Mini trailer hitch

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aermet

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I'm moving the conversation from another thread into it's own thread to assist with future member's search for info specifically related to hitches for the mini SE.

Greetings, new member and first post. I just picked up an Iconic SE eBlack a few weeks ago. I ride and needed a solution to carry my bike. I spoke with a sales rep and was told that the hitch that outmotoring sells for an ice cooper S worked for the SE.

Yes, it bolts onto the stock mounts (not really, they needed a bit of grinding to enlarge the mounting holes, and two plastic brackets hanging down from another plastic bumper trim needed to be trimmed), but the 1 1/4" receiver didn't work for me, since my current hitch rack is 2".

The as-sold hitch receiver would have also protruded through the painted bumper skin rather than the black fascia. That, and the 1 1/4" receiver were both deal breakers for me.

I needed to decide whether I was going to build one from scratch or modify the one they sell. So, I bought the outmotoring hitch for the ice cooper S, a 2" steel receiver tube that was 6" long, and went over to a friend's house who's quite handy with an arc welder, to modify the hitch as purchased.

I calculated that with a 1/4in steel plate, and the 2" receiver tube welded to that and the 1 1/4" receiver, the 2" receiver would then protrude just under the lip in the lower fascia. We cut out a 1/4" inch steel plate about the length of the 1 1/4" receiver, but a bit narrower and welded it to the bottom of the 1 1/4 receiver to space it downwards. We then tacked the 2" receiver on for a trial fit, and reinstalled the bumper skin loosely. The receiver didn't stick out far enough so we moved it out another 3/4" in. Btw, we drilled the hold for the bike rack security pin prior to welding onto the purchased hitch.

Another quick trial fit, some primer and gloss black paint, some trimming with a small cutting wheel on the lower fascia, and here it is. My bike rack has a wedge on the mounting surface to reduce wobbling of the rack while driving. With that properly secured, the rack is super solid going down the road with my bike on it, and I don't really notice that my bike is hanging off the back.

If you know what you're doing, the tail lights and rear bumper can be off the car inside of 15 mins, it was simple once you figure out that you have to reach inside the rear opening in the tail light cavity and release some tabs. Takes a bit of careful pulling on the rear quarter moldings, but other than that, very straight fwd removal of bumper skin.

My reply to member Carsten Haase:

Did you happen to get any pictures with the bumper off? Im going to do the same thing as soon as I have time, but probably start from scratch.

I was planning on putting the receiver an inch or so lower so I only had to cut into the lower part of the trim piece but also need a wider hole because I do plan on towing a small trailer (so I'd need a spot for chains + electrical plug)
Here are some more pics.

PXL_20210720_021405360.webp PXL_20210720_010917296.MP.webp
 
ColdCase said:

So basically you welded a ¼ spacer and 2 inch receiver tube to the bottom of the aftermarket hitch's 1 ¼ receiver? Didn't have to trim anything except the bits to mount the hitch? The 1 ¼ receiver didn't need trimmed because it fit behind the facia? Nice.


My reply:

You are correct. There was a few minutes of trimming on two support brackets coming down from a plastic surround under the alum crash bar, that help support the lower belly pan that needed some trimming. The right side bracket extending down couldn't be saved with only trimming. The vertical plastic arm looks like it provides only enough support to the bumper skin/belly pan to alleviate any sagging.

What was time consuming and needed some careful visualizing was how much to space the 2" tube downwards so as to clear the first horizontal "rib" on the lower fascia, and exit where desired. That involved me laying under the rear, with the non modified receiver bolted down, while my friend held the bumper skin in place as near as possible for me to guess where to tack the 2" tube in place for a trial fitment. I can say that I feel that the 1/4" plate in between the 1.25" receiver and the 2" tube was perfect to locate the 2" receiver as high as possible, yet have it protrude just below the horizontal ridge on the lower fascia. The pics should illustrate the pieces I trimmed, along with what the assembly looks like w/o bumper skin mounted.

If I were to do this again, I would weld the 2" tube, which is 6" long, such that 5" extends out from the end of the 1.25" tube. That'll allow for a bit more overlap for the rack/receiver hitch, especially if one were to pull a trailer. One of my goals from an aesthetic perspective, was to keep as little 2" tube as possible from protruding out the rear of the fascia. Looking at it now, another 1" or so more would not have made much of a difference aesthetically.

For a visual reference, in the pic with everything buttoned up and in the garage, my install of the 2" tube was welded with 3.75 inches extension off the end of the 1.25 hitch. In the pic above in my previous reply, it shows the grounding clamp still attached and unpainted, the 2" tube is attached with 3.75" extension beyond the end of the 1.25 receiver.
upload_2021-7-26_22-16-42.webp
This is the right side plastic belly pan/bumper skin support to which I refer. With this tab, I had to cut off everything below the purple line, otherwise the hitch would not have bolted flush against the body. A horizontal tab on the back side of the bumper skin bolts onto the white clip in the photo, and the belly pan is supported only with the bolts, underneath, and at the bottom lip of the bumper skin.

