Spare on front or not

[71Westy]

So I'm fed up of lugging the spare in and out of the back and on the roof when loaded up for camping. And I don't much like having a heavy spare loose in teh back.

So I have two options. Get the rear cushion redone in two sections and put the spare in its proper place. Then hoik it out when I want to lower the bed (the bed doesn't lower with it in place) and use the fill-in part of the cushion.

Or, to save hassle once and for all, stick the spare on the front panel. Now you don't see many earlies with the spare on the front. I don't much like the look of it, but I can't argue with the practicality.

What does the team think?

Oh, and is it easy to mount?

Nick

 

[beef]

Nooooooooooooooooo!

 

[gman4175]

WHS^^^^^^

my crossover came with the wheel on the front & i thought it looked naff, so took it off & put a big shiny badge there instead. i solved my dilemma by buying a full length rack & chucking it up there. i realise you can't chuck a full length rack on a westy, but think you'll be kicking yourself if you bang it on the front.

 

[Tofufi]

On the front tends to increase the risk of damaging the front panel, even in a small bump.

The front panels were never designed to support 20kg of wheel and tyre.

 

[KevH]

Definitely not on the front; it not only spoils the look of the bus (IMO) but is likely to deform the panel.

A simple roof rack will hold the spare nicely above the cab, making it accessible but out of the way, as shown in my pic in my signature strip below. It clears a Devon roofcap easily too.

 

[creationblue]

Just ditch the spare 8)

 

[mattyd72]

If my bus was more shiitty i would stick my spare on the nose but as it is now i wouldnt be able to bring myself to stick a drill through it.
It does look good though...
No silly cover though, just a dirty steel...


Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[busdiver]

ditch it,,,,tyreweld

when was the last time you had a puncture and or a puncture that was more than a nail

 

[KevH]

ditch it,,,,tyreweld

when was the last time you had a puncture and or a puncture that was more than a nail

Can't argue with that, but check your breakdown cover first.

 

[Trikky2]

Its your bus and you should do what best suits your needs rather than worry about other peoples opinions on asthetics IMO.

Yes if you bash the spare wheel into something it can cause a crease in the front panel. On the other hand, when these buses are lowered, which many are, the front panel is damaged anyway, because the front bumper is too low and will ride under the bumper of the car in front.

This also applies to the overriders, which sit far too close to the body to be of any real help.

There are spare wheel brackets, such as those supplied by Ian Goulding, that used the holes for the badge and hence require no drilling.

Thes brackets work by pulling the spare against the front panel without causing any distortion and use the friction of the tyre to hold the wheel in place.

As a result they are sturdy and cause no problems. You can actually stand on the front wheel when washing the bus roof - ask me how I know :lol:

Not carrying a spare or carrying tyre weld is a possibility but a lot depends on how you use your bus.

If its just local stuff and shows then its maybe a risk you might consider taking.

Personally i carry a spare because I use it to go camping on touring holidays and the thought of being stuck in the middle of nowhere, abroad, just because of a puncture, seems ludicrous to me.

The last three punctures I have suffered over 8 years involved one nail - which could have been fixed with tyre weld - though it should be noted that often repairers wont fix tyres with goo in them so you may end up having to replace the tyre.

The other two both involved sidewall damage, which cannot be repaired with tyre weld.

One was a stupid mistake on my part when I clipped a sharp kerb with the rear wheel, in town, which opened up a gash in the sidewall and the other was a huge screw on a dark and rainy night on the motorway, which went straight into the sidewall making a large hole.

Sorry this answer is not definitive but I hope it helps you decide what best suits you.

 

[dubsteps]

Nope, my late bay had one, the nose was all creased and finally rusted out due to that sodding spare....but it's up to you :lol:

 

[RICH-I-AM]

Wouldnt put it on the front panel, made a mess of the front panel on my 74 (Fitted by the PO).
Also could put buyers off should you wish to sell it in the future.

Rich

 

[mattd1984]

I currently carry mine in the back. Sits on top of the bedding so also helps hold that down. Used to go on the rack but I much prefer the look of my van without a rack

I just take it out when I get to where I am going and put it under the van, my mates all think I am wasting my time carrying a spare. As I also carry tyre weld, but if you can a blow out or sidewall damage for example you then have to wait god knows how many hours for a repair truck then try and find a tyre centre that is open. Potential is it happen late on a Saturday with no tyre centres open Sunday. They what would I do, also for example going to Europe would just be a pain in the arse with no spare.

I will admit though that the spare is a 14" and I run 15" but at least it would get me out of trouble.

 

[71Westy]

Interesting responses folk - thanks!

I carry a spare because:
a) my breakdown cover says I have to
b) I do use the bus on longer journeys (Suffolk to Scotland once and to Wales twice last year)

So it gives me peace of mind. (I worry about the toughened windscreen more - but that's another issue....)

On trips it does go on the westy roofrack at the back - but that looks pretty awful too! But it won't go in the garage that way (it has a couple of cm clearance without!)

As for creasing the front in an accident, looking at the structure I think I'm more worried about my legs than the front of the panel. It's not lowered, btw.

Hmm - I think I'm shying away from sticking it on the front

Thanks,
Nick

 

[mike202]

I have the same dilemma when we go camping. I take a spare and put it under the van at the campsite. Then when I take it out a day or two later its got spots of oil on the top and mud on the bottom :lol:

I am going to stick it on the westy roof rack next time at the campsite, and I am not keen on permanently siting it there for the journey due to the weight etc, although its probably no heavier than other stuff that folks put up there maybe. Perhaps that's an option for you as long as it's tied down firmly.

I definitely wouldn't put it on the front though, just my opinion.

 

[dubscum]

 

[mattyd72]

This.



Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[slow-lane-Matt]

There is/was a bracket on Ebay to put the spare tire on a folding "gate" attached to the back, so the wheel mounted on the frame swings out to access the boot, like a modern 4x4

It didn't look particularly good - but is a viable alternative....

 

[dub boy]

There is/was a bracket on Ebay to put the spare tire on a folding "gate" attached to the back, so the wheel mounted on the frame swings out to access the boot, like a modern 4x4

It didn't look particularly good - but is a viable alternative....

whs there is a few about like this, some are bike racks and wheel carriers in one ,i have seen a stainless one on a van at brighton breeze one year but wouldnt have a clue who made it

 

[dubscum]

I have a new in the box front mounting bracket for a narrow 5 wheel if you want it for a beer