rooster63 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 My van conversion didn't come with a spare wheel as the space it would have occupied is taken up by the water tank. Wondering about buying a universal wheel carrier from Vanbitz and carrying the wheel on one of the rear doors. The other door has already got a bike carrier on, (usually for 2 bikes) Bit concerned about whether the door is strong enough to take the weight of the wheel and also with a spare wheel and 2 bikes on the back of the van would be too heavy and be unstable/unsafe. Just a bit concerned that if we did have a puncture the sealant/compressor kit will leave us stranded as there may be a delay in getting a new tyre particularly if abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Hi Rooster your bike rack may provide the answer, the Rack & 2 bikes I would anticipate will weigh in excess of a spare wheel & carrier. If one door will take the weight of rack & 2 bikes, the other should cope with carrier & spare. BUT you will be adding additional weight at the rearmost point of the van, so it would be prudent to go over the weighbridge to check what spare carrying capacity you have on the rear axle before proceeding or if you will need to relocate equipment stored internally to a more forward location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Rooster63 Given your “Bacca” motorhome’s specification, I would not anticipate that the extra weight of a spare wheel/tyre carried at the vehicle’s rear would raise any stability or rear-axle-overloading issues, though (as flicka advises) it would be sensible to weigh the vehicle to confirm its normally-loaded axle loadings and overall weight. Photos of spare wheels mounted at the rear of panel vans often show the carrier attached to the door hinges and, when the carrier is fixed to the door itself, the attachment fixings are normally well spaced apart. This link (relating to a Ford Transit) may be of interest https://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/motorhome-questions-and-knowledge-base-/15661-spare-wheel-back-door.html Consequently, if you do decide to use the VanBitz universal carrier, I think you’ll need to strengthen significantly the area of the door to which the carrier is bolted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster63 Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 unfortunately my local public weigh bridge was unable to give me axle weights, only the whole van. Fully laden with fuel, water and the 2 bikes I still had 300kg of pay load left, plenty of spare for the wheel but obviously a chance the rear axle could be over loaded. Maybe have to look further afield for a weigh bridge capable of giving me axle loads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 rooster63 - 2017-01-10 9:17 AM unfortunately my local public weigh bridge was unable to give me axle weights, only the whole van. Fully laden with fuel, water and the 2 bikes I still had 300kg of pay load left, plenty of spare for the wheel but obviously a chance the rear axle could be over loaded. Maybe have to look further afield for a weigh bridge capable of giving me axle loads. Can't you just park it with only 2 wheels on the scale? But vans usually have their rear axle sited well back to allow for the sliding door - making front axle overload far more likely than rear. Usually only coachbuilts with llong overhangs that suffer from rear axle overload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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