Tail gate or tow bar bike rack?!

[Neilos]

Apologies. I know this one has been done over and over and ultimately it comes down to preference.

I’m hovering over the send button to confirm a tow bar fit with PF Jones. Best price I could find by some way.

I can’t help thinking it’s a lot of money. Tow bar and rack around £1100, and am I missing out on the VW rack’s major benefit of being always there in the van when you need it?

We are a family with young kids who also love riding (like me).

Major concern on the VW rack is the overall height, and not being able to get into the boot.

We mainly do short ish trips camping with a 2 week summer holiday combining with hiring a cottage for a week that sort of thing.

I’d love to do more riding with friends using the van now the kids are getting bigger I might even escape the odd weekend

VW rack I could buy second hand maybe £400-450 or a new one for about £500 if you keep your eyes peeled.

Tow bar is as I said more than double that.

Any thoughts from folks in similar position?

Cheers!


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[subthree]

I will be selling a new VW bike rack as soon as we collect our new T6.1, hopefully in a few weeks, as part of the deal I agreed. We will be having tow bar bike rack.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Had the VW rear mounted one in 2012.
Removed and replaced with a tow-bar sliding rack in 2013.
Still use the tow-bar rack in 2020.

You couldn't give me the Volkswagen rack back...

 

[subthree]

Had the VW rear mounted one in 2012.
Removed and replaced with a tow-bar sliding rack in 2013.
Still use the tow-bar rack in 2020.

You couldn't give me the Volkswagen rack back...

Do you also have a Calicap drawer? Just trying to work out whether the drawer and tow bar bike rack work ok together? Cheers.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Do you also have a Calicap drawer? Just trying to work out whether the drawer and tow bar bike rack work ok together? Cheers.

I built my own.
Yes it slides out of the way.
You can see the base of the rack attached at the bottom of pic.

 

[Neilos]

I’ve been thinking about building my own drawer @soulstyledevon did you post about it on here?

Thanks for the advice. I think it’s going to have to be tow bar. I’m weighing up isotop, parking heater and towbar/rack. Then the van will be near on perfect but it’s a lot of cash to pay out!


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[2into1]

If you go the towbar route, ensure you've done your research on the racks as many won't allow you to open the tailgate once fitted / and / or loaded with bikes. Some will, but might add to the cost of going that route.

 

[Neilos]

If you go the towbar route, ensure you've done your research on the racks as many won't allow you to open the tailgate once fitted / and / or loaded with bikes. Some will, but might add to the cost of going that route.

Thanks, I was going to go westfalia removable tow bar with an Altera Strada DL3. That should work I think from my good searching and a member review on YouTube which was very helpful.


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[Calitreks]

I’ve gone down the exact route you are thinking of. Westfalia detachable and Atera DL3. Also booked PF Jones to be done on drive. Mine had towbar prep which I informed them and they send you the bar and wiring via courier and the fitter comes to complete the job. My fitter (whilst appearing very experienced in relation to T6 vans) wasn’t very experienced in relation to California’s. He wanted to go through the wardrobe to access the wiring (in his defence this is what is says on PF Jones instructions. I wouldn’t let him near anywhere near it so he completed the task as though it didn’t have towbar prep and wired underneath the van and up to the engine battery. He had to do this on a second visit as didn’t have the right wiring with him. He then didn’t realise there was already a module under the seat for the towbar so when he coded it the electrics weren’t working properly. When it was explained about the module under seat he realised and disconnected it so everything worked ok. Bottom line is that everything is sorted, no complaints but as usual the California seems to be treated as a T6 panel van without any knowledge of the complexities. No real benefit of having tow bar prep but I didn’t buy it new or have to pay extra for the different wiring so I’m satisfied.

Also , PF Jones will recommend you buying tow bar support from VW along with the fixings. The T6 requires this but the California’s tend to have it affixed already. I checked first and you can see it by getting underneath the bumper.

 

[Camperfamily]

Highly subjective... in my opinion: tailgate one looks so much better, can be left on the van, clears the reversing camera and looks great on the van even when not in use. It also reduces risk of bike Rack getting bumped from behind (e.g. on ferry).

Despite having a towbar on our Cali, I can get a towbar rack for any old car, so would only entertain the iconic tailgate rack on the Cali.

Just my subjective views...

 

[GrannyJen]

For me, often a solo traveller, it would be how much weight would I want to lift. Geraldine is 22 kg so a tow-bar rack for me.

 

[TripleBee]

 

[Amonkeyhint]

I had this exact dilemma a few months ago and went with the Westfalia tow bar from pf jones (full install as didn’t have the wiring kit), and DL3 bike rack (with 4th bike extension).

 

[PaulMilton]

Tow bar rack every time, for me.
You can still open the tailgate without taking off bikes. That is pretty much the killer feature but I will go on all the same...
It can be put on any car with a tow ball, so it’s good for your ‘other’ car and future cars/vans.
It acts as a rack on your pitch to lock everything to.
I’m not totally convinced it’s worse looking than the vw tailgate rack but, as has been said, that is subjective.
Lastly, every now and then someone who hasn’t seen a tow ball carrier before sees you drop the rack to open the tailgate and exclaims ‘that’s clever’. That always reminds that yes, it is clever!

 

[Swiss Cheese]

I didn't take the plunge on a bike rack yet, so this is of interest to me also. The VW rack does look the part, and a tow-ball rack kind of looks a bit 'add-on'. I find already with extra stuff packed into the boot pockets it is quite heavy and if adding a rack and bikes then I would find it annoying to open and keep open without unloading first.

