BMW hitch or not - bike/ski rack advice?!

[x5turtle]

2 cent from me, it also really depend how much $$ bikes you own... if you are owning a mtb bought at target, I find no problem carrying it with non-oem hitch and cheap bike rack... if you own a mtb that cost 1000+... and u own a 50k+ car... I just don't see the point of saving 300 to make you and the car look cheap...

[JCL]

Originally Posted by x5turtle

2 cent from me, it also really depend how much $$ bikes you own... if you are owning a mtb bought at target, I find no problem carrying it with non-oem hitch and cheap bike rack... if you own a mtb that cost 1000+... and u own a 50k+ car... I just don't see the point of saving 300 to make you and the car look cheap...

Good point. I don't mind looking cheap (hell, I am cheap) but I don't want to see the $4000 road bike and the $2000 mountain bike covered in grime, or worse, going under the front wheels of someone tailgating me.

If the roads are clean and dry where the OP lives, the dirt and grime would be less of an issue.

I also like being able to get into the back of the X when I park, and the bike racks that swivel out of the way also seemed to sway more.

I am sure others with very good hitch racks have just as many reasons why my setup is less than optimum.

Jeff

[2002Silver4.6is]

Originally Posted by elric75

I have a hidden hitch bought online for a bit over $100, installed myself.

Where did you get the hitch from and what brand is it?

I think paying $500 for a hitch is insane! The Class IV on my Expedition cost me $200 and it could handle over 7,000 lbs.

What does carrying expensive mountain bikes have to do with overpaying for a hitch?? My bikes are worth well over $3,000 but they weigh next to nothing so who cares if it is an OEM BMW hitch?? Any regular old hitch will do the job just fine. Mind you if you are towing substantial weight buy a higher class hitch... and once again it does not matter who makes it as long as it is a quality hitch.

I also do not see how putting on an OEM hitch keeps the "integrity" of your X5. A hitch is a hitch.

My only quesion would be if the hitch fits in with the body work and you do not have to make any alterations. I assume the OEM hitch goes on with out body modification. This would be the only issue which may affect the value and the integrity of your X5.

Fits: 2002 to 2003 Bmw X5 IS
Brand: Reese Towpower
Notes: Class III/IV; Custom Fit Professional; Trailer Hitch; 7500 lb. Gross Trailer Weight/12000 lb. Weight Distributing; 750 lb. Tongue Weight/1200 lb. Weight Distributing: $168

[x5turtle]

have you seen any pics of the after market hitch????

[JCL]

Originally Posted by 2002Silver4.6is

....
I think paying $500 for a hitch is insane! The Class IV on my Expedition cost me $200 and it could handle over 7,000 lbs.

What does carrying expensive mountain bikes have to do with overpaying for a hitch?? My bikes are worth well over $3,000 but they weigh next to nothing so who cares if it is an OEM BMW hitch?? Any regular old hitch will do the job just fine. Mind you if you are towing substantial weight buy a higher class hitch... and once again it does not matter who makes it as long as it is a quality hitch.

I also do not see how putting on an OEM hitch keeps the "integrity" of your X5. A hitch is a hitch.

My only quesion would be if the hitch fits in with the body work and you do not have to make any alterations. I assume the OEM hitch goes on with out body modification. This would be the only issue which may affect the value and the integrity of your X5.
.....

You are arguing an entirely different point. The hitch drawbar and mounting bolts are not the issue. My OEM hitch was made by Westfalia (sp?) but so what, it is just welded steel. If the welds are decent quality, there is nothing else to worry about. The issue is that your Expedition has a frame to bolt the hitch to. Same as a pickup truck. The frame is probably pre-drilled, waiting for a hitch.

Now go put a 6000 lb hitch on a unibody car. To use your Ford example, in keeping with the Expedition theme, consider something the size and weight of, oh, I don't know, a Taurus. Sorry to offend the BMW purists here, but it has a similar concept of a unibody structure. And, I once had two Expeditions, and a long time ago, a Taurus. Leave the fwd and power issues aside, do you think your Expedition hitch would bolt right up to that Taurus? Maybe sheet metal screws through to the trunk floor? Some twist ties?

The BMW X5 rear bumper is mounted on two 'shock absorbers' that are positioned horizontally to absorb parking-lot impacts. Standard technology. There is not much else back there to bolt to. So, the aftermarket hitches that I looked at bolted to the rear of those 'shock absorbers'. Hence the risk of bending something, as those 'shock absorbers' are only designed to accept horizontal loads. The early production X5 vehicles that had a bent rear pan had it 'levered' off. See this site for photos in old posts. The OEM hitch replaces the 'shock absorbers' with solid mounts that tie in further forward. That is the engineering, and manufacturing, detail, that maintains the integrity of the BMW design. It ain't about the hitch.

But if you don't want to pay for it, no worries, buy any hitch you like. My original point was that it was closer to $500, with the wiring module, which is worth something by itself since there is risk in tapping in to the multiplexed BMW wiring harness. So, it is all a few hundred more. Yes, you can save money. That isn't a new concept. You get what you pay for.

Cheers

Jeff

[2002Silver4.6is]

I do see the point of going with the integrated OEM hitch. It would seem the installation of the hitch is not as simple as bolting it onto a full frame vehicle. Of the non OEM ones I have researched they all mention trimming of the body work which is not an option for me.

I do not like the look of the hitch sticking out of the bumper. The only reason I need one is to put my Thule bike rack into to transport the mountain bikes. My other option is a roof rack mounted system but then I have to keep the rack (was going to remove and plug the holes) and then buy cross bars and bike racks.

Is there any light duty 2" hitch that fits behind the factory hitch cover? I saw that one fellow on here has a hitch with a cover that sticks out but once again, I don't dig that look.

Thank you for any ideas!!

[JCL]

The OEM hitch sticks out slightly from the regular bumper. It is more visible with the aero bumper (a recent post showed a cover over the hitch on that bumper - I didn't like the look, but that is me).

I don't mind the look of the hitch, and there is no trimming required with the OEM hitch. With the aftermarket hitches, some have had to trim the bumper material slightly. I don't think there would be room to have a receiver behind the standard hitch cover, but it may be possible to trim the cover, and reinstall it with only the 2" square receiver showing - I saw a post with that done once.

[Rcase]

Originally Posted by yeowzer

alistair,

I thought the same thing because I have a hitch mount bike rack I used with my Excursion. I couldn't justify the cost of a BMW hitch, knowing that I would never tow anything.

I have the Yakima Steelheads which lock the front forks. I'm 6'2" but my wife is 5'8" and she can put them up no problem. Takes me about 5 or less for both bikes. The only thing I would recommend is getting the wheel forks so you are not putting the front wheels in the back.

I had the same problem a couple years ago but have not regreted buying the Yakimas. Good Luck!

Can you tell me what you needed to purchase to get this going.

It appears you need more than just the steelheads found on ebay.

Any info would be much appreciated!

[yeowzer]

Rcase,

This is what I have:

Base Rack
LowRider
Part # 8000118

58" Crossbars
Part # 8000409

Bikes
SteelHead fork mount (2 for 2 bikes)
Part # 8002045

Snowboards
Big PowderHound SE
Part # 8003059

Locks
You will need 8 lock cores
4 for lowrider
1 for each steel heads
2 for powderhounds.
I would buy an 8 core set so they all use the same key.

Check out www.yakima.com

Good Luck.

[Rcase]

Thanks!