Alko spare wheel carrier - Check your tyre!
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- čas přidán 8. 08. 2018
- After a comment on one of my previous videos about the Alko spare wheel carrier this led me to carry out an inspection of my spare wheel.
In this video I make a modification to the carrier to hopefully prevent tyre damage.
** This is only a temporary fix **
Thanks to Colin Rimmer for pointing this issue out to me.
#CaravanTips #caravanningUkCommunity
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THANKS
Martin
Hi Martin. The first thing I done when I bought my caravan was to take that alko spare wheel system off. Followed a friend when we went camping. He had a caravan. He had a puncture and the hassle two of us had was outrageous. Keep my spare just inside the door now. Lesson learnt.
Yep, not the best idea from caravan manufacturers! Bet it was a pain to get to. Will be better now with it in the van. Cheers
Good video Martin clearly highlighted how difficult the Alko carrier is to use.
Hi Colin, Thanks for highlighting the problem, you have saved me buying a new spare tyre. I think I will eventually move it to under the bed. I have also considered keeping the carrier on and using it to secure my waste master under the van, 9 times out of 10 we are on fully serviced pitches and it’s in the way. Thanks again, Martin 👍
Hi Martin,, I was going to have the spare rack fitted to save room under the seating in our Bailey 420. After watching this I don't think I will bother,, great video, keep them coming
Hi Andrew, yes it’s not the best design. It’s also easier to get to in the van and better for checking pressure. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin 🙂
A very useful video Martin. Like you I found the wheel very difficult to remove. I had to detach the carrier from the far side of the chassis. The nut retaining the wheel was seized and the wheel was in a poor state. I removed the carrier, had the wheel powder coated and now keep it in the van whilst in storage and carry it in the car boot when towing. That's 6kg of carrier and an 18.5kg wheel no longer eating in to my payload. What I didn't do was film it and share the knowledge so well done and thank you.
Hi Jeff, after reading all the comments and thinking more about it I’m going to move the wheel under the bed. The idea from this video and many of my other videos come from the comments of those that watch them, I’m just the guy whose in front of the camera and sharing what I find. Thanks for your comments & support. Martin
Wow that is an eye opener. I am going to look under the motorhome tomorrow to see if my spare is stored in a similar way. Great video, thanks for sharing 👍🏻
Hi Trev, It’s a back breaker as well getting that spare wheel off. Don’t think you would have that on your Motorhome, it will probably be a wind down wheel. Thanks for comments and continued support. Martin 👍
Thank you for this video Martin you have just saved us from making a huge mistake! We purchased a 2020 Swift Challenger 560 in January 2020.The spare wheel is housed under the bed at the rear.It takes up a lot of space and we were seriously looking to have it placed under the caravan.Thanks to you Martin we are leaving the wheel where it is.Your a star Thanks a Million!
Thank you for your kind words. Having the spare under the bed also makes it easier to check the spares pressure. Yes it takes up valuable storage but I would rather have that than trying to get the spare out from under the van.
There is a spare wheel winch system like some cars have but not sure the floor would be strong enough to secure it to it.
Hope you find a solution, thanks for comments and watching, Martin
Very interesting to see the difficulties with the alko underslung spare wheel carrier. I have decided to have it completely removed from my caravan and store the spare wheel under the fixed bed and secure it in place with a load restraint. If I am unlucky enough to experience a flat tyre requiring a wheel change, I would be happier lifting a clean wheel easily from under the bed rather than getting down in the dirt to pull it from underneath the caravan. I find using a small trolley jack the easiest method of reaching the correct jacking point on the caravan axle where there is limited height to work with due to the flat tyre. Thanks for the video - very enlightening.
