Spare wheel......do I need it?

[PHOENIXFLIER]

Just been checking the 14" steel spare wheel on the new caravan. Do I really need to cart around 20kg of wheel, plus another 5kg of securing brackets etc, when I could get an £8.00 can of Tireweld which weighs virtually nothing?. Seems a bit of a no brainer......but am I missing something?

 

[tentmonster]

I feel the same - I don't even have anything to jack the caravan up with. I'm not carting around a trolley jack.

 

[PHOENIXFLIER]

I have got a small scissor jack which will lift the caravan easily to get the wheel of to be properly repaired asap!.
Of course my idea would only work if its a nail puncture or similar......not a total carcass failure!.

 

[bopeep]

I would never travel anywhere without a full size spare wheel and the equipment to change the wheel, never had a puncture yet that a can of gunk would fix.

There are plenty of lightweight ways of lifting the vehicle to change a wheel without a trolly jack, I have a twin axle weighing 2,500 and I have a bracket and a bottle jack.

Not worth the risk.

 

[Gabsgrandad]

Phoenixflier wrote ..."but am I missing something?"
Think so how many cans would you need for this?

 

[tentmonster]

oooh- let me guess......

 

[Martin24]

Sorry but yes you do. Wouldn't go on a journey without one.

 

[saint-spoon]

I have full size for the car and caravan. Makes sense, belt and braces so to speak.

 

[JamesH]

Purely out of interest I've just had a conversation with Mayday where I explained that I do carry a spare wheel in the van but if I was to leave it out of the van to give me more `luggage` weight and I got an unrepairable puncture would Mayday assist or would they leave me stranded due to my stupidity. Their answer was that they would transport me to the nearest garage to enable me to purchase a tyre and return to the van to fit it.
I hasten to add that I have no intention of traveling without my spare.

 

[emmerson]

Gabs's picture says it all really. I've only ever had one puncture, and changed it myself, but that was many years ago, and I would never do it now, but carrying a spare means that the rescue van can get you back on the road much quicker, and saves leaving the 'van on the roadside at the mercy of all the lowlife!
The ideal, of course, would be if car and caravan used the same wheel!

 

[otherclive]

When I first had a caravan I had a non repairable puncture so having a spare was great. I have even converted my car to a full size spare as even when I am not towing we visit places where having a space saver would not be too good. It paid for itself last summer when the car picked a non repairable puncture so I fitted the full size spare and had to then find a new spare. It cost me £80 which if I hadn't had the full size spare for the car would have meant a set of four new tyres as the Subaru in order to balance tread depth across all four wheels. I would then have retained the three part words as spares in case of further no repairable punctures. Oh for the simplicity of Haldex or a 2wd system!

 

[PHOENIXFLIER]

Based on all the comments I have decided to keep the wheel but ditch the XXXX / awkward carrier. Will keep the spare either in the car or use as ballast where required.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

My van came with an underslung carrier and a full size wheel, but when the carrier was down the chassis member stopped me getting the wheel out without jacking the van up. The carrier was soon removed and the wheel carried on the floor just inside the van and is the first thing out when we set up. My previous van was an Avondale which had a dedicated well just inside the door, brilliant idea which I wish other manufacturers would follow. The other good idea that Avondale had was to have the gas locker virtually over the axle, which I believe Bailey are now doing.

 

[Hutch]

I practiced , on the drive to take the spare wheel out of the Alko carrier some time ago , got the wheel out but could not get the carrier back in. So now the wheel goes under the bed, and the carrier is removed, would never be without a spare wheel.

 

[camel]

I have a spare for the caravan and would not be without , don't rely on any rubbish you put in to the tyre, from experience I have never had a tyre inflate yet, my new vehicle came with an inflation but I went out and spent money on a real spare tyre and wheel

 

[DrZhivago]

You will probably not sense a caravan puncture as quickly as you would a car puncture, and therefore it is more likely that you will drive the punctured caravan tyre until it is beyond repair by tyre goo inflator.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

I have a spare wheel on the van and brought a full size spare wheel and tyre for the car.

If I have a puncture or total failure of a tyre, I don't want to stranded waiting for recovery .... get the wheel changed and get going then sort ut out.

There's also the problem of the rim becoming damaged if the tyre shreds ...... no spare becomes expensive for either car or van.

I can jack the van up; I fitted the Kojack brackets and keep the jack in the van which is strong enough to lift the car too If needed.