Spare Wheel Carrier

[Gafferbill]

......... On a totally different view does your caravan sit on a sideways slope? Someone suggested my axle problem could have been due to being stored with a sideways slope. But I don’t buy that as it’s only about 1.5 inches difference between wheels.

Clive .........storage area slopes to the front of caravan and slightly to the right.

IMO your axle problem is most likely to be caused by below specification rubber block components when the axle was manufactured.
Almost impossible to prove and get any redress

Personal preference means I rest my caravans rubber block suspension at all times when not in use.
Pictures shows caravan on jacks with no weight on tyres.......jacks are under the axle plates.

 

[Gafferbill]

Thanks Bill

I like the ground anchors too!

..........only one ground anchor which is a heavy duty chain.
There are jacks taking the weight off tyres and suspension and what looks like a jack but is really a connection to a pressure pad which sets off a remote klaxon if it is disturbed (anti theft device)

 

[GD485]

That’s a neat idea the pressure pad.
I have a similar set up. I use the mains cable to trigger an alarm

 

[RayS]

Great piece of engineering Gaffer, but it still seems to require more muscle that I have availabe to lit the assembly into place. I have tried lifting the nearside end - the part outside the chassis member - on a trolley jack, getting it aligned and then simply pushing the trolley jack forward to complete the engagement.. This completely failed to work on the Alko as the weight of the wheel bowed the tubes (here I must differ from you comment about the Alko being over engineered - i suggest it is severely under engineered as clearly no-one has tested in anger or considered thick walled tubes).
The snag I can see with the winch idea is that on the Landrover the winch appears to be in a recess under the boot floor. Caravan floor would probably not be suitable to make such a recess, and without it the winch drum housing would appear to prevent the upper surface of the wheel resting flat against the underside of the floor.
Difficult to judge without hands on. Even so, mounting the whole winch assembly above the floor would not be out of the question if located under a fixed bed - the inconvenience of the realtively small obstruction would be well worth it to gain the advantage of the winch method.
Perhaps someone with a Bailey wich a winch couuld comment about how the unit is fixed to the structure .

 

[RayS]

Seems to be some interaction on the website. The thread I started on Alko spare wheel carrier seems to have conflated with this one under Technical as my recent post appears in both. Fine by me but these is quite a lot in the 'Equipment' thread which readers of the 'Technical version may find of interest and vice versa.

 

[Anseo]

Hi RayS,

I agree that the LR winch would not be suitable for under-floor mount in the caravan, but your idea of mounting one on the upper side of the floor should not be a problem if under a seat etc.

My Bailey winch is mounted under a dining area seat and is underneath the floor, the Bailey winch has a much flatter proffile that lends itself to under-floor mounting.

I only posted the LR type for illustration, there are others from other vehicle manufacturers, can't remember exactly now, but when I viewed 'spare wheel winch' in google images I seen what I think was a Fiat winch having a flatter profile, perhaps broadening your inquiries to other vehicle manufacturers would bear fruit.

If you go the DIY winch route then I am sure others would really appreciate a blog on the installation etc.

 

[otherclive]

Thomson caravans published details of a self build frame for under chassis mounting.

http://www.thomson-caravans.co.uk/advice/diyprojects/67chassissparewheelcarrier.htm
The second link shows a design for underslung wheel but without the difficulty of trying to re- engage the two cross pieces as per Alko. This design was advertised in Club magazines some years back. But I guess as Alko were generally fitted ex works business dried up.

http://www.generalandtube.co.uk/downloads/CaravanSpareWheelCarriers.pdf

 

[Anseo]

RayS,

Another thought, the LR type winch might work as there may be sufficient space within the 'well' of the wheel for the winch housing.

The Bailey winch obviously projects below the underside of the floor but is easily accomodated by the 'well' of the wheel.

 

[Gafferbill]

.....always going to be a faff to have spare wheel mounted under the caravan.
Best solution is under a fixed bed if you have that layout or the old Avondale inboard floor locker design.
My design facilitates quick removal in a roadside punture situation.
I would then load carrier and puntured wheel inside caravan for sorting later.

 

[RayS]

Many thanks for all the inputs. Great to see the Thompson idea - takes me back to my early caravanning years and would have been great when wheels were smaller and lighter.
The General tubes carrier looks much better engineered than the current offerings but again is for a much lighter wheel.
I've looked at various other car/van offerings from Kia, Ford, Ducato etc - the Kia unit appears to have the winch head separated from the cable exit above the centre of the spare wheel by some distance which would be possibly useful, but given age and ability I'm inclined just to get the Bailey unit after checking that the space below the floor is clear or can be cleared.
I have written to AlKo explaining dissatisfaction and also to Coachman but am not holding my breath waiting for a sensible ( or indeed any) reply from either.
I will post again if anything useful does arrive.
In the meantime I would very much appreciate sight or copy of the installation instructions for the Baiely unit if anyone has them; I have requested from suppliers but as yet no response.

 

[RayS]

Perhaps the answer has just been announced ? Airless tyres from Michelin and another maker. Guess it will be a while before bigger sizes are available - first application seems to be from small hybrid and electric cars - but going to be interesting to follow.
Probably need different wheels too and bound to be expensive.

 

[chrisn7]

Hat off to Gafferbill for his construction. However, in these litigious days, I wonder what the consequences would be of a failure of the device and parts of it causing an accident? ALKOs original design no doubt has type approval as part of the chassis. I could well imagine an insurance company using an unauthorised mod to invalidate their policy.

 

[Gafferbill]

My spare wheel carrier requires two separate fixings to be undone before it can be removed and even then the wheel is bolted to the carrier.
One of the fixings is a lock that requires a key.

More likely that one of the type approved road wheels would detach if the wheel bolts were not kept torqued correctly