Carrying Spare Wheel On Bike Rack

On our recent trip to France we had a flat tyre due to picking up nail somewhere. The flat was only noticed in the morning as we tried to leave an Aire! Getting the spare tyre out from underneath a Ford Transit chassis is a task an and a half. Putting it back is even worse and really requires more agility and strength than I currently have been left with! Looking at options I thought about carrying the spare on the bike rack. The Fiamma rack is good for 60kg and when asked the technician at Autosleeper said the panel that is built into the van was designed for that weight. As the spare probably weighs about 30kg it looks as if this might be a possibility. Has anyone tried this? On long trips I don't want to do without a spare.

Hi there,

We've not done it but I cannot see any reason why the bike carrier wouldn't support the weight.  

I recommend that you carry a spare that is on its last legs (to make it less desirable to steal), lash it on tightly with bungy cords and then chain it to the van with a high-quality motorbike security chain.   

Hope this helps.  

Best regards,

Thanks for the reply. I am hoping someone has tried it. I had in mind to make a spare wheel lockable bracket than can be attached to the rack - lightweight of course - and utilising the rear ladder extension as a sort of ramp as and when necessary! I'll might just have to experiment on a short trip and see.

Hi there,

My own bike rack is similar to this one:

http://www.fiammastore.com/Fiamma-Carry-Bikes-For-Motorhomes/Fiamma-Carry-Bike-L80-Laika

With a couple of suitably drilled and shaped aluminium backing-plates made from something like this .....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALUMINIUM-FLAT-BAR-10mm-x-4mm-900mm-LONG-NEW-/251304285444

.... and four "J" Bolts like this .....

http://www.satworld.ie/j-bolt-140mm.html

.... a spare wheel could be rested on the inner support and firmly anchored.

After that it would just be a matter of attaching a lock and chain.  

Best regards,

I can sympathise about the Transit spare wheel arrangement - I last removed/replaced my spare in the dry on my driveway and it was a bit of an ordeal even in those conditions!

I suspect many people don't realise how essential the special tool to access the lowering bolt is, and I'm guessing that a lot of people with mk5 Transits don't even carry it with them - this alone makes it impossible to lower the spare "at the roadside".

As Dutto says, if you do it, try to find as tatty looking a wheel as possible with just enough tread to be legal and don't put a cover over it, or it will be too tempting for those with light fingers and a bolt-cutter.