See this:

This is a spare wheel carrier for a caravan. FIFTY QUID for two tubes.

So I was wondering about making something myself. But I’ve no idea where to start getting suitable tubing, or what to look for in my steel. I don’t care about light weight in this case.

I know I’m an idiot, so humor me anyway.

Is the old one repairable? Looking at the pic, if I was to fabricate with basic tools (hand tools, grinder, basic might or arc welder) the bends on the steel tubes would be the toughest bit.

It’ll be the stamped fittings that make up most of the cost unless they make thousands of them.

Hence I would do some mitres to make the dog leg.

I have a small friendly local engineering firm that sells offcuts. You ideally want someone like that to buy stuff off.

I don’t have one. No spare on this caravan.

I am not sure it needs the bends. If I am making something bespoke to my chassis I can do stuff that Alko wouldn’t want to because it wouldn’t be generic.

I could for example simply bolt two square section tubes to the chassis with a plate and bolts to attach the wheel. That thing is telescopic to fit different chassis.

Just go buy some mild steel and get cutting.

115mm grinder with 1.5 mm cutting disc, and a grinding disc,and a maybe a flap disk. Centre punch, small welder, drill and bits. Practice loads of welding first. You will be crap. Smash the welds apart to learn. Eventually you will be good enough to produce a ugly but good enough weld with sufficient over engineering. Then bodge something together!

115mm grinder with 1.5 mm cutting disc, and a grinding disc,and a maybe a flap disk. Centre punch, small welder, drill and bits.

To save £50? (-:

Don’t you just need a blowtorch and a springy pipe bender to get the bends? edit: no. edit:maybe. I don’t know.

+ several days learning and smashing and recutting and swearing……

Tools are a different budget! Everyone knows that!

you don’t remember the passat saga then?

you don’t remember the passat saga then?

I have hopes for this too 🙂

Steel merchant for the material.

However, £50 isn’t too bad really.

Hell, bike frames are only 8 or 9 tubes and can be £5/600.

😉

Then bodge something together!

🙂 I have a grinder – I don’t think I’d do the bends, I reckon I could bolt something together. I’d love to learn to weld, but we’re going away in 2 weeks 🙂

you don’t remember the passat saga then?

That’d be the Passat that is running really well and is in great shape? And has dodgy paintwork?

Just go buy some mild steel and get cutting.

On that subject, isn’t mild steel just going to rust?

we’re going away in 2 weeks

Put the spare in the front box and keep an eye on the nose weight 🙂

Part of the reason for wanting a spare carrier (as well as actually needing a spare) is that I inadvertently added a load of weight to the front by fixing it with much heavier ply than was originally used. It’s rather nose-heavy as it is.

Just a question why not put the spare wheel inside the caravan when in transit?

A few things to consider:-
Do you enjoy fannying about with bits of metal ?

Will you be able to enjoy tooling down the road with a complete trust in your new wheel carrying, money saving,over engineered masterpiece ?

Will the rest of the family enjoy you fannying about saving £25 as it gets closer to the holiday ?

So just put the spare wheel inside the van while on the move,I bet you even know someone that could knit a nice cover for it. 😛

also, will you want to be releasing the spare from the resulting carrier at the side of a motorway/a-road/town centre in the pissing rain so the AA bloke can fit it for you.

Just a question why not put the spare wheel inside the caravan when in transit?

IT’s full of enough crap that hasn’t got anywhere to go as it is.

Do you enjoy fannying about with bits of metal ?

Yes

Will the rest of the family enjoy you fannying about saving £25 as it gets closer to the holiday ?

They’ll enjoy the two nights of camping it’ll pay for.

also, will you want to be releasing the spare from the resulting carrier at the side of a motorway/a-road/town centre in the pissing rain so the AA bloke can fit it for you.

❓ bit of a necessity isn’t it?

bit of a necessity isn’t it?

depends on the level of bodge involved in holding it all in place?

Why not go for no spare and a can of sealant like almost every car now? Same risk.

depends on the level of bodge involved in holding it all in place?

I’m obviously not going to design something that will make it hard to use…

Why not go for no spare and a can of sealant like almost every car now? Same risk.

I’d quite like to rebalance the weight a bit at the same time.

Is there room on the draw bar? It’ll be a lot easier to knock something up if there is.

Edit: a generic mount for £5.69 exists.

It’s rather nose-heavy as it is.

And

I’d quite like to rebalance the weight a bit at the same time.

Balancing a heavy nose weight, by adding more weight to the van further back is a bad idea. It creates instability.
Weight over the axel predominantly and then forwards of the axel to get desired nose weight.

Weight at the rear is just a big pendulum, ragging the car about.

I really like melting things and making something cool like knives.

Voila

On that subject, isn’t mild steel just going to rust?

Yes but if painters will take a long time. If you want it galvanized you will need to do so after any welding. Welding gal is very dangerous. Drilling and bolting will result in unprotected material (only small bits). Stainless steel of any type it more expensive and do are the rods to weld it (if using arc). Aluminium requires AC guy to weld or decent might and is harder to weld (never actually welded Al but I hear it’s more difficult due to judging when it’s “wet”).

Thanks wwaswas. Perfectly illustrated.

Molly I fabricate all sorts of stuff at work.

But there I have the luxury of a huge welding bay with top notch fume extraction and good sturdy kit for all sorts of metals and uses.

Trying to do that sort of stuff at home (where I have a nice workshop but not really set up for welding) would end up with a compromised solution that I would worry about.

Go and see a local fabricator and come back and tell us how much he wants to construct what you have in your OP.

I’m guessing it will be more than £50

I’m not welding anything. It would be drilled and bolted or bent.

Weight over the axel predominantly and then forwards of the axel to get desired nose weight.

And what do you do when it’s too nose heavy? Move stuff rearwards. Ideal nose weight is 5-7%. The rig handles much better in this range, in my experience. But unless I put stuff behind the rear axle (not right in the back) the nose weight is about 10-12% which is at or over the limit of the car and makes the handling and ride worse.

That video is a good demo but it doesn’t say what the nose weight is or even if it’s negative. My setup definitely does not do this. I am very careful about these things.

Get down the local tip, get friendly with the blokes, and hang about the metal bin till something suitable turns up! I’d be looking at old baby buggies, bike racks, dexion racking, that sort of stuff.
You’re a man after my own heart though, and I’d help you bodge it if near!

And what do you do when it’s too nose heavy?

Initially I would avoid doing the following

I inadvertently added a load of weight to the front by fixing it with much heavier ply than was originally used. It’s rather nose-heavy as it is.

In all seriousness though, £50.00 ain’t bad. Unless you have everything sat in the garage left over from another project, you’ll spend 50 quid. Especially once sent for galvanising.
Given you go away in two weeks as well, personally I’d just buy. I enjoy a good project as much as the next person, but can’t really see much mileage in this.

In all seriousness though, £50.00 ain’t bad.

You may be talking me round to this point of view. If decent tubes were available in B&Q it might be different.

molgrips – Member

I’m not welding anything. It would be drilled and bolted or bent.
Carry on then and tell us how it went once your back