# No spare wheel



## delfy

How do folk manage to travel without a spare tyre?What happens if there is a puncture and is it true that your insurance won't cover you if you are not carrying one? 
It seems that PVCs don't have the space inside and underneath is taken up by water and waste tanks. Thanks


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## Bubblehead

We, and most people buy a spare rim and have a tyre fitted. Weve carried one for 5 years without needing it, but I wouldnt be without it.

I bought a set of 5 steel rims on ebay and sold 4 at a profit which nearly covered thecost of the tyre. You can get them easily when alloys are fitted, make sure you have the right bolts for the steel rim Iif you have alloys fitted
Andy


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## drcotts

You usually get a Get you home puncture repair kit but these are useless if you get a burst tyre.

If you have MH insurance then they should cover you if the vehicle is "as manufactured". Check with them to be sure

Phill


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## delfy

Thankyou Phil. That seems to be the best way forward. I don't have the space or weight reserve to carry a spare and the insurance companies must know that many PVC do not have a spare on board.
Bubbleheads you have so much space so I see where you are coming from. But thanks for posting.


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## peedee

If you have breakdown insurance, check what they cover. Some will cover punctures even without a spare being available. There may or may not be and extra charge for the call out. Even if there is a charge it is usually much less than buying a new spare wheel and tyre and given the low risk of having a puncture it is in my view an acceptable risk to not have a spare especially if you have difficulty in carrying one.
peedee


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## DustyR

I do not have a spare wheel, but I joined Tyron.co.uk. If you suffer a puncture they bring tyre out to you and fit no matter where you are. They are supposed to get to you within the hour I believe.

This costs £65 and lasts for 3 years.


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## Mrplodd

Hi Dusty

I would check the wording VERY carefully as, realistically, do you really expect them to get to you, in the middle of rural France/Spain/England/Germany/Belgium etc at 11 o'clock at night on a bank holiday weekend complete with a tyre (especially if its a CP tyre) Do they guarantee that service or is it a "We aim to" ??

I have invested in a spare wheel and tyre at the cost of losing some payload for exactly the above scenario.

Its all about risk management/acceptability


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## RichardD

When I took out breakdown insurance with CaravanGuard I was told over the phone that I didn't need a spare wheel if the vehicle was not supplied with one from new. However, when checking the small print I found that this was not the case. I contacted them and by return they supplied a revised set of Ts and Cs which stated exactly what I was told when originally taking the policy out.

I would definitely recommend everyone to check their policy small print carefully.

Richard


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## rosalan

By chance I bought a spare wheel and tyre at a Motorhome Show last summer. I am lucky for I can stand the wheel upright in my garage securely.
On a Sunday morning in Spain I awoke to find a hole in one of my tyre-walls and a very flat tyre.
Phoned and a man changed the wheel for my new one without any problem. Here comes the BUT... I called at four huge tyre depots before finding one that carried a Continental VancoCamper 15" in France. How would I have managed without a tyre?
In England before going on holiday, nobody had this tyre in stock (July 2013), even the importers did not have one of these popular tyres; I was amazed! 

By the way I did explore the internet sources, local garages and some further afield. Looking back to earlier years on MHF, this seems to be normal at this time of year.

Alan


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## Telbell

Tyron web page seems to make it clear they only operate in the uk.
What does Dusty R do if he has a problem over he water?


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## MikeCo

I'm surprised that your panel van does not have a spare wheel, my self build was based upon a new 2012 Boxer and the spare wheel is underneath but right at the back of the van. That is nowhere near where any tanks will be fitted.

Mike


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## JayBe

*No Spare Wheel*

I recently read on another forum site, a comment from FIAT, that if the puncture repair kit is used, the damaged tyre must be replaced as soon as possible ! That fact is not widely publicised, and is an expensive exercise. We have twice had punctures, one in France where we were not far from a friendly garage owner, but the other was in the mountains in Austria with no assistance for miles around.

We are going to Croatia, Bosnia-H and Montenegro in August/September. A spare wheel and tyre is a must, despite the weight.

John


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## delfy

Apparently on the Fiat, so I am told, there is not enough clearance for a cradle to drop down so that a spare can be removed. The van is supplied with a kit to keep you going and there would be insufficient space or payload for a wheel and tyre to be included. Perhaps your self build uses space more effectively than a commercially produced pvc.


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## homenaway

delfy said:


> Apparently on the Fiat, so I am told, there is not enough clearance for a cradle to drop down so that a spare can be removed. The van is supplied with a kit to keep you going and there would be insufficient space or payload for a wheel and tyre to be included. Perhaps your self build uses space more effectively than a commercially produced pvc.


My 2008 Fiat Ducato PVC came with a spare wheel which is held in place by a steel cable through the centre, not in a cradle. There was a factory recall to replace the wind-down mechanism as in the original design the cable could jam. (or snap 

Steve


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## MikeCo

delfy said:


> Apparently on the Fiat, so I am told, there is not enough clearance for a cradle to drop down so that a spare can be removed. The van is supplied with a kit to keep you going and there would be insufficient space or payload for a wheel and tyre to be included. Perhaps your self build uses space more effectively than a commercially produced pvc.