Hi Stephen, I couldn’t believe how difficult it was to remove the spare wheel and have now removed it. Under the bed was the best option and like you said keeps it nice and clean, it’s also easier to check the pressure of the spare. I have a bottle jack but think I will change it for a trolley jack as they are easier to use. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin 👍
Nice video Martin highlights the nature of the Alko wheel carrier and it's shortcomings shall we say . My last caravan which I had for 17 years had one and I regularly checked it and took the wheel off to check the pressure but always thought what a bad idea the thing was especially if the nearside tyre was down but thankfully in that time didn't need to use it . Changed my van this year and was adamant to take the spare wheel off the also Alko wheel carrier . This took me nearly an hour of struggling so I intend to keep the spare in the van and eventually take the carrier off altogether as per your follow up video . I have purchased of eBay spare wheel bag to store the wheel in as I intend move the wheel under the van while away and back inside the doorway when travelling and back inside the garage when at home thanks Dave .
Hi David, yes glad I don’t have the spare under the van anymore. It’s so much easier to get at and check, I hadn’t thought about the bag for the spare wheel, will look one of those up. Luckily we’ve not had to use the spare yet but still wouldn’t like to change it on a motorway, think that will be a job for Mayday!
Thanks for the comments and feedback, take care, Martin
An excellent video, very informative and useful. I will be taking a look at our spare wheel now. Many thanks for bring this problem to my attention.
Hi Steve, I can’t take credit for this one, it was highlighted to me by Colin Rimmer, I’m just the guy in front of the camera. Thanks for watching 👍
Great film demonstrated the issues around wheel changing, 16 years with a breakdown company and this is one of the biggest problems , often through no fault of their own people find themselves in a real danger , quiet often the caravan needed recovery because the spare was stuck rusted on through brackets , such a simple job can escalate! We recovered one on the M25 at 1am in the morning after shutting 2 inside lanes , and you really don’t want your pride and joy on the back of a recovery truck , well done for making people aware of this
Thanks Gavin, it highlighted to me how difficult it is to get the spare wheel off! Will eventually be moving it under the bed. Cheers Martin 👍
What an excellent video Martin, something I hadn't given a thought to, as I've not yet needed to use my Coachman's spare wheel, (always checked by the dealer at service though I'm told). I could not manage this on my own so would have to call the RAC to change it. I'm off outside to check mine now. Many thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Hi, Thanks for watching and the feedback. I wouldn’t have know about it until Colin put a comment about it on one of my previous videos, just wanted to highlight the issue foe others. Thanks again, Martin 👍
Fab video Martin, I checked my spare fitted under the alko carriage I don't have the space to fit it internally so will adapt the carrier. Thanks for your assistance..👍
Hi Howard, That's the problem with some vans, there isn't the room inside for it. Hope you manage to come up with a solution. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin
Thanks Martin, another informative video. I am going to check my spare as a consequence of your video and I think I will be moving it under the bed.
Hi David, yes ours is under the bed now, easier to get at and check the pressure for maintenance. Cheers, Martin
Great advice as usual. Will be checking mine tomorrow
Cheers mate, I will be moving mine to under the bed...after my holiday of course. Hope you are having fun in Cornwall 👍
Have had a Bloody nightmare trying to release our spare wheel today at our storage, thank God it wasn’t on the motorway 🤬🤬🤬 thanks for your video 👍 really helpful 👍
Yes it’s a difficult job in controlled conditions, wouldn’t want to do it at the side of a motorway! Thanks for watching 🙂
Thanks for the great advice, I shall check ours tomorrow. And I agree with everything you say about it being a pig to get off and on. We used to have the old BPW carrier and that was great, but know we have a Knaus starclass with a BPW chassis but the the carrier like yours.
Many thanks
Regards Mike.
Not the best place for the spare in my opinion. Glad I moved ours under the bed, so much easier to access. Hope your tyre is ok.
Hi Martin.
Always amazes me that the manufacturers spend millions on fancy interior and gadget designs and yet this underslung wheel carrier is a shocking design . Alko are known for excellent ideas alas this wasn't one of them.
I have just bought a brand new Lunar with this wheel carrier, so my first job at the weekend is to check the tyre and then stow it under the bed.
Excellent video.
Hi Richard, thanks for watching and feedback. It’s a bad design, Alko do recommend checking the spare every few months but so many people have had the same problem I don’t understand why they haven’t addressed it. I will be doing an update on it soon. Thanks Martin 👍
Hi Martin.
