Advice Please - Thule VeloSpace XT 3 bike tow bar carrier

[L&R.]

Hi @Doorbundle
The rack has two retaining cables which limit the amount of tilt. There is a second set of holes in the frame that I moved the cables to. Easy 5 minute job.
You can see one of the cables in this photo.

Thanks for this. The courier dropped off my new XT earlier today and it didn't clear the door by default. Quick check here and problem solved!

 

[Lee.Van.Cleef]

Fits fine with the OEM removable towbar. Just measured the distance between the bumper and the MIDDLE of the towbar and it sits at 3"View attachment 119985

Links to the exact rack (& Box) :
https:///434P3m8 - Rack
https:///430d5hO - Box

Hi - appreciate this is an old thread, but I recall you also has a SpaceMate slide out tray.
I'm currently looking out for an XT3 and obvioulsy ending up in various rabbit holes.
Did you use your XT3 at the same time as your SpaceMate - and did the drawer still pull all the way out OK?

 

[Steve North]

Can anyone please tell me if the Thule VeloSpace XT 3 bike tow bar carrier tilts enough to allow the tailgate to open on the T6 California Ocean. I contacted Thule and they said as this one tilted 70 degrees (as opposed to 50 degrees for the rest of their carriers) it might but I should go to a local stockist to try one. I went to Halfords and although they have one in stock they say it would take them an hour to build it and if I didn’t want it, what would they do with it! I want to be able to fit the Thule BackSpace XT cargo box and apparently this carrier ia the only one it’s compatible with. Any advice welcome. Thanks.

I went to GT Towing near Hatfield who stock the range of Thule bike racks, all was going well until I said I wanted it for a T6 Ocean, the salesman then said that unfortunately there are 3 vehicle types the tiltable bike racks are not suitable for, VW T6/6.1, Mercedes Vito and Vauxhall Zafira, he explained that on these that the tailgate wouldn’t open even when the rack was fully tilted. Suggest you check this out with your local stockist or Thule to confirm

 

[RedWhiteMonkey]

I went to GT Towing near Hatfield who stock the range of Thule bike racks, all was going well until I said I wanted it for a T6 Ocean, the salesman then said that unfortunately there are 3 vehicle types the tiltable bike racks are not suitable for, VW T6/6.1, Mercedes Vito and Vauxhall Zafira, he explained that on these that the tailgate wouldn’t open even when the rack was fully tilted. Suggest you check this out with your local stockist or Thule to confirm

The salesman is wrong. We have a Thule Velospace XT3 and use it with the additional rail to carry a total of four bikes. Once you adjust the holding cable (as per the advice in the official instructions) you can tilt the rack enough to open the tailgate and pull a sliding tray out.

 

[Lee.Van.Cleef]

I picked one up last week after pondering this or the (more expensive) Easyfold option (There are several threads on here saying the Easyfold will work, but only after undertaking user mods, which you may or may not be willing to do).
In the end there was a second hand xt3 available locally which made the decision for me. I checked with both the tailgate and the SpaceMate tray fully extended and it worked exactly as hoped - though the tolerances are in the mm so you need to be careful. As per the various threads on here, the steel cable needs to be at max setting to achieve the necessary clearance.
I've not actually used it with the bikes on yet mind.

 

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Yes, you need to set it up pretty precisely but it works. This is with four bikes, albeit the fourth bike is a small child bike.

 

[Homesteader]

Can anyone please tell me if the Thule VeloSpace XT 3 bike tow bar carrier tilts enough to allow the tailgate to open on the T6 California Ocean. I contacted Thule and they said as this one tilted 70 degrees (as opposed to 50 degrees for the rest of their carriers) it might but I should go to a local stockist to try one. I went to Halfords and although they have one in stock they say it would take them an hour to build it and if I didn’t want it, what would they do with it! I want to be able to fit the Thule BackSpace XT cargo box and apparently this carrier ia the only one it’s compatible with. Any advice welcome. Thanks.

Yes it does. 100%

 

[Homesteader]

Can anyone please tell me if the Thule VeloSpace XT 3 bike tow bar carrier tilts enough to allow the tailgate to open on the T6 California Ocean. I contacted Thule and they said as this one tilted 70 degrees (as opposed to 50 degrees for the rest of their carriers) it might but I should go to a local stockist to try one. I went to Halfords and although they have one in stock they say it would take them an hour to build it and if I didn’t want it, what would they do with it! I want to be able to fit the Thule BackSpace XT cargo box and apparently this carrier ia the only one it’s compatible with. Any advice welcome. Thanks.

Yes. I have one and you it regularly.