The spare wheel is standard on a Boxer and is nothing to do with it being a self build. The same space should be available on a Fiat.


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## peedee

Telbell said:


> Tyron web page seems to make it clear they only operate in the uk.
> What does Dusty R do if he has a problem over he water?


If you take out the Caravan Club's Red Pennant travel insurance you are covered for not having a spare wheel but there is a £100 charge for the call out.
peedee


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## dearestjane

We have a Rapido V53 2012 came with a spare wheel, uprated to 3500kg, added 3 x 85ah batteries towbar awning carry 100ltrs water plus everything else we carry and still under weight. 

In fact we have more pay load than we have ever had on any motorhome. 
And can also tow a trailer up to 2300kg. 8O


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## delfy

That sounds terrific Jane . Thankyou, very reassuring.


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## DustyR

Yes point taken about over the other side of the channel, however, most of our touring is done on this side so weighing up the odds decided to go with Tyron.


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## Scattycat

Just bought a new rim from a company in Germany and had a new tyre fitted.

A bit expensive? May be. But, what price piece of mind?

After a nasty trip down a large pothole, that thankfully didn't damage the tyre, but more by luck than judgement. having a new spare in the boot gives that nice warm comfort feeling.
No doubt something else will break or stop working that we haven't got a spare for, but hey, oh at least 1 un-repairable puncture is something we don't have to worry about


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## Pudsey_Bear

I'd watch your payload, that's one of the reasons some converters don't fit one, there is also the mechanics to support it to consider, Andy (Techno100) does a kit for some vans, he'd know the weight I think of the carrier.


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## delfy

Just taken out insurance with Comfort and they cover motorhomes without a spare wheel / tyre. They accept that PVCs are often short on space and payload. Hope that helps.


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## Techno100

My Alko carrier weighs 12kg


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## brightsparkretired

I just lowered the waste tank with 50mm spacers which was enough to slide the spare on to it. Thinking about just carrying the tyre to save weight, just hope the breakdown people(auto aid v.good) can fit it ok


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## Techno100

I should have said MY carrier for Alko chassis. 
Alko do not care for central mounted units nor make one


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## Techno100

Alko's limited contribution is this
http://shop.al-ko.co.uk/sections/spare-wheel-carriers.html
As much use as a chocolate fireguard if your chassis does not go all the way to the rear or you have a garage or a grey waste tank behind the rear axle


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## Scattycat

I was looking to fit a carrier similar to Techno's, but to be honest I have enough room in my garage for my spare wheel now that I've built the shelf to take things like the tables and outside screen cover.


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## delfy

Just wanted to say Thankyou for all your suggestions and illustrations too.
I shall have to reassess what I actually need to carry and perhaps compromise on some external equipment in order to make room for a spare. I would certainly feel more confident.
Unlike you clever lads, we girls don't have the skills to manufacture cradles and such like!!


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## Techno100

Scattycat said:


> I was looking to fit a carrier similar to Techno's, but to be honest I have enough room in my garage for my spare wheel now that I've built the shelf to take things like the tables and outside screen cover.


Got any Shelfy pics ? 8)


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## peejay

Hi Daf,

If you're still off to Morocco, along with the puncture kit thingy it might be worth also taking a spare tyre with you minus the wheelrim to save on weight a bit.

Possibly stash it on a rear bike rack if you've got one, or maybe on the roof. You'd have to cover it with something to stop the rain getting in, maybe with a bin bag or you can also buy tyre cover cases I think..

The Marocs are a resourceful lot as you know and would have no problems putting a new tyre on your existing rim if the worst happened.

Pete


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## Scattycat

Techno100 said:


> Scattycat said:
> 
> 
> 
> I was looking to fit a carrier similar to Techno's, but to be honest I have enough room in my garage for my spare wheel now that I've built the shelf to take things like the tables and outside screen cover.
> 
> 
> 
> Got any Shelfy pics ? 8)
Click to expand...

Hi Techno,

I'll try and download some before I go away, but basically, it's half the width of the van and I made up a frame, one side is against the rear wall and the other is opposite on the inner wall and the whole thing is 71mm from the floor which allows the spare wheel to fit underneath.
The frame goes right across the width of the van and the shelf is on rollers and is locked into place by a couple of slide bolts so it's fixed for travelling. Being able to slide it from side to side makes it easier to access kit stored on the floor which ever side of the van it is on.
I have some netting that I can attach over the ends so that stuff on the shelf doesn't slide about in transit.

Hope the above makes sense, but as I said I'll try and download some pics before I go away, but don't hold your breath I'm getting a bit forgetful in my old age. :lol:


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## delfy

Hi Pete. I think you're right. Yes we are off to Poole on April 21st for a crossing on 22nd. Just think of the places our new PVC will take us that Billy Burstner would have found a bit tight.To be honest, I was struggling with ratcheting up the handbrake on the big boy, sufficiently to hold her firm. Exiting Diamond Vert up that gravelly slope is a scarey tale for another time.


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## peedee

The RAC introduced a new service last year aimed at owners of vehicles without a spare wheel. Check >this< out and note it is free to RAC members and only £30 call out fee if not plus the cost of a new tyre if you need it.

Anyone used it yet?

peedee


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