I drove to Columbus, Oh this morning, and the guys at MINIFINI installed a one and quarter inch hitch on my Countryman for bike transport. Being an avid biker, I opted for an extension that extends a few inches out from the grill and makes mounting the rack a 30 second procedure in clear view. They did a great job. Cost was ~$688.00. Pefect for my Yakima rack or any future rack I may want.

 

I need one just like this, except with 2" receiver. When will a 2" be available?

Or, when will the system with the base and attachments like the ones for the other models be available?

 

You would just need a need a 1 1/4 to 2 inch adaptor. I'm sure they have one. If not, they can make one.

 

Minifini also has the sport link attachment for the Countryman available. I saw it, and it is a good looking piece of work, however it costs about $300 more.

 

I received my MiniFini hitch a couple of weeks ago including a powered and relayed wiring harness for $390...installed myself, bought the Harbor Freight 1 1/4 to 2" adapter and have been towing a utility trailer around. Fantastic hitch quality and my manual transmission All4 has no problem pulling the 4x8 trailer. Install was straight forward with the directions from MF.

 

Wait. Nearly $700 just for the hitch receiver??

 

Got any pics? I'd love to see what your setup looks like.

 

The price for the MINIFINI hitch hardware is around $275. They ship all over. The hitch, as designed, has the receiver flush with plastic grill, requiring you to fish around somewhat blindly under the car, trying to align the holes on your rack with those of the hitch. To avoid this hassle I had them custom build a small extension that sticks out a bit but not enough to significantly impact the beauty of the car (see posted photos). This cost about $75. The rest is labor cost which is not insignificant, as the entire bumper assembly has to be removed, including a bunch of plastic rivets that have to be removed and replaced. I would not want to tackle this process myself, but one of the posters has done it successfully (congrats!!). In the end, it's not cheap but you have a functional hitch that can accept any 1 1/4in bike rack (or other load) , including a 4 bike rack. You have paid somewhat less than you would for the factory designed MINI Cooper rack, and the latter has only a thick band of plastic that secures your bike to the rack, is more of a pain in the *** to install, and can only hold 2 bikes. My Yakima rack secures the bike to the rack with a steel cord. I don't know how much your bike is worth, but mine is worth much more than the rack, hitch and assembly combined, so security is a significant issue for me .

 

Can you buy an extension from any hitch place or does it have to come from minfini? I just got confirmation that the link and cap have shipped from mini fini but if I have to order the extension from them I guess I will have to wait longer to get installed. I see now that if the receiver is flush with the grill you will have to get under the bumper to put bike rack on and off - not good. Wish I would have seen that before.

 

Russell Sr. at MINIFINI said he could find an extension the right length in his books to order, so he fabricated it. You might call them and ask, and call a few local places like Autozone. The extension makes it very convenient to attach your hitch.

 

Sorry about the typo in the last post: Should have said " he could NOT find an extension the right length."

 

Thank you - autozone did not have them but a local trailor place has the extensions. There are many online places to order them as well.

 

BTW - what length was the extension?

 

1/4 inch extension appears to be 10 inches length with holes 2 inches from either end.

 

another typo... meant to say 1 1/4 inch extension... not 1/4.

 

This was so helpful. Thanks so much for posting!

 

Something like this? It's 10 and a half inches end to end, but lists as a 7 inch extension because it's 7 inches from hole to hole.

http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Access...Curt/D189.html

 

Did you have to drill anything or cut the recessed grill? Thanks.

 

Yes. Here are some pics:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...es-part-i.html

 

Does anyone have pics of the Mini Fini hitch on a base model?
Does the bumper have to be altered ?

Thanks for your feed back.