Spare wheel choice…..
- Thread starter dave_b
- Start date
What ever you decide it still has to fit in the wheel well with or without adjusting the underside wheel clamp. That or need to carry it within or without in some other way. Door mount, either the ladder type that has been fitted to some vehicles on here recently, a rear door mounted bicycle carrier popular in Europe or an attachment to a towing bracket as shown or the receiver hitch mount which would be a very useful tool with other possibilities.
Ooh, new toy! What sort?
Monsta Volkswagen Transporter T5 T6 Rear Door Spare Wheel Carrier Camper Day Van | eBay
1 x Monsta Heavy Duty 5 x 120 PCD Wheel Carrier. This heavy duty spare wheel carrier is designed to carry a Volkswagen Transporter 5 x 120 PCD wheel. FREE CARRIAGE APPLIES TO MAINLAND UK ONLY. 3 x M14x1.5 27mm head steel wheel nuts.
www.ebay.co.uk
Some more options for steel spare wheel.
Or
www.thewheelshop.co.uk
Which I could fit a 225/65/r17 Falken wildpeak to. (225 is probably the max for a 7J rim).
Both the above options would need powder coating Matt black,
1 X GENUINE 17” VW Transporter Steel Wheel 2018 - present | eBay
Genuine VW Transporter T6 steel wheel.
www.ebay.co.uk
Or
17" Full size steel spare wheel rim compatible with Volkswagen T5, T6, T7 (2003-present day)
Cheap Spare Wheels & Space Saver Wheels - Thewheelshop.co.uk 17" Full size steel spare wheel rim compatible with Volkswagen T5, T6, T7 (2003-present day)
www.thewheelshop.co.uk
Which I could fit a 225/65/r17 Falken wildpeak to. (225 is probably the max for a 7J rim).
Both the above options would need powder coating Matt black,
perhaps it could do with a gasket making up to smooth out the interface gaps. Rubber or wood or a combination. Perhaps you might reconsider the type that clips over the top of the door and bolts down below manufactured by the same guys as the ladder. The cycle rack that most have can be adapted to take a spare wheel and that does not need any bolting through the door. Yours is a tail gate??
Mine is barn door.
Im going to take it to the local guys who do VW mods and see what they suggest about fitting the bracket I have. Rubber gasket, or rubber washers to pack it out etc. I’m sure they will have some ideas.
I’m also going to call the supplier of the bracket and talk to them.
I’ve considered the hook over the top of the door type of bracket, but this puts the wheel really high and I’m not sure I’d have the strength to lift the spare wheel on and off!
The alternative is the wheeliams door hinge bracket, but that’s a lot more expensive.
Im going to take it to the local guys who do VW mods and see what they suggest about fitting the bracket I have. Rubber gasket, or rubber washers to pack it out etc. I’m sure they will have some ideas.
I’m also going to call the supplier of the bracket and talk to them.
I’ve considered the hook over the top of the door type of bracket, but this puts the wheel really high and I’m not sure I’d have the strength to lift the spare wheel on and off!
The alternative is the wheeliams door hinge bracket, but that’s a lot more expensive.
Ahhh, I must have forgotten that you have Barn Doors! I understand concerns about lifting wheels and high. It would be even worse when it is absolutely filthy as then one tends to lift away from the body in order to stay clean and therefore making the lift more risky for the lumber spine due to exaggerated leverage. Ok then, the wheeliams https://wheeliams.co.uk/collections/volkswagen-transporter-t6-t6-1-2015-2024door hinge bracket, may be expensive perhaps but in the long-term perhaps it would be a good investment especially considering back care. I had not previously looked at their site. Their solution does seem very good and it bracket takes the weight and then though its mounted hinges. That might also be better for the health of the door hinges and the door skin and bodywork.
Thank you for the site details i shall be looking through it they seem to have some engineering forethought. perhaps something for me though mine is a Caravelle so an up and over rear door.
Of course it is up to you but have a good think, perhaps you might pass on or return the bracket that you bought if you reconsider the weeliams bracket.
Old fashioned wheel hubs used to have studs and wheel mounting was far easier, just put wheel on studs and one wheel nut and it was fast and more or less problem free. It is a faff these days locating the wheel approximately into the right place then holding wheel with one hand searching for the bolt on the floor then fining the hole and suddenly realising the hole in hub and the hole in the wheel do not match up. Then the wheel slides off the hub just as you almost get it right. I agree once first bolt is in its normally strait forward from then on. Doing all of that several feet in the air is a bigger problem. especially if one forgets the wheel nut.
A solution that I have found that works brilliantly for putting wheels on vehicles even large Ex Military trucks is to use a shovel or spade. have the spade ready near the job, roll tyre onto shovel, press down on shovel handle, heavy wheel and tyre elevates easily by leverage. One can rotate a bit at a time easily to locate the bolts and line up holes ect. Do that right and one hand lifts wheel other hand steadies it then just put bolts through. If one really want to show of press down on shovel with foot and one handed bolt location.
That does not help with door mounting though. What I did ponder over the years as I anticipated old age and lifting 9.00x16 or 11.00 x16 or even heavier and far bigger on a UNIMOG was to have a small winch jib or crane on the roof to winch wheel up to the height safely and hold the one can just lazily push the wheel into place in its safe carrying place. An extension mounted on the rear of a roof rack or bar might allow that. Van wheels are very light competitively so the jib only need to be a bit of scaffolding tube with a ratchet pulley.
attached.
One of the reasons why I thought that the bicycle rack type of thing one normally sees on transporters Caravelles ect is a that it has a platform that folds out which would make th whole thing far easier. Its one thing lifting and pausing, to then locate and bolt at ones leisure but another lifting and doing all of the other things simultaneously in a coordinated fashion. All of these things are even more difficult in the middle of the night and its poring torrential rain and cars are screaming close by.
Yeah I didn't know this until id struggled to get it on there ha ha