Took the caravan home to clean and check the spare wheel. You were right. There were 4 indentations where the wheel was sat on the carrier. Struggled to get the clamp off.
The tyre now is stored under the bed. 👍
Glad you found it before it gets worse. I’m doing the same soon, video to come 👍 cheers Martin
That seems like a real pain in the backside, wouldn't fancy doing that in the pouring rain, great fix, our Swift Vogue has the spare under the bed with access from the outside.
Hi, yes it’s not easy! I think I would be calling Mayday out! Thanks for watching 👍
We had an Alko carrier on our Lunars. Ours had to be cut off when we needed to use it. This was despite being serviced by a dealer. Advise if you use one of these is to check it regularly. Avondales space under the floor was the best solution :-)
I think that’s why some manufacturers have changed to putting it in the van or a wind done mechanism. The Alko carrier is a poor design! 👍
Very good information indeed, will need to check my spare now. Been there from new oct 2019. Hope its ok. Many thanks
Yes I was quite shocked when I took the spare off. It’s now kept under the bed which is far easier to access. Thanks for watching.
Hi Martin I just changed my van wheel watching you struggle with that spare wheel I thought thank god I was doing right . What a crap design it is .if they had made it come out the back an clear the van could be easier love your vids subscribed all the best👍
Hi Phil, Not the best design for ease of use. Ours is now under themed and much easier to get to. Thanks for the feedback and subscribing, Martin
Good video Martin thanks. I recently bought a 2011 Bailey Seville and don't think the spare has ever been touched. Had trouble even getting the plastic screw off to start with then found the sliding rods where rusted and totally seized so had to take off at offside and drag whole thing complete with tyre out. Then had to heat with a blowtorch to eventually get them moving ! Like you say not the best design 🤔
That sounds like a nightmare job, at least you’ve done it know and not when you’re stuck at the side of the road with a puncture!
Thanks for watching
Hi Martin,
I use your older video's for reference still. On our old van I carried out a similar modification to the carrier. I'm in the process of checking our spare wheel ready for the next trip. Hopefully the tyre won't be damaged on this carrier as I haven't checked it yet. All the best and keep up the great video's.Best wishes Glenn.
Hi Glenn,
Thanks for the support. Hope the tyre is ok, it's a really poor design!
Cheers, Martin
Hi Martin,
The tyre was due to be changed due to the age anyway..but the carrier had made the tyre unusable..such a poor design from a company like Alko 😕🤦
Keep up the great work.
Kind regards Glenn.
If u have a puncture the van will be even lower! Great video
Yes not the best design, I have now taken the spare off and put it under the bed. Thanks for watching 😊
Excellent video Martin, highlighting a really poor design that wouldn't be realised until too late. I think under the bed is the best solution. Have a great holiday ;))
Cheers Stew, yes under the bed might be the way to go. Thanks for comments and support. Martin 👍
Hi Martin, we had a Swift that had the same spare arrangement, like you getting the holder and tyre out just to check, was not a job I would like to do again, not too sure how you got on lining up the holder frames to get the arrangement back in place, but I found the slipping proceedure back in place oh so difficult, I would wish that job on anyone😡😡 Pleased to say our replacement Bailey Persuit has the spare under one of the single fixed bed, much more confident now. Good video will make your followers think of the proceedures if the have the same set up, hope you had a couple of 🍺🍺 after that😂
Hi Pat & David, it’s a difficult job, one I wouldn’t want to do on a hard shoulder. Like you said putting it back was also hard work. I will probably move it under our bed. Thanks for your continued support & comments. Martin 👍
Great film Martin, imagine trying to do that on the hard shoulder of the motorway in the rain with the van jacked up!!
Does Alko give any guidance about looking after the spare tyre?
Love these vids, much more informative that lots of other caravanning vlogs about lately.!
Hi Lee, thanks for the comments and feedback. This is what is on the Alko fitting instructions-
Only tighten the tapered clamp and the tapered nut to the point where the spare wheel sits securely on the spare wheel holder. Excessive tightening can lead to damage to the wheel (pressure points).