As I mentioned, this appears to simply prevent sagging of the very light plastic belly pan as it pulls downward on the bottom rear of the bumper skin. There's just not a lot of sheet metal/brackets in the rear end beyond the body.

I've been underneath and taken apart a lot of BMW's and this is one of the oddest things I've seen. It's both at the same time "sparse" wrt supporting the bumper skin/pan, but also very light and efficient in structure and parts. so as to provide no more support than is actually needed. You can see in the pic in previous reply where I used zip ties at 2 points, secured by the hitch's horizontal bar on top, and running through drainage holes that are already present in the belly pan. I put just enough tension in the zip ties to provide the support I believed it needed. I then put a zip tie through the support tab in the inside of the bumper skin, that bolted to vertical plastic that I cut off, and tied it into the horizontal hitch bar to support that from the inside as well.
upload_2021-7-26_22-17-5.webp
This is the left side plastic support that I was able to save but had to trim just enough to allow the horizontal bar on the hitch to clear and properly attached.

Hope all this helps.

upload_2021-7-26_22-22-33.webp
 
Last edited:
aermet said:
ColdCase said:

So basically you welded a ¼ spacer and 2 inch receiver tube to the bottom of the aftermarket hitch's 1 ¼ receiver? Didn't have to trim anything except the bits to mount the hitch? The 1 ¼ receiver didn't need trimmed because it fit behind the facia? Nice.


My reply:

You are correct. There was a few minutes of trimming on two support brackets coming down from a plastic surround under the alum crash bar, that help support the lower belly pan that needed some trimming. The right side bracket extending down couldn't be saved with only trimming. The vertical plastic arm looks like it provides only enough support to the bumper skin/belly pan to alleviate any sagging.

What was time consuming and needed some careful visualizing was how much to space the 2" tube downwards so as to clear the first horizontal "rib" on the lower fascia, and exit where desired. That involved me laying under the rear, with the non modified receiver bolted down, while my friend held the bumper skin in place as near as possible for me to guess where to tack the 2" tube in place for a trial fitment. I can say that I feel that the 1/4" plate in between the 1.25" receiver and the 2" tube was perfect to locate the 2" receiver as high as possible, yet have it protrude just below the horizontal ridge on the lower fascia. The pics should illustrate the pieces I trimmed, along with what the assembly looks like w/o bumper skin mounted.

If I were to do this again, I would weld the 2" tube, which is 6" long, such that 5" extends out from the end of the 1.25" tube. That'll allow for a bit more overlap for the rack/receiver hitch, especially if one were to pull a trailer. One of my goals from an aesthetic perspective, was to keep as little 2" tube as possible from protruding out the rear of the fascia. Looking at it now, another 1" or so more would not have made much of a difference aesthetically.

For a visual reference, in the pic with everything buttoned up and in the garage, my install of the 2" tube was welded with 3.75 inches extension off the end of the 1.25 hitch. In the pic above in my previous reply, it shows the grounding clamp still attached and unpainted, the 2" tube is attached with 3.75" extension beyond the end of the 1.25 receiver.
View attachment 12884
This is the right side plastic belly pan/bumper skin support to which I refer. With this tab, I had to cut off everything below the purple line, otherwise the hitch would not have bolted flush against the body. A horizontal tab on the back side of the bumper skin bolts onto the white clip in the photo, and the belly pan is supported only with the bolts, underneath, and at the bottom lip of the bumper skin.

As I mentioned, this appears to simply prevent sagging of the very light plastic belly pan as it pulls downward on the bottom rear of the bumper skin. There's just not a lot of sheet metal/brackets in the rear end beyond the body.

I've been underneath and taken apart a lot of BMW's and this is one of the oddest things I've seen. It's both at the same time "sparse" wrt supporting the bumper skin/pan, but also very light and efficient in structure and parts. so as to provide no more support than is actually needed. You can see in the pic in previous reply where I used zip ties at 2 points, secured by the hitch's horizontal bar on top, and running through drainage holes that are already present in the belly pan. I put just enough tension in the zip ties to provide the support I believed it needed. I then put a zip tie through the support tab in the inside of the bumper skin, that bolted to vertical plastic that I cut off, and tied it into the horizontal hitch bar to support that from the inside as well.
View attachment 12885
This is the left side plastic support that I was able to save but had to trim just enough to allow the horizontal bar on the hitch to clear and properly attached.

Hope all this helps.

View attachment 12887
Click to expand...
One of these with a MINI SE under it would be a real hit
:)
 
Hi Folks!

It's been about 4 months and almost 7000 miles since we got our SE. A couple of days ago I installed a hitch receiver to carry a tray style bike rack. Many thanks to the posters above and to the usual suspects for helpful advice in other threads. Though I didn't take pictures while installing (dang!), I thought I'd post since the process and outcome were both so much better than I'd hoped. So, some info for those here who might want to try this:

First, since I didn't want to cut through the bumper, I took a risk on a hitch bar designed for non-S F56 minis, which has a lower drawbar receiver. This one:

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/CURT/C11417.html

It's a about 100 bucks cheaper than the others out there at $195. I think it's due to the fact that in base minis, it requires that you throw away the compact spare. Oops.

