Hannibal Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I'm sure I can't be the only one with this problem! My Lunar coachbuilt van sits on a Fiat Ducato base and was supplied with a can of goo, in lieu of a spare wheel - so far so normal. Not wanting to find myself stuck up a mountain with a shredded tyre and just a can of goo, I got my own spare wheel and tyre and jack etc. So far so good - but where to put it. There's a nice round space under the chassis, which is clearly designed for a wheel carrier, but Fiat can only supply one that's accessed from the rear of the vehicle - not possible now, because there is a waste tank in the way. Plenty of room for a side access carrier though (These seem to be widely available for a caravan chassis, but apparently no good for this application). Fiat referred me to Lunar; Lunar referred me to Fiat and I've drawn a blank everywhere I've tried, so my spare wheel continues to fill half the underbed storage area. Any advice/suggestions would be very much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 You may want to look at this thread, it concerns the standard wind down fit on the newer Ducato it may be possible to retrofit one but you probably won't want the problems associated with it http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=22828&posts=70 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshague Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 just had a new fitted and its accessed from the side .the old one was from rear .ask you fiat dealer for the new one.alco chassis have there own type.if you cannot get one pm and i will get you the part number Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannibal Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Thank you for those comments. I got a completely negative response from Fiat last time I tried, but perhaps things have moved on. If there's is now a new, side-access carrier available, perhaps they've sorted some of the problems identified in that thread. Sounds pretty unlikely doesn't it! - but certainly worth another shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Hannibal - 2011-03-21 3:18 PM Thank you for those comments. I got a completely negative response from Fiat last time I tried, but perhaps things have moved on. If there's is now a new, side-access carrier available, perhaps they've sorted some of the problems identified in that thread. Sounds pretty unlikely doesn't it! - but certainly worth another shot. As I'm sure you are aware, Fiat's standard method for attaching a spare-wheel to a Ducato X250 ladder-chassis involves a 'winch-and-cable' set-up, rather than a traditional fabricated metal 'carrier' as generally found on caravans. Fiat's current system is similar in principle to the time-honoured Ford Transit arrangement. It needs emphasising that the side-access Fiat product that works OK on dshague's panel-van-based Swift Mondial may not be a practical proposition for your coachbuilt motorhome if Lunar has made no allowance for it (as seems to be the case). You might well be able to fit the Fiat winch+cable system to your motorhome, but actually operating the lowering/raising winch may be another matter altogether. I've got a side-access winch+cable set-up on my Transit-based coachbuilt Hobby - that essentially has a panel-van floor-pan - and the winch is only (just) operable via a home-made extension tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 On a coachbuild often the converter adds a fabrication to the chassis to fit the winch to, our van has this you wind it down using a brace through a hole in the floor. Not DIY solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Checked our SpareWheel Carrier today & it appears it may be a Converters model, rather than the standard Peugeot carrier. Basically it has a hinged mounting on the offside chassis member, with an (swinging) arm coming across & has a fixed drop bolt mounted on the nearside chassis member, which goes through the Arm The Arm extends beyond the N/S chassis member by 14" with a plastic grip on the end. So it will allow some leaverage when trying to lift the Spare back into place. Tried to photograph it, but not any clearer than this explaination :$ :$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 flicka - 2011-03-25 9:22 PM Checked our SpareWheel Carrier today & it appears it may be a Converters model, rather than the standard Peugeot carrier. Basically it has a hinged mounting on the offside chassis member, with an (swinging) arm coming across & has a fixed drop bolt mounted on the nearside chassis member, which goes through the Arm The Arm extends beyond the N/S chassis member by 14" with a plastic grip on the end. So it will allow some leaverage when trying to lift the Spare back into place. Tried to photograph it, but not any clearer than this explaination :$ :$ Sounds like the basic cheapest design you get on most commercials. The X2/50 carrier with the lifting cable you wind up and down is obviously an attempt to make it easier to lift the wheel up and down. Bearing in mind that floors are so low, you have to get the wheel under them and lifted up, I don't see how they could make them any easier to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Derek Uzzell - 2011-03-22 12:13 PM You might well be able to fit the Fiat winch+cable system to your motorhome, but actually operating the lowering/raising winch may be another matter altogether. With the problems I am having I make no recommendation but can say that the retail cost of this winch system complete is about £210 from Fiat and replacement time is 40 mins. How do I know that...... mine is being replaced at 3:30 today. Fortunately not at my expense and certainly not courtesy of Fiat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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