But already having the tow-bar because it was on the van we bought, and having looked around I think I would go for the Uebler i21 90° tow ball rack which is enough for our two bikes and swings out of the way of the boot. Somehow it packs up small as well. If anyone can comment on that rack as well, it might be helpful?

 

[Stuart]

I spent weeks trying to decide on this one, and eventually decided just to give the VW rack a try as it's cheaper (if you factor in the tow bar) and very easy to sell on at little loss. 4 years later I've still got the VW rack and reckon it was the right choice for me.

There are loads of factors that will affect your decision, like:
- how often you use the rack
- whether you have somewhere convenient to store it
- whether you have other vehicles
- the kind of bikes you want to carry

If my van had already had a tow bar fitted I would have gone for a tow bar rack. Probably the Atera Strada Evo.

 

[SailSki]

Answering a query from earlier in the post, I have the factory fitted removable towbar and Atera DL3 with 4th bike extension. This works absolutely fine with the Calicap drawer that I got recently. Rack works fine with 4 bikes and can still open the boot if the bike with the narrowest handlebars goes on first, or can swivel the handlebars if necessary.

 

[Neilos]

I’ve gone down the exact route you are thinking of. Westfalia detachable and Atera DL3. Also booked PF Jones to be done on drive. Mine had towbar prep which I informed them and they send you the bar and wiring via courier and the fitter comes to complete the job. My fitter (whilst appearing very experienced in relation to T6 vans) wasn’t very experienced in relation to California’s. He wanted to go through the wardrobe to access the wiring (in his defence this is what is says on PF Jones instructions. I wouldn’t let him near anywhere near it so he completed the task as though it didn’t have towbar prep and wired underneath the van and up to the engine battery. He had to do this on a second visit as didn’t have the right wiring with him. He then didn’t realise there was already a module under the seat for the towbar so when he coded it the electrics weren’t working properly. When it was explained about the module under seat he realised and disconnected it so everything worked ok. Bottom line is that everything is sorted, no complaints but as usual the California seems to be treated as a T6 panel van without any knowledge of the complexities. No real benefit of having tow bar prep but I didn’t buy it new or have to pay extra for the different wiring so I’m satisfied.

Also , PF Jones will recommend you buying tow bar support from VW along with the fixings. The T6 requires this but the California’s tend to have it affixed already. I checked first and you can see it by getting underneath the bumper.

Really useful thanks!


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[Seaview]

Thanks, I was going to go westfalia removable tow bar with an Altera Strada DL3. That should work I think from my good searching and a member review on YouTube which was very helpful.


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Another vote for the Altera Strada DL3. We originally bought a VW bike rack but went for the tow bar option when we changed our Cali. We prefer the ease of taking bikes on and off at tow bar height.

 

[Neilos]

Hi all, sorry one more question! The WF detachable tow bar- I know nothing about towing really having never done it, it’s for a bike rack. But, my mate has a converted horse box camper. And we have spoken about a boys cycling trip with the trailer. That tow bar I presume is good for towing something like that? My License might not be however!

Does anyone know what this bumper support looks like if I try and check? I’m loathed to order the parts from VW if it’s already on there! PF Jones told me I need it.


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[Calitreks]

I’d say it’s pretty likely that you have it. Other forums posts suggest that any t6 with a window behind the driver has it but panel vans don’t. I’ve attached pics of what it looks like and in the second pic are the VW part numbers for 1 support , 8 screws and 8 grommits. Get your head underneath the bumper and you can see it if it’s there.

 

[B J G]

Hi all, sorry one more question! The WF detachable tow bar- I know nothing about towing really having never done it, it’s for a bike rack. But, my mate has a converted horse box camper. And we have spoken about a boys cycling trip with the trailer. That tow bar I presume is good for towing something like that? My License might not be however!

Does anyone know what this bumper support looks like if I try and check? I’m loathed to order the parts from VW if it’s already on there! PF Jones told me I need it.


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T6 can tow up to 2,500kgs trailer.

 

[Neilos]

Thanks for all your responses! Very helpful.


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[aileron346]

Yes, definitely two camps. I’m very firmly in the VW OEM camp for the always-on convenience, the great design (I’ve previously owned an Atera Strada and found the bulky clamps a right pain) and the ability to carefully straddle walls and verges and occasionally, other cars when parking!
.
I do think if you’ve got a beefy bike though, it’s a bit high for a 1-person easy lift. So heavy bikes, occasional use only, worries over the extra height ... I can see the attraction of tow bar racks. I do think it’s an enormous extra expense if you’re marginal though and I’d find it a real pain to have the extra task of attaching/detaching as well as storage on site etc.

I use the VW rack all the time; no problem at all accessing the boot with a helper and well secured bikes, you obviously wouldn’t want to slam shut the tailgate though.For me it’s an awesome bit of kit and a Cali essential.

 

[Yvonne currie]

Be careful when having a tow bar fitted.
We had our tow bar fitted by the VW it was expensive, however we were very pleased that we did have it fitted by them.
The electrics for the water pump were damaged during the fitting and VW replaced the pump free of charge. There can be potential problems with the reversing camera also when having the tow bar fitted.
We bought Dutch made rack called PRO SURE. We are pleased with the rack, it also drops down to allow you to get the tailgate up.