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Caravan Spare Wheel Carrier
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This is the standard Al-ko spare wheel carrier as fitted to many British caravans. The wheel is held in position on the carrier with bolts through the plate at 'B'.  The carrier slides out at 'A' on a tube within a tube principal. This system is liable to sticking with muck etc thrown up and general corrosion. It needs to be well greased at each service. As can be seen, when the LH end is lowered to the ground there is not much clearance to release the bolts holding the wheel or to remove the Tyre over them. To release the carrier, the R-clip needs to be removed and the locking 'wheel' unscrewed 'A'. The carrier end then needs to be lifted slightly and pulled out to release the locating tubes 'B' and then lowered to the ground. In all not an easy task and requiring some strength. The locating bracket for the Al-ko Side Lift Jack can be seen at 'C' This is the reality of the situation when we had a tyre blow out in France. I found I needed to lie down fully to reach and remove the carrier etc. A. The carrier is normally fitted so that the it can be pulled out on the British near-side, away from passing traffic. Of course on the Continent this is the wrong side. I have heard of people swapping the carrier over to the other side when on the Continent. This is possible as the mountings both sides on the chassis are symmetrical. B. Even with the van raised up with the Al-ko Side Lift Jack 'A' on the mounting side, it was very difficult to reach the nuts, bolting the wheel to the carrier, to release them. When trying to slide the wheel/tyre off the carrier it had to be lifted to clear the captive bolts on the carrier 'B'. In conclusion The Al-ko carrier may carry the spare wheel out of the way but it is a pain to use. In future I will, if needed, call a breakdown service to change the wheel for me. Remember, for most vans, the spare will be a Steel wheel and if you normally have Alloys you may need to torque the bolts to a different setting or on some vans need to use the alternative bolts.