I think the weight of the wheel itself on the frame is enough to cause indentations on the tyre, that’s without tightening the nuts!
cheers Martin 👍
That is quiet a poor design. Good solution Martin. Glad mines under the bed. Thanks for sharing. Phil👍
Designed on a Friday afternoon!! 👍
We had the issue that you mentioned a Nearside blowout. The soloution I came up with on a French motorway was to pull the van onto the a leveling ramp. The tyre was already nackered anyway so it just lifted the van enough to get the spare out and get the jack under the van.
Hi Paul, that was a good idea. I suppose you could use a levelling ramp, got me thinking now! Thanks for watching. Martin 👍
The Caravan Nut I didn't have much choice. Bottle jack was too tall and I was on the traffic side of the van. I needed to do something quick so grabbed the leveling ramp and ran the van up it so I could jack it up enough to put on the spare.
If you have a Nearside flat you can't get the allowed spare wheel carrier out anyway you have to lift the van somehow.
I think that’s the only way to lift the N/S with a flat. 👍
@@TheCaravanNut Hi, has anyone thought about using a air jack,, you could raise the caravan and get the spare wheel out and change the wheel.
Excellent video & valuable information Martin, but I'm struggling to understand why you wouldn't jack the can up to get the wheel out.....
If you did have to change a wheel then you would jack it up and I suppose you could jack it up to check the spare. There is enough clearance to move the carrier side ways when dropped. It’s now under our bed which is easier. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin
Great video, I have never had a puncture but I will certainly go and check mine. Just a thought could you put 2 pieces of ply underneath the wheel and tighten down on it to spread the load. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Phil
P.s. keep the videos coming very imformative.
Hi Phil, I did think about potting ply on under the wheel, however as daft as it may sound I was thinking about weight. I know ply doesn’t weigh much but it all mounts up. Steven Young put an interesting comment on about putting the spare wheel under the bed and removing the carrier saving 6kg! I think that’s the option I will change to. Thanks for watching and comments, cheers Martin 👍
Wow, been caravaning for 20 years and never thought about this problem. Will definitely be checking my spare tyre very soon and maybe make the same modification you have done. One question, should it, or is it, part of the service checks ? If not maybe through the power of your type of channels we should get the NCC to get it included. Anyway, great video and one I am sure will provoke many other caravaners to check their spare wheel.
Hi Jan, Thanks for the comments and feedback. When I have had my van serviced in the past the spare wheel tyre pressure has been checked, if it’s been taken off the carrier is debatable. Nearer vans now have their spare either under the bed, stored in a locker or some have the wind down mechanism like in cars. The whole idea of me setting up this channel was to share my experiences, I am no expert but if it helps others in the caravanning community then I’m happy 👍 Martin
When you removed the spare the road wheel was inflated. Ground clearance on a flat would be lower so would have to jack the van up first Good idea to use packing and really alko shokd offer a custom upgrade foc.
Yes I did mention that it would be even lower if you had a flat tyre. It's now under our bed!
I have had this problem before (only when checking the tyre, fortunately) and the best way is to release both ends of the carrier so the whole carrier will drop down and can be removed, from either end. This will require the removal of a four split pins and plastic inserts which I left off when refitting - it was quite easy to slide the rails back in on the opposite side and refit the split-pins. In the event of future removal, I will only need to remove the outer split pins to more eaeily remove the whole carrier and spare wheel.
That’s a good idea, however I still think I’m going to go for the under bed option. Thanks for comments & watching 👍
Good idea David, I'm going to try this too. Don't really want to bring the spare wheel inside the van as we use the space under the bed for storing other things!
