There seems to be quite a debate going on about the practicality of spare wheel carriers and in particular the Alko one.
My caravan has the BPW chassis and the spare wheel carrier for this is a rather crude welded steel cradle affair. The theory is that this just drops down and you slide the spare off it. In order to do this though the caravan has to be jacked up first, that's assuming of course that you can get the jack under the jacking point with the road wheel deflated, in the first place.
The next conundrum is how to get the wheel out of the carrier with the jack holding the caravan up. You can't 'cos the jack is fouling the spare wheel.
For me, there is one simple answer. Don't use your spare wheel carrier be it Alko or BPW. Carry your caravan spare in the boot of the car or in the caravan where it far more accessible in the event of a puncture.
Why can't caravan manufacturers come up with the same system for caravans as for 4 wheel drives and supply a strengthened mounting point at the rear of the caravan?
Some might argue that this would upset the weight distribution of the caravan. However I have two gas bottles in the front locker plus a heavy leisure battery in a specially designated locker just behind the nearside front corner, so something like the spare at the rear of the caravan would certainly help to balance things up.
Hi Vic, They could design the carrier to slide out like a tray from the rear of van, and re route any waste pipes out of the way of carrier,would make thing a lot more simple when changing a wheel.
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This does seem to be causing a lot of debate at the moment. The little Eriba caravans used to have a carrier that fitted under the rear of the van, rather like some cars do. I decided to remove mine from the AlKo carrier and have put the spare wheel under the fixed bed as I don't fancy trying to roll around on the ground beside a busy main road. Avondale used to have the best idea with a spare wheel holder with access from inside the van although I think even they stopped that eventually.
Hi, Mate's got the Avondale, and his spare wheel is inside the van, just as you come in the door,lift up the panel to gain access, quite good idea and made it easy to blow up tyre. lets face it I would not like to lay on ground to check my under slung wheel in the rain.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
I went down to my van last weekend to wash it and thought I would check the spare tyre pressure. Trying to take the weight and manouvre the carrier into place whilst kneeling down caused a lot of swearing. I ended up just trying to replace the carrier without checking the tyre pressure. I thought at the time that doing the same on the side of a motorway wouldn't be the most pleasurable experience!!
Last time I needed to get check the pressure on mine I ended up sliding underneath it as there is insufficient clearance on our drive!
You also need to put it on a ramp or jack to slide it out -goodness know swaht it is like with a flat!
We had a Swift years ago which had the wheel in the front box, Avondale had them inside under the floor-great idea but of course more expensive to manufacture!
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Oh and abroad you have to slide it out into the passing traffic!!
If mine goes in the front locker where it should be my noseweight is too high, so it goes either in the boot if there's room or over the axle, this is handy because if the van feels twitchy I stop and move it forward/back slightly until things feel stable, the only pain is lifting it in/out/
I carry mine inside the car behind the passenger seat. It took me about 2 hours to remove the wheel from the Alko carrier and that was inside a covered barn with a concrete floor and NO puncture, or traffic. Never again.
We leave it in the van when not away - on site it goes in the awning or stays in the car. Keeping it up to pressure is so easy.
Hi, That Reminds me,cant remember when i changed the tyres 18 month ago,if the spare had tyron band,as didnt notice when tyre fitter was replacing it,(think it will have) will be cheching the press. and condition this week.mine is the Alko carrier and it slides out from side of van,behind the rear wheel, and the mud flap gets in the way.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
Keep meaning to get our spare out from under the van (alko carrier). Last time we tried to check the pressure, it took two of us about an hour to get the stupid thing out! If we can manage nose weights, then it will live in the front locker, otherwise it will have to be lifted in and out of te van. I also intend to remove the carrier completely and save a couple of kgs (unlikely to be much I admit - but anything to offset slightly the weight of the new mover will be welcome).
I've tried unsuccesfully in the past to find usable alternatives to the alko carrier on line... maybe there's a real gap in the market.............
Well just a couple of weeks ago I had the first puncture for goodness knows how many years. I was starting to pack the caravan for a trip when I noticed that the rear nearside tyre was flat.
After spending some time trying to undo the large knob to allow the carrier to slide out, and failing, I phoned Mayday/Green Flag. The guy got the carrier out within a few minutes, but then took an hour to get the spare off the carrier. Both bolts were rusted/seized solid, one eventually broke and the the other required copious amounts of battering with a hammer and cold chisel before it loosened. It then took about 10 minutes to actually change the wheel.
The bottom line is that I would never have managed it myself! My 2 previous caravans, Elddis Crusaders, had the spare at the back of the front locker.
This item/system has to be one of the worst designs I've come across in a long time. In my case the caravan was parked at the side of the house, but a nearside puncture out on the road would be a real nightmare. And suffering a puncture while abroad, on either side, doesn't bear thinking about!
I agree, not the best design, but to be fair they do say it should be regularly checked and greased to ensure smooth movement when required.
I had the wheel underslung on my last van but have now switched to storing in a bag and carrying inside over axels, then placing under van when on site. Anyone had a problem with this?
Keep meaning to get our spare out from under the van (alko carrier). Last time we tried to check the pressure, it took two of us about an hour to get the stupid thing out! If we can manage nose weights, then it will live in the front locker, otherwise it will have to be lifted in and out of te van. I also intend to remove the carrier completely and save a couple of kgs (unlikely to be much I admit - but anything to offset slightly the weight of the new mover will be welcome).
I've tried unsuccesfully in the past to find usable alternatives to the alko carrier on line... maybe there's a real gap in the market.............
Hi, weighed the carrier 2 years ago when found van over weight and only have max load of 900kilos, so weighed every thing exept, water heater,toilet cassette,gas fire, furniture,hob,(hand book for their weights), Spare wheel and carrier 20kilos, think carrier was around 3kilos, enough for case of beer.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
I would never have a carrier again after being stuck on the M62 at1.30am,had to take the whole thing to bits to get it off in the dark on the hard shoulder.
Just glad our Avondale has a sensible place to put the spare,much easier to check and to get at in its own well in the floor.
So are we all agreed that the Alko carrier should be scrapped? Furthermore anyone who has one should try to access the spare wheel at home - not wait for a puncture.
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Topic: Spare Wheel Carriers.
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