Second, while it's no joke to get the bumper off, the whole process from start to finish took me an hour. I used instructions from:

https://www.minimania.com/pdfile/F56_Hitch_Install.pdf

, but went my own way for trimming/reassembly. Make sure you have a long 18mm socket! Bike tire pry tools work great for getting the taillight surrounds off. I was also able to remove the bumper screws hidden behind the taillights without fully removing the latter, but I wouldn't do it that way again. It's pretty easy to get the wheel arch covers pulled back, but if you go too far, you'll pull apart a connector (red) that is extremely hard to put back together. If anyone has questions about this, I'd be happy to elaborate.

Third, this particular hitch required NO(!) trimming of internal bumper supports, since the bar portion fits perfectly behind the lower part of the "left side plastic support" pictured in @aermet 's post above. The only trimming is a notch out of the belly-pan, between two bumper fasteners. Here's the bit I cut out:

IMG_5361.webp

And here it is all buttoned back up!

IMG_5363.webp

hitch rack.webp

The rack itself is from 1up. Nice and stable, no shaking or rattling. It folds up nicely when not in use and doesn't block the license plate. Lots of beeping from the sensors when in reverse, however!
hitch 2.webp
Happy Spring!
 
Awesome! I wanted a 2" receiver and wanted it located within the lower black trim of the bumper so I'm making my own.

I've gotten as far as 3D printing a test piece to check fit and mostly finishing the strength analysis. It's designed for a 1500lb trailer per the SAE J684 standard which is totally overkill but I didn't want to worry if I decide to get a small utility trailer for hardware store supply runs. Cutting and welding is going to take another month or two though... Definitely a lot of work

20220418_142455.webp
 
Thanks for posting this. I'm thinking about getting a hitch and 1up for my MTB. I wasn't sure if there was a prefab hitch that fit the SE. Didn't want to go the Carsten route and have to weld my own.

The other option I was considering was the Seasucker, but I'm apprehensive to stick something to the rear glass.
 
I wander if you Cary a bike is not easiest to go for roof but if you pull a trailer you guys doing excellent job with hitch
 
Rexsio said:
I wander if you Cary a bike is not easiest to go for roof but if you pull a trailer you guys doing excellent job with hitch
Click to expand...
Like a lot of people, I dislike roof carriers. I've used them and hitch carriers are so much nicer - lower to the ground, you can see the bike(s) while driving, etc.
 
DJCoopster said:
Like a lot of people, I dislike roof carriers. I've used them and hitch carriers are so much nicer - lower to the ground, you can see the bike(s) while driving, etc.
Click to expand...
I have a SeaSucker that goes on my roof, but I'm about to get a foldable ebike that weighs too much for the SeaSucker. If I can't fit it inside the SE maybe the hitch mod isn't a bad idea; it says it can handle 200 lbs.
 
Just to throw in an update on my own kit for newer forum members - my Yakima Highroad bike roof rack is a year old and still going strong several times per week.
 
Carsten Haase said:
Awesome! I wanted a 2" receiver and wanted it located within the lower black trim of the bumper so I'm making my own.

I've gotten as far as 3D printing a test piece to check fit and mostly finishing the strength analysis. It's designed for a 1500lb trailer per the SAE J684 standard which is totally overkill but I didn't want to worry if I decide to get a small utility trailer for hardware store supply runs. Cutting and welding is going to take another month or two though... Definitely a lot of work

View attachment 16267
Click to expand...

It took me almost half a year to get this done but I finally have a hitch on my SE! Had the fabrication done back in early July but I got a bad batch of Rust-Oleum paint that never hardened. Spent two weeks waiting for it to harden then another week stripping it all off... then more waiting for some Eastwood 2k in a can to be delivered.

It's very much over designed and exceeds the SAE hitch standard for a 1500lb trailer. Assuming the bolts on the chassis were strong enough, I could literally hang the entire car from it with a 3X factor of safety! (yes I actually ran this simulation just for fun). Weight of the hitch ended up just over 30lbs.

Cut all the pieces by hand out of 3/8" steel plate/angle with 3D printed templates, a drill, angle grinder, jigsaw, and an electric die grinder.
20220628_111240.webp

Eastwood 2k ceramic chassis black (satin) paint was expensive but worked great and is way tougher than regular rattle cans. Full cure in less than 24hrs.
20220823_113019.webp

20220823_113739.webp

Access to the hitch pin. Had to cut away two of the mounting points for the underbody panel so I replaced them with an aluminum bracket mounted to the hitch. Definitely stronger than it was and not visible unless looking under the car
20220823_162416.webp

Lots of guess and check to get the fit with the bumper nice and tight. ~1/16" clearance all the way around
20220823_162344.webp

Free charging at the bike park! (much nicer than the $14 in gas I was spending before)
The bike makes the car look comically small, it's actually 2" wider than the distance between the mirrors.
20220824_094115.webp
 
Clever hitch installs. What about trailer light wiring? Do you have a schematic of the 2023 SE tail light wiring?

Thanks!
 
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