Great solution to a common but seemingly unknown problem! Couple of questions if I may: Can you get longer bolts to mount the spare wheel on the carrier? I noticed that with the packing in place, the nuts weren't threaded down far enough on the bolts to grip the nylon inserts, which looks like it could come undone. Also, now the wheel is not supported by the bars, does it rattle about at all in transit? Can't believe Al-Ko haven't found a better way of managing this, maybe a molded plastic tray to protect the tyre from the bars? Thanks for the video, really helpful! :)
Hi David, The wheel didn’t move around once lifted a little, however I wasn’t happy with it and have since removed the wheel. I’ve put it under the bed and removed the carrier to save weight. A much better solution. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin 😊
I thought the same as you. I would cut out a piece of mdf the same size as the wheel.Drill appropriate holes refit by placing the mdf on the bars and tyre on mdf . I have never tried this. It might work? So happy I seen this video before I removed spare from under the bed to re-house under the caravan.
If you have to remove your spare wheel from the caravan on the hard shoulder, you've also got the curb and the grass verge in the way, so you have to jack the caravan even higher to get the carrier out. Thankfully, in 20 years of caravanning, I've never had a flat tyre. I used to be a truck mechanic, and the hard shoulder is not a nice place to be.
Hi Chris, I’m hoping to not have to use it! Yes the kerb on the hard shoulder could be a problem, we traveled down the M6 yesterday and with all the road works going on you would be hard pressed to get to the hard shoulder. I make regular checks on the condition on the tyres and will be moving the spare under the bed, so hopefully all will be ok. Thanks for comments and watching 👍 Martin
Hi, great video highlighting the problems with the spare wheel carrier. I'll now check my spare tyre to see if it has been damaged. On your opening credits you appear to be repairing the fridge vent cover. Can you direct me to this video please? Thanks.
Hi, thanks for the feedback, the clip with the fridge vent it titled Water pump help & fridge vent repair. Can’t link it as on my phone. Hope it helps. Martin 👍
Thanks Martin, much appreciated.
Good work Martin, and although I have same system on my van I’ve often thought how it would come out should the situation arise. You’ve managed to answer many questions.
Could I ask, once the wheel ( e.g. the flat tyre all misshapen and manky, ) has been secured back in the frame, how does one get the end of the frame back in place on the chassis? , does it just slide in or does it require lifting, which would seem an even more difficult task.
Also, with your modification, as the wheel is no longer resting on the frame for support, do you think it’s liable to work lose / move in transit?
Great video and top presentation, many thanks for the time you spend producing these informative guides .
Regards
Howard
Hi Howard, the carrier is pushed back under the van sliding on the frame and then lifted on to the chassis, again quite heavy. I wondered about the movement of the wheel while in transit, the securing nuts are locknuts, I have been back up today to check and it’s solidly in place, however I will be checking it frequently. Thanks for comments & watching. Martin
@@TheCaravanNut just watched this blog. One thing I noticed when you replaced the wheel and securing arrangements the nyloc nuts didn't seem to have enough thread protruding, there should be at least half a thread or more protruding from the blue nyloc.
Other than that Martin great vlog, looking forward to the next one, keep up the great work.
Paul
Hi, just watched this. I’m new to caravanning so had very little idea even what that frame under the caravan was until I saw the spare wheel in it. Having watched this and read the comments I think I’ll remove the frame entirely and keep the wheel under one of the beds. Have you used anything to stop it sliding about, or is that not a problem? Excellent video, so I’ve subscribed to your channel. Keep up the good work!
Hi, I was quite shocked on what I found when taking the wheel off. I have not secured the spare wheel under the bed yet, however it hasn’t moved yet due to other things being around it. Thanks for comments, watching and support. Cheers Martin 👍
Hi Martin hope u enjoying Devon holiday good point about spare wheel never cross my mind about spare wheel just thought it was just the same as a car just store underneath the same as a car can't believe the damage it dose to the tyre I can't put it in caravan as mine not a fix bed bugger I'll have to try and do what u did put some sort of spacers over bolt to lift the wheel up off the frame other than that on the old vauxhall zafira use to keep spare wheel under the back on a cradle but u put the wheel on what looked like a wheel hub cap but this one was the size of the whole wheel and u would rest the wheel in then slide it on cradle then lift the frame up to bolt it in place so wondered if u could use something like that where the wheel is on a plastic tray resting on the frame and not on tyre just a thought .kev
Hi Kev, hope you are keeping well. There’s been a lot of discussion on this one with some food for thought. I am going to be moving it under the bed then taking the carrier off to get rid of the carrier weight. It can stay there for this trip and will move later. Thanks for your continued comments and support. Martin
Hi Martin if u can when u take carrier off can u do a video of it and weigh it c how much weight u taking off van would b interesting to know all the best .kev
Hi Kev, good idea. Will do. Cheers 👍
I had a flat on my caravan it not easy changing tyres but I used a trolley jack which went under no problem but people don’t carry trolley jack with them
Yes not the best of design and not easy to get out. I tried lifting my van with a small supposedly 2t trolley jack, wouldn’t lift it! Our spare is now under the bed. Thanks for comments and watching.
