sparewheel on swift challanger 580

[shug]

Hi
Been a member for a while but first post!
Bought a new swift challenger 580 and spare wheel under bed,it does fit in front locker but would wall in locker hold wheel bracket.
Thanks for any advise.

 

[Jaydug]

The front wall will be a sheet of thin aluminium plus 25mm of polystyrene plus 3mm of plywood. Not very strong but probably OK to support a spare wheel, but personally I'd be more concerned about adding 15Kgs to the nose weight.

 

[chrisn7]

Swifts in the past had the spare in the front locker as a matter of course. There was an ABS plastic moulding inset into the locker floor with an indentation to hold the wheel, and a bolt through the wheel centre with plate and wingnut to retain the wheel. Simple and it worked.

If the spare does weigh 15 kgs, then nothing like 15 kgs is added to the noseweight, as the wheel is a considerable distance rearwards from the hitch.

 

[Raywood]

Unless you can restrain the spare wheel securely I would not consider putting it in thre front locker. If it is loose and you have to brake hard it could be thrown about and do damage. It will also add quite a bit to the nose weight so you would need to check that was still in order.
It is probably better left under the bed where it is safe and dry and maintains the balance the designers intended.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

If an item is moved from the rear of the van (at a distance behind the axle) to the front (at the same distance in front of the axle) then the effect on the nose is DOUBLE the items weight.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Woodlands is absolutely right.

But its the effect on the nose load which is the concern here. It has been a trend in recent years for Caravan Manufacturers to produce caravans with exworks nose loads already on the high side. This poses the problem for many caravanners to reduce the nose load. Consequently adding any weight to the front locker is undesirable.

But to put the spare wheel issue into context. 15kg seems a reasonable guesstimate of its weight, but how much will it add to the nose load? Chrisn7 is also correct that depends on the geometry of the caravan.

Its all about lever lengths and torque relative to the main axle. The front wall will be about 2.5M from the axle, and the hitch about 4M.

The torque of the spare wheel about the main axle will be 2.5 x 15kg = 37.5Kgm the effect this will have on the nose load will be 37.5/4 = 9.375kg.

Just remember this is not an accurate but It wont be too far out.

That is still a significant difference, and all such unnecessary load in the front locker will add to nose load.

 

[Buffers]

why not get a spare wheel carrier and store it under the chassis close to the axle

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

why not get a spare wheel carrier and store it under the chassis close to the axle

Because more often than not you can't get the wheel out of the carrier due to space problems when it's needed urgently. Stupid design. All manufacturers should do what Avondale did, just inside through the floor.

 

[Hutch]

I am about to remove mine from the underfloor carrier and mount it under the bed, it wil be almost exactly in the same place but 18 " higher up.
This is so its easier to change the wheel in case of a puncture.
Try removing the spare from the Alko carrier with a flat tyre on the left hand side, pain in the bum.

 

[pitpony]

I am about to remove mine from the underfloor carrier and mount it under the bed, it wil be almost exactly in the same place but 18 " higher up.
This is so its easier to change the wheel in case of a puncture.
Try removing the spare from the Alko carrier with a flat tyre on the left hand side, pain in the bum.

Ditto I'm going to do that next week and scrap the carrier, do you know by chance what the ALKO carrier weighs, I can't find it out there,

 

[Hutch]

Pitpony, just looked on Alkos website, and it's 6.8 kilos, for the wider one .
Means just a bit less weight.

 

[pitpony]

I've just been down to the caravan and removed the spare wheel and put it in the bed space, our van is stored on a level concrete area and when you look how close the spare wheel carrier is to the ground you can just imagine how some folk must have struggled to get the spare off when they have had a flat on the N/S,also every year I jacked the caravan up and put it on axle stands but on this van the motor mover makes it awkward to do so because it is on concrete I'll just move it about over the winter , reminds me of my days in the RCT moving a hangar full of Landrovers, to and fro,

 

[pdes]

I have the opposite problem! I have a Conqueror 650 T/A and can't get the nose weight up! I have experienced some instability as speed increases and need to re-balance. Currently, I am only showing around 70kg and that's after adding a second gas bottle!

