda I've not seen a hitch option so far. The unit i have is a fixed tongue and its goes straight out the back, no bends.
So given i have all the units already mounted, I'm wondering if its feasible to modify the units to have a Hitch Connector. In my naive world its a matter of
1) Cutting the existing tongue off at the join to the main bar. and replacing with a a new tongue which has a hitch connector. this would be a straight tongue as the hitch will sit lower ) From what i can see its generally welded in, though i don't know if this is possible after the bar has been completed ( is the steel hardened after at all? )
2) Weld on a hitch connector to the existing bar. Essentially remove the tow ball and weld on a hitch to the bottom of the existing bar ( this would work for the Mazda, as its a straight tongue and long and would just require a larger cut out in the bumper which is easy enough to do. for the leaf it would depend on if the hitch would fit where the tow ball is Potentially the end of the car would need to be cut shorter as the hitch will sit closer to the bumper so excess length could be removed.
3) Use a Mister Hitch style adaptor that allows you to bolt on a hitch to the top of the towbar, ( bolt replaces the tow ball ). What I've not been able to confirm is their suitability for a bike rack that can fold up. appears they may not support that.
So my question really is is this the type of thing that can be done, or anyone modified bars before? Just trying to keep the cost down as much as possible. Trying to keep the price down to under half of the replacement costs where possible.
Any help appreciated.
Cheers