i have a question ,, if you couldn't get the wheel out in the first place how did you get it back in once it was higher ?
I pushed the carrier back under the van and then put the wheel under further back and moved it sideways on to the carrier. Very difficult whilst being under the van! Hope that answers your questions? Cheers Martin 👍
Hi Martin I wanted to ask a question hope it’s ok to contact via remarks. My caravan will be 10 yrs old next year having had it from new. Condition is excellent apart from the front panel which has faded and no longer responds to polishing. I was thinking of having it “wrapped” with a suitable vinyl to restore it good looks. Has anybody had this done?
Hi Colin, I’m not aware of anyone having this done. I would try asking on Twitter if you are on there. I don’t see any problem with doing it though, maybe check with a caravan workshop to get their view. Let me know if you can’t find any answers and I will ask around. Cheers Martin
I have just purchased a "new to me" caravan and it has one of the Alko spare wheel frames. However, the previous owner has stored the spare wheel under the bed. I wonder if this is the reason why.
Could possibly be, it's not the best design and trying to get the spare out at the side of a busy motorway would not be fun. Thanks for watching
Probably is. It does not take up much room and is more easily accessible.
I've tried it with the caravan in storage yard and what a pain with nose down and not having a flat tyre so now the spare stays under the bed.
I think that’s the way forward. When I rearrange under our bed I will probably do the same. Thanks for watching 👍
How do you get that carrier out when you've got a flat tyre and its sitting on a rim? That chassis rail is going to be at least 3" or 4" lower to the ground!
With great difficulty, you can move it sideways towards the rear of the van where the chassis is not a deep, however it’s not ideal. Our spare is now under the bed. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin
@@TheCaravanNut We've just ordered a twin axle with this spare wheel carrier, I need to see if there is room under the bed (they've stuck an onboard water tank under there!) 'cos I don't like the thought of this at all. Thanks for the channel, Simon.
Hopefully there will be enough room, depends on the size of the tank! hope you get it sorted.
How about place a half inch piece of plywood across the bars, then the wheel on top of that? All the best!
That was an option I thought about but the whole process of getting the wheel out was also very difficult. The wheel is know under the bed and I have removed the carrier which has saved some weight. Thanks, Martin
Mmm... I found the spare in the ALKO Carrier really difficult to check for pressure, and when I did there was less that 5psi in it so probably no-one has ever checked it, and the wheel is very rusty. Hadn't really considered the potential damage as we've only had the van a couple of months and it's a 2008 and we've been dealing with a lot of other service items... like discovering twin 15kg Butane Cylinders in the gas locker (35kg each when full), and have discovered this to be the cause of excessive nose weight (swapped them out for 6kg Propane Cylinders at 10.5kg each), probably the cause of a broken gas strut for the gas locker as well, having had to remove these behemoths, and likely the reason why the Jockey Wheel needs a replacement too (I don't think it's ever been serviced or gone anywhere significant).
Also thinking I'm going to end up removing this ALKO Wheel Carrier, possibly have to change the tyre, and either buy a new wheel or have the existing wheel repainted. Definitely going under the bed.
There's hope for the spare tyre, as it still has the new tyre sprules around the tyre, but then again, it could be 15 years old, and bulging!
