Spare Wheel Fitted to Bike Rack

[Barclaybasher]

This must have been done before but after fitting a new Fiamma bike rack I had nowhere to mount my spare wheel (it had been fitted to the rear wall above the bumper) and looked at mounting it on the bike rack

Basically the wheel hangs vertically from the carrier by a suitably bent 40mm x 4mm stainless flat bar - when no bike being carried.

The wheel is bolted to a section of 75mm x 50mm 3mm stainless channel, resting across the rack to hold the wheel when the rack is lowered to carry my bike.

Any bolts actually through the tubes are to locate the parts and give no support.

The wheel is bolted to the channel with M12 SS bolts with dished washers.

Coach bolts were used so that they could be removed with one spanner, bending the stainless flat bar and forming squares for the coach bolt heads was hard work.

The pics are self explanatory and the straps are 'belt and braces'

 

[Joshbb]

HI,, I like this idea in theory, how has it worked out in practice? I understand the max weight of the carrier is 60kg, how heavy is you wheel and the bike(s) combined? cheers.. Josh

 

[Barclaybasher]

HI,, I like this idea in theory, how has it worked out in practice? I understand the max weight of the carrier is 60kg, how heavy is you wheel and the bike(s) combined? cheers.. Josh

Just returned from Mallorca with the rack, spare wheel and electric bike, no problem - bike was 25kg, didn't weigh the wheel

I have always taken the view that weight limits are 'on the safe side' - more important to make sure the rack is fitted properly........

 

[Joshbb]

thanks for the update, I am guessing the wheel is around 30kg based on other spares, so with your 25kg bike you have about 5kg left which i imagine is the weight of your extra metalwork. i will use your idea as a basis for mine i think. It took me a little while to work out how you did it, the weight of wheel basically hangs off the tubular bar when in the upright, but when a bike is on and the wheel is horizontal the weight is partly carried by the hooked metal around the tube but also by the bolts that hold your crossmember steel thing to the carrier and the bolt at the bottom of your flat steel hooky thing. .. I appreciate you sharing this .

 

[Barclaybasher]

thanks for the update, I am guessing the wheel is around 30kg based on other spares, so with your 25kg bike you have about 5kg left which i imagine is the weight of your extra metalwork. i will use your idea as a basis for mine i think. It took me a little while to work out how you did it, the weight of wheel basically hangs off the tubular bar when in the upright, but when a bike is on and the wheel is horizontal the weight is partly carried by the hooked metal around the tube but also by the bolts that hold your crossmember steel thing to the carrier and the bolt at the bottom of your flat steel hooky thing. .. I appreciate you sharing this .

Don't know where you are but I have spare SS channel for the cross member FOC, collected from Derby

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[Joshbb]

thanks for the offer, I am in Ironbridge, so a little far, but if i get stuck in finding bits i will certainly take you up on that

 

[Sandancers]

Just got a spare wheel for our Transit base. Not weighed it yet, but by lifting it, I'd say it was at least 35kg.

So when driving with the bike on the wheel is horizontal at about 30+kg and the bike on top, that's a lot of loading going onto the Ali tube where it meets the pivot pins, not to mention the back wall of the MH.

 

[Joshbb]

Just got a spare wheel for our Transit base. Not weighed it yet, but by lifting it, I'd say it was at least 35kg.

So when driving with the bike on the wheel is horizontal at about 30+kg and the bike on top, that's a lot of loading going onto the Ali tube where it meets the pivot pins, not to mention the back wall of the MH.

Yes its pushing to the max the 60kg of the carrier, but it is designed to take that horizontal loading (4 bikes), but this may in-fact be more than the rear of the MH can tolerate.

For me, my VW spare comes in at a little under 30kg and the rack for my model is designed so that some of the weight is taken up by the bumper, but for many MH's it hangs completely which may require some reinforcement possibly, even if only using bikes.

 

[Sandancers]

Just put our spare wheel on the scales, it weighs in at an impressive 32kg !!

 

[stephen78]

I invested in one of these as I didn’t like the thought of a heavy wheel hanging on my rear door it’s a company called bak rak you can get all sorts of attachments for it .

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[Barclaybasher]

The 'hook' takes the weight of the wheel in the vertical, acts as a 'rest' while you connect the bolts through the wheel

The rack is fastened at the bottom where the wheel was originally fixed (a simple timber cross piece - inside)

The roof is fibreglass and the top of the rack is fitted through this with backing plates, all nuts are nyloc

The ratchet straps are 'belt and braces' but also stop movement of the wheel, taking the strain from the pivots - only needed when wheel is vertical (no bike)

 

[gus-lopez]

View attachment 189928 I invested in one of these as I didn’t like the thought of a heavy wheel hanging on my rear door it’s a company called bak rak you can get all sorts of attachments for it .

hopefully you have a lighting board ?

 

[stephen78]

hopefully you have a lighting board ?

It doesn’t obstruct my no plate as I only use it to carry my spare wheel