ALKO Wheel Carriers

[pjw123]

ALKO Wheel carrier. Was this spare wheel carrier designed by a monkey. Chimp or Chump.
ALKO should be ashamed of themselves designing something so un-ergonomic and in some circumstances positively dangerous.
For the worst design Spare wheel carrier of all time the award goes to ALKO

 

[otherclive]

Tend to agree with you. This topic was debated extensively quite recently. A quick search will illustrate the views expressed almost all of which align with yours.

 

[RayS]

As you will see from other threads I have complained to both Coachman and directly to AlKo.
In the complaint to AlKO i mentioned not only my caravanning experience but also, wearing my Chartered Mechanical Engineers hat, analysed the design faults in some detail.
The reply from Coachman was 'no-one has ever complained about this before': No reply has been received from AlKo.
Can only agree with the comments already made.

The design comes top of my No-No list together with the change some years ago to fixed gas regulators, which put high pressure gas into somewhat vunerable flexible connections with two joints rahter than bottle mounted regulators with only one and that a well enginnered one.
This would certainly not pass any decent HAZOP analysis as carried out in the chemical and petrochemical industries.

 

[otherclive]

As you will see from other threads I have complained to both Coachman and directly to AlKo.
In the complaint to AlKO i mentioned not only my caravanning experience but also, wearing my Chartered Mechanical Engineers hat, analysed the design faults in some detail.
The reply from Coachman was 'no-one has ever complained about this before': No reply has been received from AlKo.
Can only agree with the comments already made.

The design comes top of my No-No list together with the change some years ago to fixed gas regulators, which put high pressure gas into somewhat vunerable flexible connections with two joints rahter than bottle mounted regulators with only one and that a well enginnered one.
This would certainly not pass any decent HAZOP analysis as carried out in the chemical and petrochemical industries.

As a fellow member of IMech E and having set up a Safety and Environmental consultancy I totally agree.

 

[chrisn7]

No reply form ALKO is probably because they re designed the carrier a couple of years ago, although I have no experience as whether it is better

 

[Clifford_374377114]

IMO a lot of caravan related items are designed by people who have no experience of caravanning! Including the caravans themselves.
Cliff

 

[ProfJohnL]

IMO a lot of caravan related items are designed by people who have no experience of caravanning! Including the caravans themselves.
Cliff

Hello Clifford,

I'm not trying to justify Alko's design, but I must point out that Alko supply chassis to all sorts of different trailer manufactures not just caravan manufacturers.

Whilst its seems a logical thought that only someone who uses a product should design them, In practice a "good" designer does not necesarily have to be a user, provided they are given the resources (time and moneyand ability) to analyse all the usability factors.

Were the carrier just for caravans, that might have been possible, but to cover all possible uses of the chassis is unrealistic. There may also be some regulations that limit the way such things can be implmented.

However I do agree that non of the above is a valid excuse for poor design.

 

[RayS]

So far as I can see the design has not changed for some years. Even if there have been few 'tweaks' the basic arrangement remains the same and the lever design remains unaltered.
In any case it would have been courteous tor reply and perhaps try to influence me to buy the new design.

 

[camel]

These days my spsre wheel is under the bed I always had the carrier well greasrd and made sure that it could be removed when needed, I think the problem is that folk are a bit apprensive of jacking up a caravan with a flat tyre or they don't know how too I doubt that the majority of caravanners don't have clue on how to change even their car wheel,

 

[Hutch]

These days my spsre wheel is under the bed I always had the carrier well greasrd and made sure that it could be removed when needed, I think the problem is that folk are a bit apprensive of jacking up a caravan with a flat tyre or they don't know how too I doubt that the majority of caravanners don't have clue on how to change even their car wheel,

I think you are possibly, correct, After a few years of after having the caravan serviced and copper wire locking the AlKo wheel carrier to see if the tyre pressure was checked. Non of three different service centers removed , the spare wheel. I removed the Wheel and it sits under the bed just aft of the axle, Pressure checked easily. And easy to change, carrier removed 6 kg saved on the caravan weight.

 

[camel]

In the first place you would think ALKO's design department could come up with a spare wheel carrier that could be removed from the rear of the caravan,

 

[otherclive]

It would have to be very different from the existing design as anything similar may not be able to be withdrawn if the van was nose up or on a uphill slope. Jacking the wheel or driving up a ramp leveller wouldn’t help much. At least where it is makes some sense. My van has its spare in the front. But previous vans with Alko carriers had the wheel carried inside and the carrier removed.

 

[ProfJohnL]

In the first place you would think ALKO's design department could come up with a spare wheel carrier that could be removed from the rear of the caravan,

I refer you back to one of my earlier comments, the chassis's supplied by Alko are not just destined for caravans but a wide range of other types of trailers, so in practice Alko will not know what form the back end of the trailer will be like, making it almost impossible to accommodate all designs. You only have to look at the details of different caravans to see there can be wide variation in the rear end design.

Some types of trailers are designed to be tipped so the rear end will touch the floor, so a spare wheel carrier there would be a major disadvantage.

I would be tempted to suggest it might be fitted under the front of the trailer, but my own point about what is fitted by the final trailer manufacture could prevent that , just as could the members that create the A frame.

Its easy to criticise but often much harder to come up with a practical solution.

 

[camel]

The way round the problem for spare wheel storage is quite straight forward , years ago we bought a new Lunar Chateau continental built pebble dash finished with awning rails constructed from 90 degree angle , no leaks from that department plus a nice long conti A frame if you have never towed with that type of A frame have a go its a beautiful tow behind , point is thou with tha longer A frame the spare could go back in the front locker with no nose weight issues,

 

[ProfJohnL]

The way round the problem for spare wheel storage is quite straight forward , years ago we bought a new Lunar Chateau continental built pebble dash finished with awning rails constructed from 90 degree angle , no leaks from that department plus a nice long conti A frame if you have never towed with that type of A frame have a go its a beautiful tow behind , point is thou with tha longer A frame the spare could go back in the front locker with no nose weight issues,

That may be the case but its not certain as it all depends on how the caravans weight is distributed.

 

[camel]

Prof, two caravans loaded exactly the same, one with its spare wheel on a alko spare wheel carrier on the rear of the van with two gas bottles in front locker, or a second caravan with a long continental A frame with two gas bottles and the spare wheel in the front locker, which caravan would give the lighter nose weight,

 

[otherclive]

Don’t keep us all guessing

 

[ProfJohnL]

Prof, two caravans loaded exactly the same, one with its spare wheel on a alko spare wheel carrier on the rear of the van with two gas bottles in front locker, or a second caravan with a long continental A frame with two gas bottles and the spare wheel in the front locker, which caravan would give the lighter nose weight,

I don't recall suggesting it can't happen, only that it is dependant on specifics of caravan construction and loading. In practice I doubt there are any caravans that could be directly compared in the way you are suggesting. So its a no win situation on your specific criteria.

 

[camel]

Remember speaking to a nice dutch family with three bikes on the A frame a spare wheel in the front locker box plus 25 kgs of Edam next to the spare wheel , very nice it was to when they offered it to my wife and I,