In any event, the manually engaged motor mover is mounted in front of the twin axles directly under the side door, and one of the motors and the remote control is missing, so... that's also coming off, and with the ALKO Carrier removed we can have a new automatic motor mover fitted there, and have a retractable step fitted under the side door (which the present motor mover location prevents).
So...more expense, but actually watching this video, despite being 5 years old, helps making this caravan work for us rather than against us.
Cheers.
The spare wheel location under the van is not ideal. Difficult to get out and maintain, under the bed is the best option for us.
There’s always something to do with a caravan to keep you busy!
Happy caravanning, thanks for comments and watching.
@@TheCaravanNut Well we finally got underneath the caravan to extract the ALKO Carrier and spare wheel, the carrier had never been serviced and it had to be completely removed as one piece, involving cotter pins removed, all rusted up. Discovered the tyre is completely unused, but damaged by the Carrier Mount in the usual four places, with a date stamp of 0907, so September 2007... and the wheel, whilst serviceable, is heavily rusted, so the Carrier will be taken to the tip, and the Wheel & Tyre disposed by a Tyre Fitter.
Can't really get underneath properly to remove the Motor Mover, which is also in a similarly rusted condition, and damaged, with a Motor missing, so I'm going to fit a Twin Axle Ko-Jack Kit tomorrow (no jacking point fitted to this van), to enable the removal of the old Motor Mover, which again will go to the tip.
Definitely keeping me busy.
You generally jack the vehicle up before changing a wheel!
I'd travel with the wheel inside then when parking on site padlock the wheel to the chassis for security.
Hi, I have now taken the wheel off the carrier and it is stored under the bed. Alko update video I uploaded later documents this. Thanks for comments and watching 👍
I had to change my tyres, including the spare and had same problem, I got pipe insulation 24mm pipe size, and put 4 cuts of it to raise the tyre, but could only fit the centre nut back. Shouldn't go anywhere.
I’ve now taken the wheel off and put it under the bed, much easier to get too and can also check it. Took the carrier off as well to save weight.
I had a caravan with the spare wheel under the bed. I Must say, the tyre stank awfully and in the summer it was really unbearable. So I wrapped rhe wheel in a plastic dustbag, but it really made no difference. Now in my new secondhand caravan it is under the caravan. To remove it is quite a dirty job, especially in the rain!
Not noticed any odour from ours. Having it under the bed is far easier to get to if needed. Cheers
Those carriers are absolutely useless. I found it easier also to release the carrier on the O/S and pull the whole lot out. Having done that, fling it over the hedge and put the spare wheel inside while travelling. If the N/S punctures, you will need to jack before you get the wheel out, for which you would need to work under the van while on the jack on possibly dodgy roadside ground - not a good idea. Getting those holding bolts undone would be asking to get your arms chopped off. The second bolt is not necessary anyway.
On top of that, I found it impossible to slide the carrier back in with the weight of the spare on it, no matter how much I greased it, because of the way it bent slightly; unless I put an intermediate support under it. I found out all these problems rehearsing a change on my driveway - hate to think of doing it by a road.
It’s a very poor design which is not practical at all. I have now put the spare wheel under the bed and removed the carrier completely to save weight. Manufacturers have now started to put the spare in the van on a lot of vans, hopefully they have realised that the Alko carrier is useless! Thanks for comments and watching 😊
I have just brough my first caravan and it has one of these carriers ,so i thorugh i would have a look at the spair . I had to jack the van up to get it to slide out it did come right out, but jammed so lots of wd40 and a hammer to get it back. It was very heavy to lift up i had to sit on the ground. If i was at the side of the road in the rain or in a wet field i would have gotten soaked .
All in all a very bad design
Hi Paul, very poor design. Like you said very difficult to remove the spare wheel and could be dangerous on a busy road. Ours is now under the bed! Thanks for comments and watching, enjoy your new caravan 👍
I had one on the Van Royce was terrible to release the tyre so did away with it altogether
Hi Mike, this is just a temporary fix, I think I will probably move the wheel under the bed eventually. It’s a bad design! cheers Martin 👍
I removed our carrier its a pain, plus if you have a flat on that side you can,t remove you wheel, Best Opposition is to carry the wheel in your caravan in a wheel cover or car, no crawling under your van at the road side!