Therefore, I am looking at moving the wheel from under the bed and into the locker!

I have the awning and other bits and bobs moved to the front of the van but still can't get the nose weight up. Very odd!

 

[chrisn7]

But why would you try to remove the spare when a tyre is flat? You would have to jack the van high enough to get the flat off and the inflated spare on anyway, in which case there is adequate room to slide the spare wheel carrier out...

 

[Gafferbill]

........and most caravans have ramps or blocks of wood to cope with levelling on uneven pitches.
You can pull the punctured wheel and tyre onto one of these before removing the spare wheel carrier.
Then apply both hand brakes before using the jack to change the wheel.

 

[Hutch]

Try getting the spare wheel out from the Alko wheel carrier, "Without" the wheel being flat. You dont want to be doing that with your van on a jack. . Then try and get your spare wheel back in again.

 

[Gafferbill]

I personally do not have any issues with an Alko spare wheel carrier as I do not have one
I use a lighter carrier I made myself that I can easily remove in a minute

My advice to use a ramp or block of wood was directed at users who stick with using the Alko carrier for whatever reason.
I have heard tales of ............the caravan is too low to the ground so I cannot remove the carrier.
.............the caravan is too low to the ground I cannot get the jack under.
These problems are alleviated by using a ramp as I described.

My previous post advised removing the spare wheel from the carrier before using the jack to change the wheel.

 

[DrZhivago]

But why would you try to remove the spare when a tyre is flat? You would have to jack the van high enough to get the flat off and the inflated spare on anyway,t...

Because to slide out the spare wheel carrier on mine involves quite a bit of reaching under the caravan, and I prefer not to do that when it is on a jack - especially the rather rickety one that came with the caravan as standard issue. In fact I now carry two substantial bottle jacks around with me (screw, not hydraulic), together with some heavy timber "squares" that I have found are needed in rehearsing a wheel change at home.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

As the proud owner to be of a new Swift, I've asked the dealer to supply and fit an under chassis spare wheel carrier before handover. This was a decision based on the location of the spare under the bed which, in my humble opinion, is a waste of space. The current Baileys spare is under the chassis and I've had no problems getting it off when cleaning etc. I'm also of the thought that the spare on a carrier will put weight lower down behind the axle so should help stability........ I'm sure this will be corrected if I'm wrong! :cheer:

 

[Hutch]

Keffemax, try it first at the dealears, with the caravan nose down and get the spare out. . Honestly its'tnot worth it. . Keep the wheel under the bed. .
Hutch.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

Thanks for the comment Hutch. Mrs Keith and I have spoken about the pro's and cons regarding security of the spare against space under the bed and in the end we've decided to go with the under chassis carrier, which has been ordered for fitting ahead of delivery. I'll take your advice re: trying it at the dealers though .... it's a great idea!!
:cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

 

[Hutch]

Keefanmaxx, although you might think , that its a waste of space under the bed, remember that everything you throw under the bed is going to push your weight up in the caravan. I have recently had to remove about 40 kgs of " just in case" items to get my caravan back down to max weight again.

 

[chrisn7]

Thanks for the comment Hutch. Mrs Keith and I have spoken about the pro's and cons regarding security of the spare against space under the bed and in the end we've decided to go with the under chassis carrier, which has been ordered for fitting ahead of delivery. I'll take your advice re: trying it at the dealers though .... it's a great idea!!
:cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

I agree that the spare takes up a lot of space under that bed, that doesn't necessarily have to be filled with heavy items, (or even anything at all - if you can manage that!)

There really is no need to 'reach under the van' either - the carrier is hooked into the chassis the outer edge of which is only about 30cms inboard of the caravan wall.

Make sure the dealer supplies the latest upgraded version of the carrier which has thicker tubes and nylon guide bearings

 

[Keefanmaxx]

Thanks for the comments. We are only going to keep lightweight stuff under the bed so weight shouldn't be an issue.

I'd like to think the dealer will order the correct wheel carrier .... it's going on a brand new van and they're charging us for it! :cheer: