Hitch Compatibility- Will Model X 1027582-00-B or 1027582-00-A be Plug-and Play with the EU Model 3 Tow Bar?

[Scoob]

Greets!!

New to the forum and my recently acquired 2019 Model 3 Performance here in Freiburg Germany.

I'm originally from Santa Cruz, CA, but have been living and working in the EU for the last decade. Other vehicles in the stable are a 1974 BMW 2002ti and a Renault Twizy Sport

I'm looking to get a hitch/bike rack on my vehicle, and yes I know that Tesla says it's verboten, and I don't really care. I'm only looking to put a hitch-mounted bike rack on, and not tow a trailer.

I'll be putting my hands on a factory EU Mounting bar and hitch in the coming days, but to be honest the EU 'swan neck' ball hitch is both horrendous looking, and a sphere is about the worst shape to to clamp something like a bike rack to in order to be a rigid assembly.

So my thought is 'Screw TUV', and would LOVE to install a US square hitch out of a Model X to use with a Square-hitch mounted rack- as they're most stable.

To my internet calibrated eye they look like they COULD be interchangeable, but has anybody tried?! Is it long enough to exit/clear the rear apron?

Anybody have a Model X hitch they'd be willing to part with for cheap send to the EU so I could try for posterity's sake???

Cheers,
-J

 

[Scoob]

Bueller? It's hard to imagine no one has tried this, or at least one person out in the big-blue world has both cars or parts?!

 

[Zuikkis]

They are the same, should be no issue.

This said, I have both US and EU versions for my Model X and have never used the US version.. It is incredibly stable with a bike rack, and is much better looking than the square monster.

BTW we have a Twizy too.

 

[Scoob]

They are the same, should be no issue.

This said, I have both US and EU versions for my Model X and have never used the US version.. It is incredibly stable with a bike rack, and is much better looking than the square monster.

BTW we have a Twizy too.

Fantastic, Thank you!!

This is exactly the info I was looking for.

I picked up a used Model 3 tow-bar that also came with a new EU style hitch, and picked up a US 2-inch square receiver.

Now I just need to track down the associated mounting hardware, wiring, and also the the under-tray with the access cover. I'm pretty much assuming that the holes I need to mount the bar are present on my 2019 model... should be?

I think both hitches are pretty ugly, but for a bike rack I prefer the square hitch style, and the rack I want to purchase is the Kuat Piston Pro X, which does not have an EU mounting option, and the aftermarket EU-to-square hitch adapters are both reaaaallly ugly, and raise the height of the rack significantly to where I feel it could negatively affect aerodynamics further than the bike itself already will.

Great to hear you also have a Twizy!!! I love mine so much. I told myself I would sell it once I got a real EV, but it's really hard to justify. It's just too much fun, and fits a completely different use-case for me that the Tesla can't do.

It's also much cheaper to operate around town, given that electricity is free and charged off my building under-the-radar to where the landlord doesn't mind. However if I install a wall-box for the Tesla and did the same?? Well... they'd probably be coming with questions.

Thanks again!
-J

 

[H1tek]

Hey Scoob, Im looking to do the same thing as you. convert my swan neck to square hitch for my bike rack.

It looks like the swan neck towbar is Westfalia branded, and the square hitch is Bosal brand. Have you had the cahnce to try the Square hitch and see if it connects to the westfalia bar?

 

[bnone]

Greets!!

New to the forum and my recently acquired 2019 Model 3 Performance here in Freiburg Germany.

I'm originally from Santa Cruz, CA, but have been living and working in the EU for the last decade. Other vehicles in the stable are a 1974 BMW 2002ti and a Renault Twizy Sport

I'm looking to get a hitch/bike rack on my vehicle, and yes I know that Tesla says it's verboten, and I don't really care. I'm only looking to put a hitch-mounted bike rack on, and not tow a trailer.

I'll be putting my hands on a factory EU Mounting bar and hitch in the coming days, but to be honest the EU 'swan neck' ball hitch is both horrendous looking, and a sphere is about the worst shape to to clamp something like a bike rack to in order to be a rigid assembly.
View attachment 971460
So my thought is 'Screw TUV', and would LOVE to install a US square hitch out of a Model X to use with a Square-hitch mounted rack- as they're most stable.
View attachment 971459
To my internet calibrated eye they look like they COULD be interchangeable, but has anybody tried?! Is it long enough to exit/clear the rear apron?

Anybody have a Model X hitch they'd be willing to part with for cheap send to the EU so I could try for posterity's sake???

Cheers,
-J

No, it won't fit. I tried

 

[Scoob]

I have not had the opportunity to try, but will!

@bnone, are you sure?? The interfaces look absolutely identical, I think the only question is if the square hitch will exit the bumper apron low enough.

Will update later with the parts that I have, as I have both hitches and a factory model 3 EU towbar for the swan-neck.

 

[Scoob]

Can confirm, they have ever-so-slightly different tip geometries. What a PITA. So it seems like my only option is to find out if there's a 2" receiver available to fit the Westfalia bar, or find someone in the US to send me a Bosal bar... Hmmmmh. Anybody have a spare????! ha

 

[Zuikkis]

Huh, that is interesting.

So Model 3 and Model X hitches are not the same after all. Because in X the EU and US version sure are interchangeable.

 

[Scoob]

Yah.... kinda a bummer to find out, having purchased both hitches, and the square version was the one I needed to work and doesn't. Need to figure out if there is a Westfalia-version of the 2" receiver, or figure out if I can get a US spec Tow-bar, if it is in-fact compatible with the Model X hitch I currently have.

 

[Gumball]

You do realize about 10 million cars in Europe use the European hitch, and carry bikes on that without any trouble?

 

[Scoob]

You do realize about 10 million cars in Europe use the European hitch, and carry bikes on that without any trouble?

Is there really? Wow. I hadn’t noticed. I’ll pay closer attention

The reason I want a square receiver is to run a Kuat Piston X Pro, which isnt for sale in the EU (but i can get it) and doesnt mount to the EU dong-hitch.

All the options for hitch racks here are fugly AF.

 

[Zuikkis]

You do realize about 10 million cars in Europe use the European hitch, and carry bikes on that without any trouble?

... Well, that depends on the definition of trouble.

Finnish car magazine tested different kind of bike racks in extreme driving situations. Almost all racks failed, some really badly.

Pyörätelinetestin karut tulokset - lähes kaikki telineet irtosivat väistötilanteessa

Testasimme, miten edulliset polkupyörien kuljetustelineet käyttäytyvät äkillisessä väistötilanteessa. Tulos oli karu: lähes kaikki telineet irtosivat auton vetokoukusta ja tuhoutuivat käyttökelvottomiksi.

moottori.fi

So while the ball mount might work fine normally, you better hope you don't need to do emergency braking or steering.

Edit: Thule was the only rack that didn't fail, but even it required retightening after first test.

 

[Scoob]

Also my thinking… a square hitch is a far more stable interface.

Clamping a sphere is just inherently a bad idea.

I had a square hitch-mount rack on a Subaru WRX in California that i drove the piss outa with and without bikes on the back, and even got rear-ended twice with no damage to my vehicle and little to none on the rack or hitch.

 

[BigNick]

... Well, that depends on the definition of trouble.

Finnish car magazine tested different kind of bike racks in extreme driving situations. Almost all racks failed, some really badly.

Pyörätelinetestin karut tulokset - lähes kaikki telineet irtosivat väistötilanteessa

Testasimme, miten edulliset polkupyörien kuljetustelineet käyttäytyvät äkillisessä väistötilanteessa. Tulos oli karu: lähes kaikki telineet irtosivat auton vetokoukusta ja tuhoutuivat käyttökelvottomiksi.

moottori.fi

So while the ball mount might work fine normally, you better hope you don't need to do emergency braking or steering.

Edit: Thule was the only rack that didn't fail, but even it required retightening after first test.

Guys, let this be a lesson to you: Don't clamp things onto your (hitch) balls!

In all seriousness, when I used to carry a mountain bike - the bike rack was designed to fit into a small (1.25 inch/31.75 mm square) US-style receiver hitch, not clamp onto a hitch ball. The rack had metal loops for the bike wheels to rest in and to be secured with ratchet straps over the tires, rather than a top-bar clamp. Never had a bit of trouble with it even on the roughest of dirt roads that led to the bike trails.