Hi Richard, yes they are a bad design and not easier to work with. I have now taken the spare off and put it under the bed, I have also removed the carrier to save on weight. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin
Nice one Martin. It was the same on mine, I removed the whole contraption and put my wheel under the bed.
www.caravanforum.co.uk/index.php?/topic/28504-removed-my-alko-spare-wheel-carrier/
Yes that’s what I’m going to do, seems the best option. Thanks for watching 👍
No problem, thanks for making useful and interesting vids!
Our first caravan had the spare inside the front locker. This system is total rubbish. It's hear impossible get the spare off with ease and good luck if you haven't greased the bolt for a while, you'll never get it off. Also the spare wheel becomes a ball of rust in time. Best taking it off and put it under the bed.
Best place for it under the bed, easy to access and maintain.
Thanks for watching
That looks like a real ball-ache! And that’s when you’re not stressed with a puncture and traffic! Awful damage to tyre!
Yes doing it on a live motorway would be quite scary! Thanks for watching 👍
Mine as been removed due to all wheel drive mover a saving of 6kg spare under bed
Hi Steven, now there’s a thought, loosing the weight of the carrier. I like that idea, cheers Martin 👍
Think id still store it under the bed to be honest.
After reading comments and thinking more about it that’s what I’m going to do. The thought of possibly trying to get the spare out from under the van has made my mind up. 👍
If you had a puncture you would have to jack the caravan up anyway to remove the old tyre and install the new one , the bulges are more worrying it's a poor design
Yes not the best thought out idea!
I hope I never have to change a caravan tyre.... 😳
Yes not the easiest spare to get out!
removed all the sliding gear from underneath and put the spare under the bed ,, its a really craptacular design,,,, also fitted the kojack system of jack plus now using the tyre pal
Hi Steve, sounds like you’ve been busy! Will be far easier now and you will feel safer with the tyre pal, great bit of kit. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin 😊
Danger warning! By raising the wheel, the nylon locking nuts are not doing their job, as the nylon doesn't come over the studs.. see video at 9.16
The Wheel has been removed now and is stored under the bed. Much easier to get to. Thanks for comments and watching 😊
Good idea! Just watching that now, thinking I'm having to do the same, as my back will not allow me to get the wheel out from under the van. Trouble is I only have a 2 berth van, is it possible to get rid of the spare wheel altogether, and get a inflation kit? Best regards Stu
Don’t think you can use inflation kit with caravan tyres, would it not fit in your front locker? But don’t want to increase nose weight too much.
I'm going to have a look into where it might fit, maybe just carry it loose and store it under the van on site, noway could I change it over away from home & help. Seems caravan designers/makers think all owners will be built like brick S/houses and as supple as gymnasts. Poor design period, access from the top through the floor, would have been better.
The new system is lowering the spare wheel down from underneath the van on a cradle, still have to get under the van though. You could put it in the boot and then under van when on site.
There are a nightmare I took mine off and won't be putting it back on . H&S grounds they should not be sold
Ours is now under the bed, bad design in my view. Thanks for watching
Alko and ALL caravan manufacturers that fit this should hang their heads in shame. It is an absolute design FAIL. I took the wheel out and keep it under the bed ( virtually the same place as far as weight distribution ) I also reduced caravan weight by removing the carrier.
We ended up doing the exact same thing, very poor design which hasn’t had much thought in a practical sense.
Al-ko should be ashamed of themselves. There has been no thought, engineering or proper design gone into this! They have used the same spare wheel bracket for years. There was one just like it on our first caravan 22 years ago, and that caravan was at least 10 years old when we bought it!
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Think it was designed by the guy in the factory that hates caravans and his job!
Ive taken mine off and put the spare wheel under the bed, simply because of those two issues. Another bad design by caravan manufacturers. Who are these people who design these things. They are clearly not caravaners !!!!